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

248 MILITARY LIFE.
which had lain dormant for some time had been roused at that
point, and his heart, filled suddenly by a crowd of violent emotions,
had given a terrible bound. He gazed for a long time at
the shrine with pallid face, dilated eyes, and trembling lips
;
then stretched out his arms in a supplicating way and cried :
" Oh, Gigia
!
oh, my Gigia ! " and fell face downward on the
cart.
At that point a loud shout reached his ear, and sent the blood
rushing from head to foot. He raised his head, looked, seized
his wooden leg, put the stump into it, grasped the straps with
trembling fingers, and tried, but all in vain, to buckle them.
Meanwhile the people were coming nearer, with open arms and
lips all set for the shout of joy they could not utter. And all
this time the poor fellow could do nothing but pull at his leg
like a madman. . . . Ah
!
here they are quite near; the mother
first, who, stretching out her arms with a divine smile on her
face, dropped her eyes, saw, gave a desperate cry which came
from the depths of her soul, seized him groaningly around the
neck, and stood still. All the others covered their faces with
their hands.
After a moment he was on the ground ; the straps had been
fastened without his knowing it. Let him go by himself ! they
all
thought at once. See him walk like that ? Oh, no !
they
must carry him. Carry him ? No ! no !
They carry the dying
; no, they would not carry him ! .This thought passed like
a flash through their minds. During that instant the poor fellow
had placed the crutches under his arms, and to shorten that
sad spectacle for his dear ones, he started in long strides toward
the house. All looked at him all except the mother and the
fiancee ; they hid their faces in each other's bosom.