orced the troops in Calabria to prevent
Garibaldi's advance, but the direction of the decisive operation fell
by accident to Cialdini, whom the Government despatched to Sicily
when they tardily made up their minds to take energetic measures. On
his voyage to Messina, Cialdini heard that the volunteers had already
crossed the Straits; he therefore changed his course, and hastening to
Reggio, invested himself with the command on the mainland. At Reggio
he met Colonel Pallavicini, whom he ordered in terms that might have
been more suitable had he been engaged in hunting brigands, 'to crush
Garibaldi completely, and only accept from him unconditional
surrender.' Pallavicini started with six or seven battalions of
Bersaglieri. It was the 29th of August. Garibaldi saw them coming when
they were still three miles off. He could have dispersed his men in
the forest and himself escaped, for the time, and perhaps altogether,
for the sea which had so often befriended him was not far off. But
although he did not mean to resist, a dogged instinct drove away the
thought of flight. In the official account it was stated that an
officer was sent in advance of the royal troops to demand surrender.
No such officer was seen in the Garibaldian encampment till after the
attack. The troops rapidly ascended an eminence, facing that on which
the Garibaldians were posted, and opened a violent fusillade, which,
to Garibaldi's dismay, was returned for a few minutes by his right,
consisting of young Sicilians who were not sufficiently disciplined to
stand being made targets of without replying. The contention, however,
that they were the first to fire, has the testimony of every
eye-witness on the side of the volunteers against it. All the
Garibaldian bugles sounded 'Cease firing,' and Garibaldi walked down
in front of the ranks conjuring the men to obey. While he was thus
employed, a spent ball struck his thigh, and a bullet entered his
right foot. At first he remained standing, and repeated, 'Do not
fire,' but he was obliged to sit down, and some of his officers
carried him under a tree. The whole 'feat of arms,' as General
Cialdini described it, did not last more than a quarter of an hour.

Pallavicini approached the wounded hero bareheaded, and said that he
made his acquaintance on the most unfortunate day of his own life. He
was received with nothing but kind praise for doing his duty. The
first night was passed by the prisoner in a shepherd's