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

412 MILITARY LIFE.
soldiers !
"
A moment later the poor peddler heard the approach
of hastening steps, saw the gleam of bayonets outside
the windows, caught the sound of a powerful voice above the
tumult which said :
" Bread for all !
" and instantly thereafter
the blows on the door ceased, the arms of his assaulters retired
from the grating, and the raging shouts of the crowd were followed
by a low murmur. The woman lay exhausted on the
ground, and he was saved. The commander of the detachment
had been informed in time of what was taking place, had
gathered his soldiers in an instant, made each one take his
portion of bread, and had thus come to quell the riot with the
double weapons of menace and charity. Not one of the soldiers
was suspected in the place, in fact they were always
looked upon kindly, and perhaps even loved for their almsgiving
and help, which they bestowed so generously in every
way, so that at their appearance the mob desisted from violence,
and, little by little, became perfectly quiet. Part of the
soldiers entered the house and stood guard there the others
;
remained to watch those poor famished creatures who devoured
their bread in silence. How many of these occurrences took
place, and how often they were repeated in the same places !
Yet the hardest labor and the most repulsive duty which fell
to the lot of the soldiers was that of burying the dead, for
which they were obliged to arm themselves with all the strength
and courage possible. Sometimes in the middle of the night
a messenger from the municipality would arrive at the barracks
to say that some bodies had just been discovered in such and
such a house, that no one would bury them, and that some
steps must be taken in the matter instantly, before putrefaction
rendered burial out of the question. A loud beating of the