h they had taken, whilst all the rest of the town still swarmed with
the enemy, retired in good order, bearing away their dead, and also twelve
prisoners. They returned next morning, in order to renew the attack, but
found the place evacuated.

The violation of the Pontifical territory was now too flagrant to be
denied any longer, and the more so, as the Cabinet of the Tuileries was
not ignorant of anything that was taking place. It was, by a fortunate
accident, represented at Rome by a diplomatist of a different school from
that of Thouvenel and Lavalette. The ambassador, M. de Sartiges, was
absent on leave, and was replaced by his first secretary, M. Arman. The
latter understood his duty, and, at the risk of being importunate, ceased
not to make known, every day, to France, the events which were so rapidly
occurring. Thus did a comparatively humble secretary save the honor of his
country. Compelled by the terms of the September convention to stay the
invasion, the Government of Florence stationed a corps of forty thousand
men, under the command of Cialdini, around the Pontifical frontier, and
intimated to the Tuileries that it was for its protection. It soon became
evident that it was in order to fall upon it, in the wake of Garibaldi, as
they had fallen upon the Kingdom of Naples in 1860. Meanwhile, the
invaders passed without any difficulty between the different posts, and
when beaten and pursued by the Pontifical troops, they retired and
reformed behind the ranks of the Piedmontese.

(M108) Hence the small body of Pontifical soldiers was easily overwhelmed,
and the Garibaldian hordes, although beaten, were always advancing. Rome
was filled with consternation. The cutthroats of the revolution spoke of
applying gunpowder to public edifices. And indeed they set about
fulfilling their threat by blowing up the Serratori barracks, which they
had undermined, and which buried, one evening, in their ruins, the music
band of the Zouaves, whilst they were engaged at a rehearsal. Fortunately
the bandsmen were the only victims. The rest of the corps which remained
to guard the city was at the moment patrolling at a distance from the
barracks. The Garibaldians expected the explosion. They rushed into the
streets and endeavored to avail themselves of the terror and confusion
which generally prevailed in order to seize the military posts. They
managed to assassinate, in the dark, a few soldiers and some gensd'armes;
but they succe