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

THE CHOLERA OF 1867. 389
in those groups, by simply looking in every room at the few
faces lighted up by the small lantern placed over the door.
"Do you know," one said, "that they have killed a carabineer
at Grammichele ? The soldiers found him dead in a
ditch ; they say that his face was all beaten out of shape, so
that it was irrecognizable, and the arms and legs half gnawed
by the "
dogs Some ? one asked why he had been killed.
" Because he poisoned people," replied the first, and a bitter
smile passed over the lips of the listeners.
"
Have you heard
the news ? " said others,
" At Belpasso they have killed the
delegate of public safety ;
at Monreale they have fired upon
the sharp-shooters ;
in Ardore they have killed and beaten to
pieces the captain of the national guard, and Second Lieutenant
Gazzone In some other place they have fastened to the
walls a proclamation, which says that they must burn and cut
the throats of the soldiers and destroy all the barracks. ...
All this because we poison the people."
A sound of the drum was heard, the companies drew up in
line, answered the roll-call; half the soldiers were absent.
The
quartermaster-sergeant read their names, and when any one
was lacking, the corporal of the week, erect beside him, notebook
in hand, said in a low voice " : He is ill at the lazzaretto ;
he is on the patrol in the country ;
he is on the round in the
district ;
he is on duty at the cemetery ;
he is dead," and these
last words were followed by a movement of surprise and a
murmur of
" "
compassion. Silence ! shouted the quartermaster-sergeant
; attention to the duties for to-morrow."
" And
he read the names of those who were detailed for various services
on the following day, and generally all present were appointed
for the same duty. No one breathed. Some on hear-