The Italian and her sister, seem to have been comfortably off for peasants. The man, his father, and another man farmed — the two women, Gertrude and her sister, did dairy work. They had a house far larger than was of any use to them, but it had been bought with the land, and there it was. — They couldn't help that, but that big farm house, brought perhaps the things to pass I tell of. — Gertrude soon spoke Italian, and had just heard that her lover had been killed in Algeria, when the Franco-Austrian war broke out.
The Austrians retired gradually, being driven back by the French and Piedmontese, but made a stand at Solferino — most of the peasants on the line had left their cottages, taking their goods with them to the nearest large towns, fearing naturally that in war their cottages would be burnt, and they perhaps killed in the battles. This family had delayed moving, but were about to do so, when all at once about fifty Austrian soldiers were quartered on them, with two or three officers. They would let nothing go, not even the husband (Gertrude's brother in law), but they promised they should not be harmed, and be paid for everything by Government notes. They made them wait upon them, used up all they found in the way of food, made the husband (whom I will call Antonio) take his cart backwards and forwards to the nearest towns for things all day long, and soldiers went with him to ensure his not running away, tho they were but seven miles from the town. — The officers took their beds from them for their own use, and the family were compelled to sleep all in one room, on mattresses, or straw laid on the floor, as well as they could. — Soldiers occupied the rest of the premises, including barns. Most soldiers went off in the day leaving sentries, but came back in the evening or the night. — They said they would let Antonio's family go in time to take refuge in the town, before they would be in any danger, and that a battle must take place in a few days. — The women they said might go at once if they pleased, but they would not go without Antonio. Indeed they did not seem to know when to go, where, or what to do.
The officers and a few soldiers spoke Italian, which was the language together with French that Antonio, Gertrude, and the others, used to speak to them in, but they had very little to say to them. The soldiers' language was German, and they didn't guess that the two women spoke German. — So the women heard every-thing that was said by them, and from morning to night it was talk in the baudiest language about the two women. They joked about which of the two had the most hair on her cunt, wondered if Gertrude had been fucked. — One said he was sure she had — another thought not, a third believed that Antonio fucked them both, another that the old father licked Gertrude's cunt, to keep her from wanting men. — One officer said to another (the officers were not so coarse) he'd give the price of his horse to have her for a week, the other thought she would be a splendid bedfellow. It seemed to have struck one officer that they might possibly understand German, and he asked them if they did. — They said no. — So for four days, all the baudy talk, all the lubricious suggestions and desires, that a lot of strong men, hot with lust at being near two fine women, gave utterances to, these two women heard. — Lewed the soldiers were I guess, for it transpired that they had been in tents for a month, and not near a woman to speak to. — This lustful talk amused the women, it was so complimentary to their charms, that they couldn't help it. — Margaretta (the married one) said it made her want fucking, and Gertrude admitted to me, that it made her frig herself. — They however resolved not to tell Antonio, for he was a jealous man. Sometimes he asked them what the soldiers talked about. They told him much, but never told him if it was about their desires for the two women.
On the fourth morning, a mounted soldier galloped in. — There was instantly a great bustle, a general muster, and the officers and most of the soldiers went off, telling the women they had best get to the nearest town (Brescia) without a minute's delay. But Antonio had then gone with the cart accompanied by two soldiers, to get things for the soldiery, so they resolved they would wait his return.
The manners of the soldiers who remained changed at once, when the detachment was well away with the officers. They looked at the women in a rude lewed way. Gertrude heard one man say he'd have a fuck if he were shot for it. — A presentiment of harm came over the two women and they felt in very great dread. — Gertrude was in the kitchen, her sister with her children in the little room above, where all the family had been sleeping, when some men whispered together, and looked at Gertrude. — Something told her she was going to be attacked, and she walked to the door to go up stairs. — A soldier stopped her, kissed her, and asked her to go to the bed with him. She resisted. Four men laid hold of her, and pushed her into a room in which the officers had slept, — she kicking and screaming, begging and praying to be left alone. They had hitherto spoken to her in broken Italian. They kissed her as they pulled her along, two kissed her at once. “Let's fuck her, no one can hear,” said one. She then begged and entreated them not, and in German. — “Hell, she speaks German,” said one. — “Margaretta — Margaretta help me,” she screamed. — “It's no use screaming — none can hear — no one help you,” they said. — “We won't hurt you, but we will fuck you. — Come now, let's do it, mein lieben,” and they tried kindness when they had her in the bedroom. — She struggled violently. “Look, you,” said one, putting a sword to her, — “if you make a row no one can hear you, but if you're not quiet, we'll fuck you and your sister too, then kill you both, and set fire to the house — they'll think the French did it.” — They then got her to the bed. One of them, and she thought two, had their pricks out even before they were in the bedroom. — They placed her on the bed side, two men held her arms, two pulled up her clothes and held her legs wide apart, and another soldier who pushed one away to get at her first, then fucked her. — In terror and confusion she struggled, and screamed till she became feeble or faint. “Never mind, mein lieben, said one, you need not tell. No one will know and you'll never see us again.” — “A cunt cannot speak,” said another, at which they laughed. — A few more things were said like it, and exhaustion now made her resist less. Besides, they kept saying they would not hurt her on any account, but fuck her they would, and they evidently meant to do their baudy work kindly. — Except at intervals, the soldiers were very quiet, they were absorbed in the sight, silent with expectation of their turn up her.
As they first pulled up her clothes, they broke out into wild exclamations of delight, directly they saw her thighs and cunt, and one of those holding her arms undid her dress in front and pulled out her breasts. Then he kissed them whilst one was fucking her, and all spoke endearingly. From faintness and fear, she now became quiet, ceased resistance, and she closed her eyes. — A third man fucked her, and she seemed then to recover herself in a degree, for now she was surprized at the quickness with which they finished up her. Then she thought it was the fourth, perhaps the fifth man was in her, when she heard a scream and knew it was her sister's.
“You're murdering my sister,” she cried, and with a sudden violent effort of fear, she got half disengaged, and uncunted the soldier, who threw himself brutally upon her and hurt her thighs and bum. The bruises afterwards showed. One or two soldiers said, “Don't fear, its nothing, they are only doing to her what we are doing to you — they won't hurt her — and you know you like it.” — Then was a squabble. One of the men holding her arm, his prick was out, and near her head, said it was his turn, and went round and fucked her. Then she got into a half stupid state. She felt it was hopeless to struggle more even if she could, and it passed through her mind that they would do nothing else to her. — They hurt her arms. She said so, and they let them go. —A man was then up her, and when she got her hands free, she tried to push her petticoats down. Then they pulled her arms back again, and hurt her worse. On her crying, they let them go again, but she made no more efforts.