Clelia
It was already daybreak, when nine girls, hostages of Porsenna reached the Tiber.
They had walked all night long to move away from the enemy camp, and now they were finally near Rome. On the other side of the road, they saw some lights, perhaps the torches of the Roman sentries. The only bridge on the Tiber, the Sublicio, had been destroyed when Orazio fought agaisnt the Etruscan soldiers.
- We must swim across the river – Clelia said to her friends.
- Do you feel up to it? -
They all said yes, even the youngest ones, they wanted to show courage.
If Clelia had been so clever to take them there, they would have followed her everywhere. One by one the nine girls jumped on the cold water and swam to the other bank. A sentry saw them and took the drum to give the alarm. Immediately the river bank was full of soldiers ready to face the enemy with their swords but to their great astonishment, they realized that were girls.The young girls told the soldiers they had escaped from Porsenna who kept them as hostages.
They were taken in front of the consuls, who ordered to send them back to Porsenna to respect the agreement. Porsenna wanted to know who had helped them to escape and Clelia bravely answered that it was her fault. When she asked if she repented answered she did not and that would have done it again.
Porsenna already struck by Roman loyatly, felt great admiration for this girl and set her free allowing her to take some friends with her. She chose five among the youngest ones and that evening the six girls were carried back to Rome and embraced their mothers.
