Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-04-14
THE DRUMMER BOY.

tozza, the oath of July, 1913, about sixty
soldiers belonging to one of the Italian
infantry regiments, having been sent to
occupy an isolated house on a hight.
were Unexpectedly attacked by two COM
panies of Austrians, who, firing on them
from different points, barely gave them
time to take refuge in the house and
hastily barricade the doors, leaving sew
eral dead and wounded in the fields.
After barricading the doors, the Italian
soldiers hastily ran to the windows on the
first floor and began to pour steady fire
into their assailants, who were gradually
advancing in q semicircle and replying
vigorously.
The sixty Italians were commanded by
two subalterns and a Captain, a tail old
fellow, lean and severe, with white hair
and mustaches; with them there was
Sandman drummer boy, boy not much
more than IA years old, and who scarcely
appeared to be l2 he was small, with an
olive-brown face, and two sparkling little
deep black eyes. The Captain was direct
ing the defense from 4 window on the first
floor, shouting his orders like pistol shots,
and with no sign of emotion on his hard
face. The drummer boy, who was little
pale, but firm on his legs, got up on
table, and was stretching out his neck to
see out of the windows and leaning against
the wall through the smoke he saw the
white uniforms of the Austrians, who were
slowly advancing through the fields. The
house was situated on the summit of
steep slope, and on the side toward the
slope had but one small window, high up,
which looked out from the garnet; there
fore the Austrians did not threaten the
house from that side, and the slope was
clear; their fire was directed only toward
the front and the two sides.
But it was an internal fire, hail of
leaden bullets, which on the outside
cracked the walls and crumbled the tiles,
and on the inside smashed ceilings, fur
niture, window-frames and door-posts, fill
ing the air with splinters clouds of plaster
and bits of pottery and glass; kissing, re-
bounding, crashing into everything with
noise fit to drive one mad. From time to
time one of the soldiers who were firing
from the windows fell back on the floor
and was dragged to one side. Some tot
tered from room to room, pressing their
hands on their wounds. In the Kitchen
there was already one dead man, with
ball through his forehead. The semicircle
Of the enemy kept closing up.
At once he Captain, who, until then,
had been impossible, was seen to show
signs of uneasiness, and to stride out of the
room, followed by a sergeant. About three
minutes afterward the sergeant came run
I.,ulr II
reckoning him to follow. The boy ran
after him up wooden staircase, and went
with him into an empty garnet, where he
saw the Captain, who was writing with
pencil on sheet of paper, leaning against
the window, with well-rope on-t the floor
at MS feet.
The Captain folded the paper, and,
looking with his cold, grayish eyes, before
which all the soldiers trembled, into the
eyes Of the boy, said abruptly:
Drummer boyp The drummer boy
saluted. The Captain said: You've
got grit" The boys eyes lighted up.
" Yes, Captain" he answered.
Look down there" said the Captain.
rushing him to the window, in the plain,
near the houses of Villafranca, where
there is glittering of bayonets Those
are our friends, standing idle. Take this
note, catch hold of the rope, slide down
from the window, run down the hill, 90
through the fields reach our friends and
give the note to the first officer YOU see.
Chuck away your belt and knapsack.D
The boy took off his belt and knapsack,
and put the note into his breast pocket |;
the Sergeant threw out the rope and
grasped one end Of it with both hands /;
the Captain helped the boy pass backward
through the little window. "Take care y
he said to him, the safety of the detach-
ment depends on your courage and on
your legs"
"Trust me, Captain" replied the drum
mer-boy, swinging himself out.
Stoep as you go down" said the Cap
tain again, helping the Sergeant to hold
the rope.
Never fear"
God help you"
In few moments the boy WIS on the
ground; the Sergeant drew up the rope
and disappeared; the Captain sprang to
the window, and saw the boy flying down
the hill
He was already hoping that he had
succeeded in escaping unobserved when
I'VE Vi SlA liktlG C4OuNlS Vi QliSl, NulCIl TOSG
from the ground both before and behind
the boy, warned him that he had been
seen by the Austrians, who were firing at
him from the top of the hill. Those lit
tie clouds were thrown up by the bullets.
But the boy continued to run at a break
neck pace. All at once he fell.
KILLED p roared the Captain, biting his
fist. But he had scarcely said the word,
when he saw the boy get up. "Ah. only
a fall p he said to himself, and breathed
again. In fact, the boy began to run again
as fast as he could but he iimped. "A
sprained ankle" thought the captain.
A few more little clouds of dust rose
here and there around the hoy, but they
were always further of. He was safe.
The Captain gave an exclamation of tri-
umph. But he continued to follow him
anriously with his eyes, because it was a
question of minutes; if he did not get
down there as quickly as possible with the
note. which requested immediate relief,
either all his soldiers would be killed, or
he would have to surrender and become
prisoners with them The boy ran swiftly
for while, and then limped and slack
ened his pace, and then broke into run
again. bet he seemed to become more and
more fatigued, and every little while
stumbled, and paused for a moment.
"PerhaFs he has been hit by glancing
BULLET" thought the Captain, and he shud-
Aeringly watched all his movements, and
encouraged him, and spoke TO him, as if
the boy could hear him; he measured in
cessantly, with keen eyes, the distance in-
terposlng between the running boy and
the gsittering of arms which he saw down
there in the plain in the midst of the
wheat fields, gilded by the sun. And
meanwhile he heart the whistling and the
noise of the bullets in the rooms below,
the imperious and angry cries of the Off
GERS and sergeants, the groans of the
wounded. and the crashing of the flrni-
ture and plaster. "UpI couragew he
cried, following with his gaze the distant
boy. Forwas' run He has stopped,
curse him AM he is running again"