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

THE CHOLERA OF 1867.
4OI
" There are so many poor in this place."
His comrades understood his thought, and whispered
:
"
Certainly, a capital idea ! It would be better to do so. It is
better to give the money to the poor."
The captain allowed the murmur to subside, and then said :
" Listen. I want you
all to tell me frankly what you think ;
I
do not wish that any of you should refuse the municipality's
offer to please me, for that would cause me great displeasure.
Nor do I wish the majority to impose their wish upon the few.
You deserve this money ; you have worked, suffered, done
good, and it is no more than just that you should have this
compensation. To advise you to deprive yourselves of it would
be unjust, and I refrain from doing so. In fact, I tell
you that you would do well to accept it. Courage, be quite
frank ; if
any among you have need of his portion of the money,
tell me without fear or shame, as you would a friend I should
;
not admire a man who accepted
it less than one who refused it ;
I simply wish that any 6ne who needs the money should say so.
"
!
Courage Is there no one ? " "
No one !
" " Not even one ? and he watched every face.
" No one," they all repeated,
and the tone of voice and expression
of their eyes attested to the spontaneity of the act.
" " " Bravo ! exclaimed the captain quickly. To-morrow
I shall go to the municipality, and I shall say to those gentlemen
that the pth company of the 57th regiment in charity to the poor of Licata."
offers 100 lire
What they did in Licata they did in Aosta, Scansano, Genoa,
and many other places, whose names would fill these pages.
But I cannot be silent about you, brave Zamela a sapper in