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

30 MILITAR Y LIFE.
on his way. A moment later a great blow was heard on one
side of the street ; every
one turned in the direction of the
sound. Who is it ? What is it ? What 's
happened
? It was
a shopkeeper who had closed and barred his door.
The carriages
passed slowly, and the coachmen begged the crowd to
make way, with an unusually polite smile, and a motion of the
whip that was excessively courteous. On the corners, by the
light of the lamps, were seen those poor newspaper venders
assailed by ten people at a time, who, holding out the sou
with one hand, seized the desired sheet with the other, drew
to one side, then unfolded it in haste, and searched with avidity
for some important news. Some of the passers-by stopped,
formed a circle around the possessor of the journal, and
the latter read in a low voice while the others listened attentively.
Suddenly all the people are seen running toward the end of a
street ;
there is instantly a great press, a loud shout, a tremendous
confusion ;
above the heads can be seen four or five
muskets knocked here and there ;
a clapping of hands is heard ;
the crowd vacillates, falls back, opens on one side ;
four or five
dark figures appear with muskets in their hands, give a glance
about them with an air of triumph, turn into an alley, and off
they dash a
; troop of boys, howling and whistling, follow them.
What was it ? What 's
happened ? Nothing, nothing. A
has been disarmed. A moment
patrol of the national guard
later, the crowd opens on another side and four or five unfortunate
fellows appear, with pale faces, bare heads, dishevelled
hair, and clothes torn and disordered. Round about them
there rises a murmur of compassion ;
some sympathetic person
takes them by the arm, leads them out of the throng