. Punch . ho were labouring in afield at some distance, and whotook to flight in great terror, butfortunately uninjured, with theexception of one who had an earshot off. What terrible fellows arethese Pontifical Zouaves!The females at whom theyfired were probably most ofthem old women ; the heroesno doubt would have pre-ferred to take young girlsalive. The Popes bravesspare neither age nor sex;no, not even when age andsex combine to deprecatetheir ferocity. Having knocked off awomans ear at a long shot,the gallant Zouaves attackedand took possession of a milladjoining the ferry, which there wa
. Punch . ho were labouring in afield at some distance, and whotook to flight in great terror, butfortunately uninjured, with theexception of one who had an earshot off. What terrible fellows arethese Pontifical Zouaves!The females at whom theyfired were probably most ofthem old women ; the heroesno doubt would have pre-ferred to take young girlsalive. The Popes bravesspare neither age nor sex;no, not even when age andsex combine to deprecatetheir ferocity. Having knocked off awomans ear at a long shot,the gallant Zouaves attackedand took possession of a milladjoining the ferry, which there was nobody to defend. The enterprise of these Soldiersof the Cross—as embroidered on the Popes shoes—was worthy of such crusaders. Theirdescent on the mill may remind the reader of a similar achievement performed by the famousKnight of La Mancha. Both the one affair and the other are illustrations of chivalry. Thechivalry conspicuously manifest in Bon Quixotes assault on the windmill, was, in the seizure. of the mill near the Tiber by the Papal Zouaves,conspicuous by its absence. If these, soldiersare ordered to fire at women, their officers maybe supposed to be desirous to acquire the repu-tation of lady-killers. We should like to knowhow they are getting on at the mill. Perhaps,however, they have got off by this time, as manyas were able to escape from a body of assailantswhom the fire which they had ventured to openon the countrywomen at work very likely drewdown upon them. Those poor old women ranaway; but probably their retreat was speedilyfollowed by the advance of a troop of youthfuland vigorous peasant lasses, armed with pitch-forks, scissors, and other rural and domesticimplements. What then happened we may safely con-jecture. The enraged Amazons precipitatedthemselves on the men who had fired at theirgrandmothers, stormed their position, and senttliem flying—the one who shot a womansear off, perhaps, with a flea in his own. TheZouaves of the Pope who, on that occa
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, booksubjectenglishwitandhumor
