166

LIFE OF COLONEL MACERONI.

words, lie made a threatening movement with his bayonet ;towards me. I closely watched to see if he cocked his jpiece, which, however, he did not. But there was no timeto lose; for on my telling him that he was a scoundrel anda thief, he made a lunge at me with his bayonet. I jumped ;back a step or two while drawing my pistol, then fired, and 'lodged the ball in his right shoulder, or rather collar-bone.The wretch immediately threw himself on the ground,screaming to the virgin for assistance to his soul. I dartedon him, seized his musket, and putting the bayonet to hisbreast, was on the point of finishing his vile career, andsaving myself from future misrepresentation of the case,when I heard voices hallooing from behind. I turned myhead, and saw two other sbirri running towards me as fastas they could. This was a brief, but embarrassing momentof dilemma. Was I to defend myself with the wounded ]sbirro’s musket—(I found it loaded)—was I to flee—or to 1stand ? I did the latter, but kept the musket ready cocked |towards the advancing comrades of my fallen friend, who '■lay groaning at my feet. In this decision to remain, I was |encouraged by the signs of the coming sbirri, who advancedwith the butts of their muskets towards me, motioning withtheir hands, that I should be quiet. All this did not occupyone tithe of the time it has taken me to recount it; forwhen I first heard the voices, and saw the two other sbirri,they were not more than sixty paces distant, and theyappeared to have come from some concealment in the fields,not along the road, which is broad and straight as a line.They accosted me respectfully—I kept my gun and pistolready, and myself as much aloof as possible, — but itappeared that my fears were groundless, for they heapedreproaches on their guilty comrade, assured him that they ihad witnessed his felonious conduct; they even kicked him; jand maugre his groans and complaints of what he suffered ]