Francis and Maria Sophia had no sooner left the capital than a deputation was sent out to welcome the liberator, while the former minister of foreign affairs prepared an address to Garibaldi, declaring that Naples was waiting with impatience to greet him as the deliverer of Italy, and lay the fate of the kingdom in his hands. They did not have long to wait. The popular hero hastened his advance, and arrived so quickly that there was barely time to prepare for his reception. There was little sleep that night in Naples, and the first rays of the morning sun found the whole city astir. The principal thoroughfares were thronged with men, most of them armed, for fear of a reactionary movement. Windows, balconies, even the roofs of houses were crowded with spectators. Everything conspired to surround Garibaldi and his men with a halo of romance. Their picturesque garb, rapid conquests, and fiery proclamations appealed to the imagination of the hot-blooded southerners and roused them to wildest enthusiasm. Guards had been placed at all the exits of the railway station, where a large number of prominent citizens had assembled to welcome the hero. Presently a bell was heard, and a train drew in. A great shout arose; but it was found to contain only a band of foreign mercenaries who had recently joined the victorious party. At noon another bell sounded, and Garibaldi’s approach was signalled. The train stopped. Thousands of voices joined in the shout of “Long live Garibaldi!” as two men in red shirts appeared. They were embraced with such vehemence by the excited Neapolitans that one of them, who was taken for Garibaldi, barely escaped alive. The great man himself had gone out by another door, however, and when this was discovered there was a general stampede to find him. This time they were successful.
Garibaldi’s entry into Naples was as brilliant and spectacular as the rightful sovereign’s departure had been quiet and unnoticed. A huge national flag had been unfurled, bearing the arms of the house of Savoy, with the white horse of Naples and the lion of Venice; and Garibaldi kissed this with tears rolling down his cheeks, declaring, “Soon we shall all be united brethren!” while many of the spectators also wept. He and a few of his companions then entered the open carriages that were waiting to convey him to the city. Eight thousand of the royal troops had been left in the citadel and a few outposts to maintain order; but they had received no orders to resist the revolutionists, and even had such been the case, it is doubtful if they would have obeyed, so carried away were they by the tide of popular enthusiasm, as, amid deafening cheers, the waving of hundreds of tri-colored banners and showers of blossoms from every window, Garibaldi entered in triumph the gayly decorated city, while even the skies seemed to share the joy of the people and smile upon the liberator of “La Bella Napoli.”
He refused to occupy the royal palace which had been so lately vacated by the sovereigns, but drove on to a smaller one, generally used for the accommodation of foreign princes, where he took up his quarters. Vast crowds surged about the building, shouting for the Dictator, till at length one of the revolutionists appeared on a balcony, then another, and finally the hero himself. Again a storm of cheers broke forth, and, unable to make himself heard above the uproar, he leaned over the iron railing and gazed down at the throng below. His usually ruddy face was pale with emotion, and wore a look of sadness curiously in contrast to the feverish joy of his admirers; but there was a gleam in his eye that betrayed the fires that glowed within. He lifted his hand to command silence, then began in tones so clear and distinct that not a syllable escaped the ear:
“Neapolitans! This is a solemn and memorable day. After long years of oppression under the yoke of tyranny, you are to-day a free people. I thank you in the name of all Italy. You have completed a great work, not only for your countrymen but for all mankind, whose rights you have upheld. Long live freedom! the dearer to Italy, since she, of all nations, has suffered the most. Long live Italy!”
The shout was taken up by thousands of throats and, their “Viva Italia!” could have been heard from one end of the city to the other.
That afternoon Garibaldi visited the cathedral and was greeted with even greater enthusiasm than in the morning. At night every house was illuminated, and a torch-light procession paraded through the principal streets, which were filled with excited throngs rushing about, every man with a flag in one hand and a sword or a knife in the other, shouting and embracing one another for joy. Garibaldi was the idol of the hour, and Naples was his completely.
But here and there were still a few who remained loyal to the reigning family and were anxious as to their fate. Francis, in his haste, had neglected to remove his private fortune of eleven million ducats—the dowry Queen Maria Christina had brought with her from Sardinia—from the Bank of Naples where it was kept. When Garibaldi learned this he sent for the man to whom the receipt had been entrusted, an officer of the royal household named Rispoli, and forced him to give up the document, which, afterward, he handed over to the new government.
Poor Rispoli, who was devoted to his master, was so overcome at being deprived of his trust that he was stricken with apoplexy and died the following day.
Chapter XI
Siege of Gaeta
It is probable that Francis at the time of his departure from Naples had no definite ideas as to how far he should offer resistance to the course of events. His friends urged him to wait quietly till the first wave of enthusiasm had passed, hoping he might then return to the throne as a member of an Italian confederation. From Gaeta he went with his brothers to Capua, where their presence did much to restore unity among the royal troops and revive their sinking courage, and where he was speedily joined by all who had anything to gain by adhering to the Bourbon cause or were too deeply compromised to venture to remain in Naples under the new regime. A much more valuable addition to the King’s forces, however, was a large number of volunteers from southern Germany, who had hastened to the aid of their fair countrywoman, and to whose valor it was largely owing that they were able to hold out so long.