attle of Novara, fought on an April morning of 1849, the King
of Sardinia gave up his throne, and longed for death that he might make
some tardy recompense for the failure of his attempt to withstand the
power of Austria. "Let me die, this is my last day," he said when
officers and men would have saved him from the fate of the 4000
Sardinians who lay dead and wounded. He was not suffered to meet death
but rode away, pointing to his son Victor Emmanuel II as he left his
army. "There is your King!" he said, resigning all claim to royalty
now that he had met defeat. He promised that he would serve in the
ranks as a private soldier if Italian troops made war again on Austria.

After the disgrace of Novara and the flight from Rome it seemed that
Mazzini could do nothing more for the cause of patriotism he had served
so nobly. He had given up hope of a great Italian Republic, and saw
that men's hearts were turned toward the young King Victor and the
monarchy.

Yet Garibaldi, the soldier of fortune, had not renounced the
aspirations of Mazzini, a leader to whom he had always been devoted.
"When I was young I had only aspirations," he said. "I sought out a
man who could give me counsel and guide my youthful years; I sought him
as the thirsty man seeks water. This man I found; he alone kept alive
the sacred fire; he alone watched while all the world slept; he has
always remained my friend, full of love for his country, full of
devotion for the cause of freedom: this man is Joseph Mazzini."

The worship of the prophet had led the gallant, {197} daring sailor
into hairbreadth escapes and strange vicissitudes of fortune. He had
been sentenced to death as "an enemy of the State and liable to all the
penalties of a brigand of the first category." He had fled to South
America and ridden over the untrodden pampas, tasting the wild life of
Nature with a keen enjoyment. He had been a commander in the navy, and
had defended Monte Video. He had been imprisoned and tortured, and had
taken Anita, daughter of Don Benito Riverio de Silva of Laguna to be
his wife and the companion of his adventures.

Garibaldi could not afford even the priest's marriage fees for his life
was always one of penury, so he gave him an old silver watch. When he
was Head of the Italian Legion he was content to sit in the dark,
because he discovered that candles were not served out to the common
soldiers. The red shirts of his following had been bought