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

you wish of me ? I
THE WOUNDED SENTINEL. 37
have offended no one, I do not know you
even ;
I am a poor soldier and am doing my duty, and stand
here because I am ordered to do so. Yes, ridicule and hiss
at me, you do yourselves honor to treat your soldiers in such a
way . . . just as if they were "
brigands !
At that point, a stump of cabbage thrown with great force
grazed the ground, and bouncing and whistling fell at his feet.
" God ! God !
" he murmured in a desperate tone of voice,
covering his face with one hand and resting his forehead on
the other which was leaning on the mouth of his "
gun. I
shall lose my head ! I cannot control myself much longer.
The blood is
rushing to my head ! . . ."
" But it is quite useless," he added a moment latter in a
trembling and stifled voice ;
" it is useless to make us wear
these "... and he gave a hard blow on the two medals that
he wore on his breast, making them hit each other and resound ;
"
it is useless for them to give us medals because we have
fought for our country, if afterward they are to throw cigar
stumps and cabbage heads in our faces Oh, you wish to
!
make me abandon my post, do you
? You wish me to betray
my trust. If you were fifty, or even a hundred, you could not
force me to move from here ;
if
you should all spring upon
me at once, I would sooner be torn to pieces like a dog.
Come on, you cowards ! Don't insult me from a distance.
Yes, yes, I understand, it is useless for you to make signs at
me ;
I know that you have knives in your pockets ;
but you
won't quite dare to plant them in my stomach in broad daylight.
You would prefer sticking them into my back at night
. . . when . . ."
Suddenly he uttered a sharp cry, let his musket fall, covered