Vellenaux A Novel - Edmund William Forrest (best book club books of all time txt) 📗
- Author: Edmund William Forrest
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Spectacles Provided For Them By The Native Functionaries, Who Always
Toady And Flatter Their European Masters," Was The Contemptuous Remark
Of One Of The Party. The Last Speaker Was Here Interrupted By The
Brigade Major, Who Came Bounding Up The Steps Of The Verandah, Three At
A Time. "What Is The Matter, Grey?" Enquired Several Voices At One Time.
"Oh! There Has Been The Devil To Pay At Headquarters, And No Pitch Hot,"
Was The Hasty Reply Of The Staff Officer. "Explain Yourself, If You
Please," Said Major Collingwood. "What Has Taken Place?"
"Why Huntingdon, In Spite Of The Brigadier's Refusal To Grant
Permission, Has Sent The Married People Of His Troop Within The Fort,
And Detailed Several Troopers To Man The Guns, And Put The Place In A
State Of Defence, In Case Of Any Sudden Rising Among The Natives.
General D---- Became Furious When Huntingdon Told Him What He Had Done,
And Threatened To Arrest Him. On Young Carlton, The New A.D.C., Taking
Sides With The Commander Of The Artillery, And Applauding The Act, Old
D---- Turned Upon Him Like A Lion. A Violent Squabble Ensued, Which
Resulted In Arthur Carlton Resigning His Appointment On The Staff, And
Expressed His Determination To Rejoin His Regiment Without Delay."
"Well Done, Huntingdon. That Is A Step In The Right Direction. It Is A
Pity That The Non-Commissioned Staff Of The Station Could Not Have Been
Included," Responded Several Voices; And All Praised The Plucky Way In
Which Young Carlton Had Acted, Though Sorry To Lose The Services Of So
Valuable A Sabre As Arthur Was Known To Be, Especially At A Time When
Stout Hearts And Bold Riders Were Necessary To The Salvation Of The
Station.
"Pinkerton, Jones, And Others Acted Wisely In Sending Their Families
Away Last Week; But I Do Not Think It Was Quite The Thing For The
Bartons To Leave The Pretty Miss Effingham Behind To Arrange Their
Household Affairs, And Then Make Her Way To Rutlaum As She Best Could.
Who Will See Her There In Safety?" Exclaimed The Staff Surgeon.
"Oh, As Far As That Matters, That Young Lady Would, Doubtless, Have A
Score Of Volunteers To Act As Her Escort, Should She Require One," Said
The First Speaker; "But I Do Not Think She Would Accept Such An Offer,
Nor Do I Imagine Arthur Carlton Would Feel Obliged To Any One In
Goolampore For Acting As Her Guide And Protector, While He Was At Hand
To Perform So Delightful A Service," Responded Captain Hopkins, With A
Light Laugh, "For You Must Know That He Has Been A Constant Visitor At
The Bartons Since His Arrival, And Are They Not Always To Be Seen Riding
Together At The Race Course And Band Stand? Why, He Is Her Very Shadow."
"Miss Effingham Is Too Fine A Girl, And Has Too Much Good Sense To Throw
Herself Away On A Penniless Lieutenant Of Dragoons, When She Knows That
There Are Others Of High Standing In The Service Who Are Both Able And
Willing To Offer Her An Establishment And Position In Society That He
Will Be Unable To Do For Years To Come," Said A Grey Haired Colonel Of
Infantry.
"Phew!" Ejaculated A Young Cornet. "Sets The Wind In That Quarter? I
Wonder If The Pretty Edith Will Be Proof Against Three Lacs Of Rupees? I
Chapter 10 Pg 65Am Afraid The A.D.C.'S Chances For The Lady Will Soon Sink Below Par;
But There Is No Accounting For The Doings Of Pretty Women, For 'Love
Levels Rank--Lords Down To Cellar-Bears, Etc.'"
The Parties Now Began To Disperse To Their Various Quarters. No Doubt
Many Were Ruminating As To What Might Be The Result Of The Fracas At The
Brigadiers Quarters, Just Related To Them By The Major Of Brigade.
The Following Morning As The Brigadier Was Preparing To Mount His Horse
And Take His Usual Ride Through The Cantonments, The Adjutant Of One Of
The Sepoy Battalions Came Up At Full Gallop To Where He Was Standing,
With The, (To Him) Astounding Intelligence That, During The Night, A
Large Body Of Irregular Horse Had Entered The Limits Of The Station,
Visiting The Cavalry And Sepoy Lines, And Had Arranged With Them To
Unite In Plundering The Bazaar, Seize The Guns Of The Artillery, Put To
Death All The Europeans That Might Oppose Them, And That The Men Of His
Own Corps And Those Of The Other Battalion Were Then In The Act Of
Breaking Open The Bells-Of-Arms And Taking Therefrom The Muskets And
Ammunition.
"Phew! There Must Be Some Mistake, Your Fears Must Have Misled You. The
Men May Be Somewhat Excited. I Will Go Down And Reason With Them--They
Will Listen To Me, For They Know I Am Their Friend"--And The General
Turned His Horse's Head In The Direction Of The Sepoy Lines, Requesting
Him To Follow. The Adjutant Replied:
"My Instructions From The Colonel Were To Report The Circumstance To
You, Then Ride To The Horse Artillery And Acquaint Major Huntingdon And
Others With It," Then, Saluting His Superior Officer, He Galloped Off.
Bursting With Indignation At The Conduct Of Those Around Him, Who, Until
The Last Few Hours, Were Ready To Obey Without Scruple Any Order, He
Might Give, The General Called His Brigade Major, And Ordered Him To
Ride With Him. That Officer Shrugged His Shoulders, But Obeyed The
Command, And They Rode Off Together. They Were Soon Recognized By The
Mutineers. A Hurried Consultation Among The Native Commissioned And
Non-Commissioned Officers Took Place. Some Were For Arresting The
Brigadier And His Major Of Brigade, And Holding Them Prisoners Until The
Guns And Fort Were Surrendered To Them; Others Were Of A Different
Opinion, And Insisted That The Two Officers Should Be Put To Death. They
Argued That Delay Was Dangerous; Reinforcements Of Europeans Might
Arrive At Any Hour, And That Nothing Would Be Left For Them But To Make
A Rapid Retrograde Movement, And Advised The Immediate Looting Of The
Town. This Party, Being The Strongest And Most Clamorous, Carried Their
Point; And Three Sepoys Thereupon Leveled Their Muskets And Fired, But
Without Having Any Effect, As The Bullets Flew Wide Of Their Mark. But
This Was The Signal That The Irregular Cavalry Were So Anxiously
Watching For, And Immediately Encircled The Two Unfortunate Gentlemen
Who, Drawing Their Weapons, Prepared To Defend Their Lives To The Last.
But What Could Two Men Do Against A Score Of Fanatical Ruffians,
Thirsting For The Blood Of Christians. Some Of The Troopers Fell From
The Effect Of The Bullets From The Brigadier's Revolver, And Some Were
Severely Wounded By The Sabre Of Poor Captain Grey, But All To No
Purpose; They Were Soon Overpowered And Literally Hewn To Pieces By The
Sowars Of The Cavalry Who, By This Time, Had Been Joined By The
Regulars. The Party Then Started Off At A Canter To The Artillery Lines,
To Secure The Guns And Open The Magazine, If They Could But Obtain The
Key From The Ordinance Warrant Officer, While The Infantry Made An
Attempt To Carry The Fort By Storm; But Having Neither Guns Nor Scaling
Ladders, They Signally Failed In Their Attempt, And Suffered
Considerable Loss From The Spherical Case And Round Shot That Was Hurled
At Them From The Guns Of The Fort. The Party, To Whom Fell The Work Of
Plundering The Bazaar, Were, For A Time, Very Successful, And Numerous
Large Bungalows Were Soon In A Blaze.
Chapter 10 Pg 66The Party Of Cavalry, Regular And Irregular, Who Were To Attempt To
Carry Off From The Magazine Such Ammunition As They Might Find, Went In
The Direction Of The Place, And On Their Way Intercepted The European
Ordnance Conductor, Who Had Charge Of The Keys, Which They At Once
Demanded, But Were Promptly Refused By That Officer, Who Declared He Had
Them Not, And Immediately Stood On The Defensive; But A Shot From The
Carbine Of One Of The Troopers, Brought Him Bleeding To The Earth. A
Couple Of Them Dismounted, And With Oaths And Imprecations, Both Loud
And Bitter, Stripped Off His Uniform In Search Of The Magazine Keys, But
They Were Not To Be Found. Drawing His Creese, One Of The Villains Cut
The Throat Of The Wounded Man, Nearly Severing The Head From The Body.
The Others Satisfied Themselves By Merely Spitting Upon The Naked Body.
"It Is Useless To Go On Without The Keys," Said A Havildar Of The
Regulars. "Let Us Move Off At Once To His Bungalow, They Must Be There.
I Know The Road, Follow Me!" And The Whole Party Galloped Off And Soon
Reached The Murdered Man's Quarters, Where They Halted And Dismounted.
The Terrified Woman, Wife Of The Poor Fellow Who Had Just Been So
Savagely Slaughtered, Saw Them Approaching, And Judging Their
Intentions, Bolted And Barred All The Doors And Windows, And With Her
Two Young Children, Mere Babes, The Eldest Being Scarcely Four Years Of
Age, Retreated To A Small Closet In An Inner Room, And Locked The Door.
For Some Time The Troopers, Who Had Now Worked Themselves Up To A Pitch
Of Frenzy, Could Not Effect An Entrance: But At Length, Tearing Down One
Of The Wooden Uprights Of The Verandah, Used It As A Sort Of Ram, And
Soon Battered Down The Door. Then, With A Yell Of Triumph, Rushed Into
The House, Searched Every Nook And Corner Far What They So Much Wished
To Find, Smashing And Destroying Everything That Came In Their Way, But
They Were Doomed To Disappointment. A Bullet From One Of Their Holster
Pistols Blew The Lock From The Door Of The Closet, And The Poor Mother
And Her Helpless Babes Were Seized And Dragged Forth By These Monsters
In Human Form. The Mother Was Brutally Outraged, And Her Clothing Torn
And Stripped From Her Person. A Large Empty Chest, Which Usually
Contained Clothing, Caught The Attention Of One Of The Number, And A
Fiendish Thought Flashed Through His Mind, Which He Communicated To Some
Of The Others, And They Proceeded To Carry It Out. Collecting The Broken
Furniture, Bed Linen, Etc., They Made A Large Fire And Placed The Box In
Question Thereon; Then Tossed The Helpless Children Into It And
Literally Roasted Them Alive In The Presence Of The Agonized Mother, Who
Made Frantic Attempts To Break From Her Captors, And Rescue Her
Offspring, But It Was In Vain; They Held Her Firmly Until The Chest And
Its Contents Were Reduced To Embers; Then Two Of Them Plunged Their
Creeses Into Her Naked Bosom, And Flung Her Bleeding Body Into The Fire
To Be Consumed Like Those Of Her Children. Other Enormities Were Being
Enacted In Various Parts Of Goolampore During The Short Time The
Mutineers Remained There. But An Act Of Unparalleled Atrocity Was
Perpetuated On The Postmaster And His Wife, Who, It Appears, Had, On The
Morning In Question, Gone To Look At Their New Bungalow Which Was In
Course Of Erection In The Suburbs, When They Were Pounced Upon By A Body
Of Sepoys, Who Were Making Good Their Exodus From The Station, Having No
Desire To Come In Contact With The Horse Artillery, The Booming Of Whose
Guns Sounded Not At All Pleasantly In Their Ears. These Inhuman Wretches
Dashed At Their Victims And, After Tormenting Them Almost To Madness By
Their Devilish Cruelties, Dragged Them To
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