Show AUGUSTINE ZARAGOSSA Eer Country Needs Many Women of Her Spiiit Today Women were tender pitiful and mild long before the days of the Red Cross and its congeners Witness the women of Zaragossa Headed by the heroine Countess Bunita they formed themselves them-selves in companies to attend upon the hospitals to carry ammunition to the combatants and supply them with food and drink Throughout the two months siege of their cityone of the savagest recorded in all historythey never blenched or qualledi Contrarywise when it cauie to hand to hand and house to house fighting the companies of women and young boys showed themselves no mean allies The people gave up everything their goods their houses their lives not only cherfull3 but exultantly The soldiers sol-diers could do nothing but fight to the deaththe man who ran was at once hanged higher than Hamaan Precious fevi thought of running away Zara gossa is the capital city of Arragon I and the Arragonese are for Spaniards a grave quiet almost puritanic race grim and dour fighters especially when they fight for their own Notwithstanding the siege began togo to-go against them The French coil tightened day by day At one espe daIly exposed point known as La Por tub the Spaniards had placed a heavy battery The French concentrated upon it the fire of a hundred guns meaning as soon as it was silenced to rush in and I seize a key to the Spanish position They I almost succeeded Every Spanish gunner lay dead or disabled beside his piece when Augustine Zaragossa came to her citys Jielp She was a woman of the people young and big and hfindsome It is said she had a lover among the artillerymen iiowever that may have been she came to the battery laden with food and drink Catching a blazing linstock from a dying hand she discharged the guns that would else have remained silent Thus the French attack wa held back until other gunners could come Her exploit was so netrly a miracle that the whole defense took heart from it There had been some talk of surrenderthere had been even discussion of the terms Now all that came to an endat least for a while But when it was renewed and growing stronger than ever the unexpected the unbelievable almost came to pass The French raised the siege and marched alvataditiOa avQuches beciuso their I soldiers had grown mutinous over the hopeless task of conquering where even the women were warriors Whether or no that is true it is beyond dispute that Augustines exploit marked the turn of the tide She was luckier than her great prototype proto-type Jenne dArc She was publicly honored given the rank of sublieutenant and a pensiow equal to an artillery mans daily pay More than all that she was permitted to wear all her life an embroidered shield upon her left shoulder bearing the word Zaragossa and to claim the citys name as her own |