CHAPTER LXIV. CUCCHI AND HIS COMRADES
And in Rome, what were Cucchi and his companions doing, and the Romanand provincial patriots consecrated to freedom and death? Cucchi, ofBergamo, was one of the most excellent men the revolution gave to Italy.Handsome, young, and wealthy, he belonged to one of the first familiesin Lombardy. Guerzoni, Bossi, Adamoli, and many others, despising thetortures of the Inquisition, and all other dangers, directed the Romaninsurrection, under the command of that intrepid Bergamasco.
The unhappy Roman people received with obedience the directions of thosevaliant youths, and asked to be supplied with arms. Arms in plentyhad been sent down to the Volunteers from all parts of Italy; but theGovernment of Florence, expert in every form of cunning, took means tostop them, so that there were very few weapons to be dispensed to theRomans.
Add to this the treachery prepared for this unhappy people, viz., thetacit promise that a few shots should be fired in the air, and that thenthe Italian army from the frontier would fly to their assistance. Bysuch false pretenses and underhand proceedings at Florence, the peopleof Rome, as well as their heroic friends, were deceived. Those shotswere fired, but no help came for Italy.
Poor Romans! they fought with rude weapons in the streets against animmense number of well-armed soldiery, who were backed by armed priests,monks, and police. They succeeded in mining and blowing up a Zouavebarrack, and with the knife alone fought desperately against thenew-fashioned carbines of the mercenaries.
In Trastevere, our old acquaintances, Attilio, Muzio, Orazio, Silvio,and Gasparo, had re-united with all those remaining of the Three Hundredon whom the police had not laid their hands. The people having thusfound capable leaders did their duty. Some of the old carbines that haddone execution in the Roman campaign now reappeared in the city inthe hands of Orazio and his companions, who made them serve as anefficacious auxiliary to the Trasteverini's naked knife.
The city rose in its chains as best it could, and used an armory ofdespair. Carbineers, Zouaves, dragoons on their patrol, were struck bytiles, kitchen-utensils, and many other objects thrown from the windowsby the inhabitants, stabbed by the poniards of the Liberals, and woundedby shots from blunderbuss and firelock. Thus assailed, the troops fledfrom the Lungara towards St. Angelo's bridge, and passed it, though theywere checked by the Papalini. The bridge was guarded by a battery ofartillery, supported by an entire regiment of Zouaves. When the people,intermingled with those whom they were pursuing, crowded on the bridge,the commander of the clericali ordered his men to fire, and the six gunsof the battery, with the fire of the entire line of infantry, pouredout over the bridge, making wholesale slaughter of the people and themercenaries. What did his Holiness care about the scattered blood of hiscut-throats and bought agents? The money of Italy's betrayers was at hisservice to purchase more. What was of the greatest importance was thedestruction of many of his Roman children. Many indeed were the rebelswho paid with their lives for their noble gallantly in venturing on thatfatal bridge. Many, truly, for in their enthusiasm the people attemptedthree consecutive times to carry it, and three consecutive times theywere repelled by the heavy storms of bullets rained upon them, and theshots from the cannon of the defenders of the priests.
It may well be supposed that, among those who were at the head of thepeople during this assault of the bridge, our five heroes would be foundfighting like lions. After having consumed their ammunition, they hadbroken their arms upon the skulls of the Papal soldiery, and providedthemselves with fresh ones by taking those of the killed. It was theywho continued the assault at the head of the people, whom they excitedto positive heroism.
It was, however, too hard a task. The first of the courageous leadersto bite the dust was the senior one, the venerable prince of the forest,Gasparo. He fell with the same stoicism which he had displayed duringall his existence--with a smile upon his lips, happy to give his fifefor ten thousand patriots, it is said, were arrested in some in this lastmovement by the paternal Government, for his country's holy cause, andfor the cause of humanity. A bursting shell had struck him above theheart, and his glorious death was instantaneous and without pain.
Silvio also fell by the side of Gasparo, both his thighs pierced withmusket-balls. Orazio had his left ear carried off by a ballet, whileanother slightly grazed his right leg. Muzio would have been dispatchedalso by a shot in the breast, had it not been for a strong English watch(a present from the beautiful Julia), which was smashed to atoms, and sosaved his life, leaving the mark of a severe contusion. Attilio had hiship grazed, as well as his left cheek, and received from a flying bulleta notch on his skull, resembling in appearance the mark a rope wears onthe edge of a wall.
The butchery of the people was so great and the fallen were so numerous,that after these three consecutive charges the brave insurrectionistswere obliged to retreat. Orazio carried Silvio on his back into thefirst house near the bridge for safety, but when the soldiery returned,the wounded were massacred and cut in pieces. Women, children, and manyunarmed and defenseless persons who fell into the hands of these worthysoldiers of the priesthood shared a similar fate.
The good instincts of the working-class are proved in the solemn timesof revolution. In such times the noble-minded working-man saves anddefends his employer's goods, never robs him; but if he takes arms hespares the lives of defenseless beings, and of those who surrender. Hewould shudder to kill with the cynicism of the mercenary; he fights likea lion--he who was so patient--one against ten!
In the Lungara there is a large woollen manufactory, which employs manyworkmen. From that woollen factory many had joined the insurgents, theelder ones remaining to guard the establishment. When these good oldartisans saw the people and their fellow-workmen thus followed by thePapal bullies and the mercenaries, they threw open the doors and gaveshelter to the fugitives, or at any rate to some of them, and levelledbars, axes, and every iron instrument that would serve as a weapon ofoffense or defense against the hated foreigners and the gendarmerie.
There arose in consequence an indescribable tumult at the entrance tothe factory, where the advantage was, at first, to the honest people,and where not a few of the Papal soldiers had their skulls smashed in,and their blood let out by the blows received. At length the besiegerstook up their position in the opposite houses, and the besieged, havingbarricaded themselves and collected a few more fire-arms, began afresh,with constant change of fortune, a real battle.
Our three surviving friends had entered the factory, and fought therewith great determination. The workmen and insurgents, too, encouraged bytheir chiefs, had also comported themselves valorously. But ammunitionwas lacking, and detachments of mercenaries were advancing to the succorof their comrades. Night, however, now favored the sons of liberty, who,although without ammunition, still kept up the defense.
It was 7 p.m. when the fire of the insurgents ceased, and a division ofPapal troops commenced the assault. They began by attacking the largefront door of the factory, which the workmen had barricaded but notclosed. Orazio and Muzio, after further strengthening the entrance,armed each man with an axe, and, picking out the youngest and boldestRomans, stationed some of them to the right and some to the left of thedoor to defend it. Thus prepared for a desperate resistance, determiningto sell their lives dearly, the assault was received.
Attilio had undertaken to defend the other entrance, and keep off thesecond portion of the assailants. Having secured the back doors in thebest manner possible with his appliances, he placed a number of workmenat the windows of the upper floor, from whence they were to cast nponthe assailants whatever missiles could be found. As soon as he hadcompleted these arrangements, he placed himself with his friends atthe most dangerous post, armed with the sabre of a gendarme whom he hadslain during the day.
The internal appearance of the factory presented at this moment a sadpicture. Many bodies of courageous citizens killed in its defense hadbeen carried to and deposited in an obscure corner of its extensivecourt-yard. In other corn
ers, lying here and there, were the wounded,and some were also stretched in the rooms upon the ground-floor. But nota groan was heard from these valorous sons of the people.
An immense table, with a candelabrum in the centre, occupied the middleof an extensive saloon on the left side of the front entrance to thebuilding, and on that table could be seen heaps of bandages, slings,cotton-wool, and linen of various kinds--the best which the house couldfurnish for the use of the wounded. A large vessel of water wasunder the table--perhaps the most useful relief of all to the woundedsufferers, be it to moisten and cool their wounds by bathing, or toquench the thirst which wounds generally occasion.
Three women of rare and noble beauty moved about in this improvisedhospital superintending the wounded, and we recognize in their gentleyet bold mien our three heroines, Clelia, Julia, and Irene.
The poor abandoned Camilla, ignorant of the loss of her Silvio, andwith the traces of her past sorrows still lingering on her sweet face,mechanically assisted the three merciful women in their kind attentionsto the sufferers. They had awaited their friends in the factory withthese preparations as soon as the battle on the bridge commenced, andthey received the wounded when the people, driven back, sought refuge inthe establishment, and entrenched themselves there. Other women of thepeople were on the spot also, tending the suffering, and carrying themwhat relief the circumstances permitted.
"Well, Prince of the Campagna," Attilio might be heard saying to Orazio,"we have seen many strifes, but the one we are in to-night is likely toprove the hardest of all. What consoles me is that our Romans seem toremember the olden times. Look at them, not one turns pale--all areready to confront death in whatever form it may come."
"On the contrary," answered Orazio, "they laugh, joke, and are as merryas if they were taking a walk to the Foro to empty a _foglietta_."
"We have still some wine. Let us give a draught of Orvieto all round tothese our brave comrades," exclaimed Attilio.
When all had refreshed themselves with a glass of that strengtheningcordial, a unanimous and solemn cry of "_Viva l'Italia!_" rolled forthlike thunder from that dense and resolute crowd of Home's desperatedefenders.