Angelo. " I know the rascals by that black feather
in the side of their caps. He recruited them in
Palermo, and they say there has not been a
pocket picked in the town since they left it."

"Signor Angelo Massari," said Cesare,
sternly, "if you cannot find some other butt
for your wit than your own comrades, I shall
cease to be one of them."

"Don Cesare di Palladoro!" said the other, as
haughtily. " If we are to part company, let it
be before I am indebted to you for a breakfast."

I interposed quickly, and by a few well-timed
words, established peace between them; a task
all the easier that they were both very hungry,
and the breakfast had just been served.

I could not help, even in this brief experience
of my companions, remarking how social
differences became almost impossible obstacles to
that spirit of " camaraderie" they affected, but
yet could not carry out. The only one of them
I felt myself really at ease with, was Don Cesare,
and I augured ill from this evidence, as to the
working of that Brotherhood they were
constantly boasting of. It was not a time,
however, for reflection. We descended the
mountain after breakfast, and after about an hour's
walk, reached the camp of the Picciotti. A
nearer inspection of these patriots was not
more favourable to them. They were the very
dregs of a town population, from the age of
fourteen to twenty. They were dirty, ragged,
almost barefoot, and unkempt creatures, and
yet, let me be just, and own that they showed
a marvellous aptitude for soldiery. They
handled their weapons skilfully, stood erect, and
marched with a sort of loose independent vigour
that sat right well on the rascals.

The most ill-favoured of the party was their
leader. I do not know his rank, for they called
him indiscriminately captain, major, and colonel,
and one urchin, of about twelve years old,
addressed him, with a droll grin, as "II Signor
Generale!" He was, I heard, a Livornese,
and named Scarselli. Cesare treated him with
extreme reserve and coldness, and I followed
his example. With this detachment—- which I
learned was to be distributed amongst various
corps when we came up with Nullo—- we marched
for that and the following day; Cesare being
always my companion, while Carlino and Angelo
preferred the society of the Livornese.

As we passed the little villages and towns
that lay on our way, little enthusiasm greeted
us; a cry of " Viva l'Italia, Viva Garibaldi," was
the extent of the welcome we met with. The
villagers usually closed their doors, while the
women would flaunt a handkerchief from the
windows. Beyond these cheap manifestations,
we got nothing. The orders against pillage
were rigid in the extreme, and we did our
utmost to observe them. Punishment,
however, was not always practicable. The derelict
usually ran away, and occasionally carried off
three or four sympathisers along with him.
Still, even the small amount of discipline we
could enforce, was a wonderful restraint, and I
have seen these famished boys tracking their
weary way under a blazing sun, with the loaded
vines on each side of them untouched, while,
when a well came in sight, they would break
the ranks, and scramble in wildest confusion to
wet their parched lips.

It was on, I think, the evening of the 14th
of August, as we halted in a field of newly-cut
maize, that I saw the first soldier of the royal
army who had joined us; he was a corporal of
the Bersaglieri, and came into our lines with
his brevet of lieutenant in the front of his cap,
signed by General Nicotera, provisionally, till
approved by Garibaldi. His arrival was very
cheering to us all. The fellow was one of those
plausible rogues whom, even while you
discredit, you listen to. He said the whole army
was coming over; that nothing but Garibaldi's
assurance that he was ready to open the campaign
was wanting to bring all the royal troops to our
standard. "A few of the old generals,
perhaps," said he, hesitatingly, "will hold back.
La Marmora, Durando, Sonnaz, and Cialdlini,
will not be with us, but we'll have fifty good as
they, and promotion will be all the quicker for
the vacancies." Amongst the small sprinklings
of truth that dropped from him, was the news
that General Mella was four miles off with a
strong column moving on Messina, intending
to anticipate Garibaldi's arrival in that city.
The prospect of being recaptured by this party
imparted to all his mention of them a most
lively interest, which we only half sympathised
with. It was useless to assure him that by his
account the royal troops would be soon all on our
side; he answered, that before that short time
might elapse it might be all over with him.

As we drew nigh Castro Giovanni, we heard
that Garibaldi had passed three days before, with
two strong columns, on his way to Messina, and
left orders that all the detachments, as they came
up, should push vigorously on to Aderno, where
further orders would await them.

Whether acts of indiscipline had already
become more frequent, or, that, as the force
increased, a stricter rule was more imperative,
but our commander, Scarselli, proclaimed at
morning parade that he had received the
General's orders to be more rigid in future, and
upon no plea whatever to exempt any man from
the duty that pertained to his rank.

"This is for us," whispered Cesare to me.
"The fellow resents our estrangement, and will
make us pay for it." And true enough, though
hitherto we had only marched with the force,
taking no part of its duties, nor joining in its
drills, we were now peremptorily ordered to " fall
in" and learn our exercise.

Now, Cesare had served two years in the
"Piemonte Reale" Lancers, and was a thorough
soldier, and had no fancy for being sent to
school under a Jew money-changer from
Leghorn, as we found out Scarselli to have been,
plus the sentence of a tribunal over him for
fraudulent bankruptcy. My friend Cesare, with
more zeal than prudence, let Scarselli see
that he was familiar with his history, and that
he had not the slightest intention of " making