Vellenaux A Novel - Edmund William Forrest (best book club books of all time txt) 📗

Assume His Duties At That Station Forthwith." Edith

Could Not Conceal Her Joy At This Unexpected Event,  And Retired To Her

Chamber In A Flutter Of Agitation,  But Happier In Heart Than She Had

Been For Many Months Past.

 

It Was The Anniversary Of Her Majesty's Birthday,  And,  As Was Customary

At All Military Stations,  It Was Celebrated By A Military Display In The

Morning,  Theatricals,  And A Supper And Ball At Night. The Assembly

Rooms,  As They Were Called At Goolampore,  Were Built By Government. It

Was A Building Of Considerable Length,  Divided Into Three Rooms,  Eighty

Feet Long,  By Forty Feet Wide. The End One Was Fitted Up In Very

Handsome Style As A Theatre,  The Other Two Communicating With It By

Means Of Enormous Folding Doors,  And Were Used On Ordinary Occasions By

The Military Department For Holding Courts Martial,  Courts Of Enquiry,

Committees,  &C. The Other Was At The Disposal Of The Political Agents Or

Chief Magistrate To Transact Such Business As They Might Deem Necessary.

But On Such Occasions As The Present,  Or Others Of A Similar Character,

The Whole Three Were Brilliantly Illuminated And Thrown Open For The

Amusement Of The _Elite_ Of The Station.

 

"I Say Hopkins,  As You Know Everything And Everybody,  Tell Me,  Who Is

That Young Fellow In Staff Uniform,  Dancing With Miss Effingham?"

Enquired A Colonel Of The N.I.

 

"That Is Young Carlton Of The Dragoons,  The New A.D.C. He Only Arrived

This Morning. Capital Fellow I Am Told; A Tip Top Sportsman; Goes In

Strong For Tiger Shooting And All That Kind Of Game," Was The Reply.

 

"He Appears To Go In--As You Call It--Pretty Strong For Another

Description Of Game. Why,  This Is The Third Time He Has Danced With That

Young Lady. Rather Strong,  That,  I Should Say For A First Introduction,"

Responded The Colonel,  About To Move Off,  When His Friend Continued:

 

"Oh,  They Are Old Acquaintances. I Met Him At The Bartons This

Afternoon,  Where He Appeared Quite At Home,  Turning Over The Music And

Chapter 9 Pg 61

Accompanying _La Belle_,  Edith,  In One Of Her Favourite Songs,

Apparently Very Much To Each Others Satisfaction. But The Next Waltz Is

About To Commence," Said Captain Hopkins,  "And I Must Claim My Partner,"

And The Man Who Knew Everything And Everybody Was Soon Waltzing With

Great Assiduity.

 

"You Will Allow Me The Pleasure Of Attending You In Your Morning And

Evening Rides,  Whenever My Duties Will Admit Of It,  Dear Edith,"

Whispered Arthur As He Handed Her To The Carriage At The Close Of The

Festivities. With A Sweet Smile The Promise Was Given,  And The Carriage

Whirled Off.

 

The New A.D.C. Soon Became A General Favourite. Courteous And

Gentlemanly In The Drawing Room,  And Ever Ready To Attend The Ladies _En

Cavalier_,  He Could Not Fail To Win The Esteem Of The Fair Sex. He Was A

First-Class Swordsman,  A Bold Rider,  And A Keen Sportsman; Therefore

Held In Great Repute By His Companions In Arms. He Had Scoured The

Jungles For Thirty Miles Around Goolampore,  And Knew The Haunts Of The

Tiger And Cheetah Better Than Any Man In The Station. This Was Proved By

The Numerous Trophies In The Shape Of Skins And Heads That He Brought

In. So Our Young Friend,  Basking In The Smiles Of Beauty,  And Especially

Of Hers Whom He Loved So Well,  Was Consequently Envied By Others Less

Fortunate In This Respect Than Himself; And In This Delightful Manner

Weeks Passed Away. But Dark Clouds Were Rising In The Distance Which

Were Gradually Closing Around Them To Destroy The Tranquility Of The

Station.

Chapter 10 Pg 62

Reports Began To Arise Of The Disloyalty And Insubordination Of Some Of

The Native Regiments; But At First Little Notice Was Taken Of The

Circumstance,  It Being Believed That The Rumours Were Greatly

Exaggerated,  And That,  If There Was Anything Really In It,  The Matter

Would Soon Be Put To Rights By The Government,  Either By Proclamation Or

By Force Of Arms. But Report Followed Report And The Mutiny Continued,

When The Massacre At Cawnpore Took Place,  And The Affair At Lucknow,  And

The Horrors Enacted At The Star Fort Of Jansee,  Where The Officer

Commanding,  After Doing Everything That Could Be Done To Protect The

Unfortunate Inmates,  Just As The Mutineers Were In The Act Of Bursting

Open The Gates,  Well Knowing What Would Be The Result Should They Fall

Into The Hands Of The Remorseless Natives,  With His Own Hand Shot His

Wife And Child,  And Then Deliberately Blew Out His Own Brains. Those Who

Were Captured Met A Death So Horrible And Revolting At The Hands Of And

Under The Immediate Supervision Of That Incarnate Fiend And She Devil,

The Rannee Of Jansee,  The Details Of Which Are Totally Unfit For

Publication. Then,  And Not Till Then,  The Magnitude Of The Danger Was

Realized.

 

Mr. Barton,  Whose Health Had Been On The Decline Some Weeks Past,  And

Whose Term Of Service In India Nearly Expired,  Declared That He Would No

Longer Remain In The Country,  And Obtained Leave Of Absence To Proceed

To Bombay,  In Anticipation Of Finally Leaving For Europe. Mrs. Barton,

Always Nervous,  Became Alarmed For Her Personal Safety,  And Urged Their

Immediate Departure With Much Vehemence,  And It Was Arranged That They

Should Start At Once For Rutlaum _En Route_ For The Sea Coast,  And That

Chapter 10 Pg 63

Miss Effingham Should Remain And See Everything Packed Up And The

Servants Sent On,  Then Follow Herself And Overtake Them At Rutlaum,

Where They Were To Make A Halt For A Few Days. Several Other Families

Also Left About The Same Time,  For The Tide Of Mutiny And Rebellion Was

Now Sweeping Like The Red Pestilence Through The Whole Of The North West

Provinces. Mohow,  Indore,  Meidpoore,  Mundasore,  Neemuch And Other Places

Of Greater Or Lesser Note,  Had Already Become The Scene Of Many A Bloody

Drama And Fiendish Outrage. In Fact,  Whenever Native Troops Had Been

Located,  Ruin And Desolation Reigned Triumphant. Public Edifices Were

Thrown Down,  Bungalows Burned And The Bazaars Plundered,  While Helpless

And Unprotected Europeans,  Irrespective Of Sex Or Age,  Were Seized,  And

After Suffering The Most Brutal Indignities,  Ruthlessly Slaughtered By

The Fanatical And Blood-Thirsty Native Soldiery.

 

Goolampore And Its Immediate Vicinity,  Up To The Present Period,  Had

Remained In Perfect Tranquility. The Native Mind Was Apparently

Undisturbed By The Great Convulsions That Were Now Shaking,  To Its Very

Centre,  The Supremacy Of British Power In India; But It Was Only The

Lull Before The Storm,  Which Was So Soon To Burst And Fall Like A

Thunderbolt On The Hitherto Peaceful Station.

 

The Brigade Here Consisted Of The Following Troops: One Troop Of

European Horse Artillery,  One Regiment Of Native Cavalry,  And Two

Battalions Of Sepoys. This Force Was Commanded By A Brigadier Of The

Bengal Army; But,  Having Been On The Staff For Many Years,  Was Unequal

To An Emergency Like The Present,  And Such Was His Belief In The Loyalty

Of The Men Under His Command,  That He Refused To Listen To The Reports

Made To Him From Time To Time By His Staff,  And Others Well Qualified To

Give An Opinion On The Matter,  Until It Was Too Late And Many Valuable

Lives Had Been Sacrificed.

 

The Evening Was Clear And Calm,  Countless Stars Studded The Dark Purple

Vault Of Heaven. The Young Moon Shed Her Silvery Light O'er Lake And

Mountain,  The Atmosphere Was No Longer Influenced By The Stifling Heat

Of The Scorching Sun; A Deliciously Cool Breeze Wafted From The Ocean

That Rolled Into The Gulf Of Cambay,  And Washed The Shores Of The

Goozeratte,  Played And Rustled Among The Leaves Of The Trees And

Flowers,  Imparting To The Senses A Delicious Feeling Of Relief And

Delight.

 

In A Broad And Spacious Verandah Of The Cavalry Mess House Were

Assembled A Group Of Officers Of Different Corps. Some Stretched At Full

Length On Ottomans,  Enjoying The Music Of An Excellent Band; Others

Smoking,  Laughing Or Chatting On The Various Events That Were Passing

Around Them.

 

"Listen To Me,  Gentlemen," Said A Tall,  Handsome Man,  About Thirty,  And

The Very _Beau Ideal_ Of A Cavalry Officer,  Who Had For Some Time Been

Leaning Over The Balustrade Of The Verandah,  Quietly Puffing Circles Of

White Smoke From His Cheroot,  And Gazing Thoughtfully On The Moonlit

Scene Before Him,  And Who Had Hitherto Taken No Part In The Conversation

That Was Going On. "This Deceitful Calm," Said He,  Drawing Himself Up To

His Full Height,  And Advancing To The Centre Of The Group,  "Will Not,

Cannot Last Much Longer,  And It Is High Time That Something Should Be

Done For The Protection Of The Families Of The European Warrant Officers

And Staff,  Non-Commissioned Officers And Others Who Are Residing At

Different Parts Of The Station,  And Who Would Be The First To Fall

Victims To The Licentious Passion And Murderous Designs Of The Troops,

Should An Outbreak Ensue Before We Are Re-Enforced By More Europeans."

 

"Right! Major Collingwood Is Right," Exclaimed A Colonel Of One Of The

Sepoy Battalions; "Too Much Valuable Time Has Already Been Lost. What

The Deuce Has Come To The Brigadier? Huntingdon,  Of The Artillery,

Chapter 10 Pg 64

Proposed To Him To Give An Order For The Families Of The Europeans Of

His Troop To Move At Once Into The Fort,  But He Would Not Listen To Him,

Stating That There Was No Necessity For Such A Course,  And That He Would

Answer For The Loyalty And Good Behavior Of The Troops Under His

Command."

 

"This Comes Of Trusting The Lives And Property Of Europeans In The Care

Of General D---- And Others Of His Stamp,  Who From A Long Association In

A Civil Capacity With The Natives,  Have Become So Wrapped Up In Them,

And So Hoodwinked,