Military life in Italy : sketches - Societa italiana di storia militare

120 MILITARY LIFE.
man fell that he did not run to help him, look at his wound,
and cheer him ;
he was always in motion though tired to death.
'
O
captain
!
captain ! don't leave me, captain ! '
shouted, as they seized him by his arm and by
his
coat.
'
No, my boy,' he replied ;
'
the sufferers
the end of
I will stay here with
you until you are cured ; courage, courage, boy, your captain
will not leave you.' Do you understand what a man that
was ? And there are many like him ; you must not judge from
appearances ;
and pity those who seem bad, and be grateful
to the good, and above every thing respect all, because they are
soldiers, and any day we may see them die under our eyes like
valiant men. When we love any one we gladly bear any kind
of life, remember that. Ask, look about you, and make your
comrades tell you this ; you will see that the best soldiers always
loved their superiors. Take, for instance, the soldier
what was his name ? the soldier, Perrier, in '48, who
and fell
threw himself between his officer and the enemy,
to the ground with three balls in his '
breast, shouting Re-
:
member me, my good officer ;
I die happy in having saved
your life '
And that other !
grenadier, I do not recall his name,
who, rather than abandon his wounded captain, allowed himself
to be beaten to death with bayonets, shouting
:
'
If you do
not kill me, I will not leave him to you.' Then the other
eight or ten who, under a shower of bullets, at the battle of
Rivoli, went and dragged from the hands of the Germans the
body of their officer, as they wished to bury him with their own
hands, and give him the last honors in their own camp. Then
so many others, whose names and deeds are printed in a hundred
books, and remember them all and love them as if they
were living.
. . . Have you a match " ?