Is not this the history of human selfishness in every
country? The poor people, on the other hand, welcomed us with applause
and with unmistakable tokens of affection. They thought of nothing but
the sacredness of the sacrifice, the difficult and noble task undertaken
by that handful of gallant young fellows, who had come from such a
distance to the succor of their brethren.
We passed the remainder of the day and the following night at Marsala,
where I began to profit by the services of Crispi, an honest and capable
Sicilian, who was of the greatest use to me in government business, and
in making all necessary arrangements which my want of local knowledge
prevented my doing myself. A dictatorship was spoken of, and I accepted
it without hesitation, having always believed it the plank of safety in
urgent cases, amid the breakers in which nations often find themselves.
On the morning of the 12th the "Thousand" [Footnote: Garibaldi landed
with a force of one thousand volunteers.--Ed.
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