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The Little Vidette of Lombardy
少年偵探
(Monthly Story).
（每月例話）
Saturday, 26th.
星期六，26日。
In 1859, during the war for the liberation of Lombardy, a few days after the battle of Solfarino and San Martino, won by the French and Italians over the Austrians, on a beautiful morning in the month of June, a little band of cavalry of Saluzzo was proceeding at a slow pace along a retired path, in the direction of the enemy, and exploring the country attentively. The troop was commanded by an officer and a sergeant, and all were gazing into the distance ahead of them, with eyes fixed, silent, and prepared at any moment to see the uniforms of the enemy's advance-posts gleam white before them through the trees. In this order they arrived at a rustic cabin, surrounded by ash-trees, in front of which stood a solitary boy, about twelve years old, who was removing the bark from a small branch with a knife, in order to make himself a stick of it. From one window of the little house floated a large tricolored flag; there was no one inside: the peasants had fled, after hanging out the flag, for fear of the Austrians. As soon as the lad saw the cavalry, he flung aside his stick and raised his cap. He was a handsome boy, with a bold face and large blue eyes and long golden hair: he was in his shirt-sleeves and his breast was bare.
一八五九年，法意兩國聯軍因救隆巴爾地，與奧地利戰爭，曾幾次打破奧軍。這正是那時候的事：六月里一個晴天的早晨，意國騎兵一隊，沿了間道徐徐前進，一邊偵察敵情。這隊兵由一個士官和一個軍曹指揮著，都噤了口注視著前方，看有沒有放軍前哨的影子。一直到了在樹林中的一家農舍門口，見有一個十二歲光景的少年立在那里，用小刀切了樹枝削做杖棒。農舍的窗間飄著三色旗，人已不在了。因為怕敵兵來襲，所以插了國旗逃走了。少年看見騎兵來，就棄了在做的杖棒，舉起帽子。是個大眼活潑而面貌很好的孩子，他脫了上衣，正露出著胸脯。
"What are you doing here?" the officer asked him, reining in his horse. "Why did you not flee with your family?"
“在做什么？”士官停了馬問。“為什么不和你家族逃走呢？”
