Vellenaux A Novel - Edmund William Forrest (7 ebook reader txt) 📗

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

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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 A Sawpit,  Where Pieces Of

Square Timber,  Which Had Been Partially Cut Into Planks For Building

Purposes,  Lay. The Unhappy Pair Were Then Bound On Two Separate Planks,

Then Another Plank Was Placed On The Top Of Each,  And Tightly Bound

Together With Strips Of Fine Bamboo; The Monsters Laughing And

Gesticulating At What They Termed The Living Sandwiches,  Dainty Morsels

To Be Offered Up As A Sacrifice To Their Deities. The Crowning Act Of

This Fearful Drama Was At Last Enacted By The Remorseless Villains: With

Two Large Cross-Cut Saws,  Sawing Into Two Feet Lengths The Planks Which

Encased Their Victims,  Commencing At The Feet Of Each,  And Then Throwing

The Pieces Into The Unfinished Bungalow,  Set Fire To It,  And Made Off At

The Top Of Their Speed Along The High Road Towards Islempoora,  A Small

Village At No Great Distance,  Which Had Been Appointed As A Rendezvous

For The Whole To Assemble At,  When Their Bloody Work At Goolampore Had

Terminated.

 

Major Huntingdon Had,  Early That Morning,  Received Private Information

Of The Intended Outbreak,  And The General Plan Of The Mutineers. He Was

Therefore Prepared For The Emergency,  And Acted Accordingly; So That

When The Party Of Horse,  Accompanied By The Goolandowz (Native

Artillery) Arrived At The Artillery Lines,  They Found That The Birds Had

Flown; The Gun Sheds Were Empty,  And Those Whom They Thought To Have

Found Quietly Taking Their Breakfasts,  Were,  Doubtless,  Then Hovering

Around,  Ready To Fire Upon Them At The First Convenient Opportunity; Nor

Was There Any One On Whom They Could Wreak Their Vengeance,  For The

Whole Of The Families Of The Europeans Had,  By The Prudence And

Determined Conduct Of Their Commanding Officer,  Been Removed To A Place

Of Safety Within The Walls Of The Fort,  Where,  But For The Obstinacy And

Infatuation Of General D----,  The Whole Of The Europeans,  Unable To Bear

Arms,  Might Have Found A Refuge Ere It Was Too Late. Foiled In Their

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Attempt To Capture The Guns,  Without Which They Knew They Could Not Hold

Possession Of The Town,  They Turned In The Direction Of The Bazaar,

Which They Determined To Plunder,  Then Make Their Way To Islempoora.

They Shortly Fell In With The Sepoy Battalions,  Which Had Made The

Ineffectual Attempt To Carry The Fort By Assault. Chafing With Rage At

Their Disappointment,  They Accompanied The Cavalry,  Vowing Vengeance On

All The Whites Or Other Christians That Should Fall Into Their Hands.

But Their Villainous Designs Were Frustrated,  For On The Head Of The

Column Of Cavalry,  Wheeling Into The Narrow Road Leading To The

Principal Bazaar,  They Beheld,  Much To Their Consternation,  Four Of The

Guns Of The Horse Artillery,  Which Immediately Opened Upon Them With

Grape And Canister,  Which Told Fearfully Among Them,  As The Number Of

Riderless And Wounded Horses Plainly Showed,  And The Irregular Horse,

Not Being Trained To Act In concert With The Regular Troops,  The Whole

Were Thrown Into Confusion,  And Were Unable To Reform Or Advance Upon

The Guns. By A Rapid Movement,  Major Huntingdon Had Brought His Two

Twelve Pound Howitzers To Play On The Sepoy Battalion,  With Shrapnel,

Shell And Spherical Case,  With Considerable Effect. The Native Officer

Who Commanded Them Deployed His Right Wing Into Line,  And Sent The Left

To Endeavour To Take The Artillery In Flank Or Rear. But In Order To

Accomplish This They Had To Make A _Detour_ To The Right,  And In So

Doing Came To Grief. The Road They Had Taken Led Them Across The Open

Plain And In Front Of The Station Gun,  A Long Thirty-Two Pounder. This

Movement Had Been Anticipated By The Artillery Officer,  Consequently It

Was Loaded With As Much Canister As Was Considered Safe,  And A Sergeant,

Who Volunteered,  Was Appointed To Take Charge,  And Act As Circumstances

Might Require. A Small Pit Had Been Dug,  In Which The Sergeant Was

Snugly Ensconced,  And There Was Nothing To Indicate To Those Passing

Within A Short Distance,  That There Was Anything To Be Feared From That

Quarter; But In This They Were Terribly Mistaken,  For At The Right

Moment The Gun Belched Forth Its Storm Of Bullets Into The Very Centre

Of The Little Column Of Infantry With Fearful Effect. So Unexpected Was

The Charge That The Utmost Confusion Prevailed,  Which Was Considerably

Increased By The Sudden Appearance Of About One Hundred Well Mounted

Horsemen,  Acting As Cavalry,  Sweeping Down Upon Them,  Sabreing Right And

Left. This Party Of Horsemen Consisted Of Officers Of All Corps In

Garrison,  And Every Other Available European That Could Sit On A Horse

Or Handle A Sabre,  And Had Been Quietly Organized,  In expectation Of An

Event Like The Present,  By Major Collingwood.

 

Repulsed At All Points,  The Mutineers Retreated As Fast As Possible.

Their Infantry,  In Many Cases,  Mounting In Rear Of The Cavalry. The

Artillery Limbered Up And Followed Them To The Outskirts Of The Town,

Where,  As They Crossed The Deep Nulla Leading To The Islempoora Road,

The Gallant Huntingdon Again Blazed Away At Them,  Reducing Their Numbers

To A Considerable Extent; But It Was Not Considered Advisable To Follow

Them Any Farther. The Troop Was Then Divided And The Guns Sent In

Different Directions Through The Station,  While The Lately Improvised

Cavalry Scoured The Bazaars And Other Parts,  In Order To Capture Any

Small Parties Who Might Be Engaged In The Work Of Plunder Or Other

Destruction.

 

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The Hour Of Eleven Was Ringing From The Gurries Or Gongs At The

Different Guard Rooms,  As Arthur Carlton Left The Quarters Of The

Brigadier Commanding The Station,  For Unlike Most A.D.C.'S He Did Not

Reside With His Chief,  But Occupied Snug Little Quarters In The Staff

Lines Near The Suddur Bazaar. He Was Both Annoyed And Excited As He

Mounted His Horse To Return Home; But He Soon Became Calm And

Thoughtful,  And His Noble Charger,  As If Knowing The Mood Of His Master,

Slackened Its Speed To A Walk. "General D---- Is An Obstinate And

Self-Willed Man,  And His Policy Anything But What It Should Be At So

Critical A Time," Muttered Arthur Half Aloud; "But Was I Wise To Cross

Him,  And In The Heat Of The Moment To Throw Up My Appointment On His

Staff; I Who Have Nothing But My Pay To Depend On And No Interest At The

Horse Guards To Push Me On In The Service?" And His Thoughts Flew Back

To Vellenaux,  Sir Jasper Coleman And Edith Effingham. As Her Image

Crossed His Mind His Countenance Brightened,  And His Spirits Rose. "Yes,

I Will Rejoin My Regiment. She Must Return To Rutlaum In a Day Or Two. I

Will See Her To-Morrow And Beg Her To Allow Me To Be Her Escort,  That I

Think She Will Not Refuse; And When I Get My Troop I Will Seek Her Hand,

For Her Heart I Know Is Mine Already." He Was Aroused From His Reverie

By The Sudden Stopping Of His Horse,  And On Looking Up Found That He Had

Arrived At The Gate Of The Compound Which Surrounded His Dwelling.

Immediately On Entering He Summoned His Butler,  And Gave Him

Instructions To Pack Up Everything Without Delay,  And To Start With His

Baggage And The Other Servants At An Early Hour On The Following

Morning,  _En Route_ For Rutlaum; To Halt At The First Dawk Bungalow He

Came To,  And That He Would Follow On Horseback In The Evening. Then

Calling Pedro,  A Portuguese,  Who Had Entered His Service On His First

Arrival In India As A Kitmagar Or Valet,  He Dispatched Him To The Bazaar

To Procure From The Kotwell The Necessary Hackarries,  Or Baggage Carts

And Cattle; Then,  After Enjoying Several Puffs From His Hookah,  He Flung

Himself On A Lounge To Snatch What Sleep He Could Before The Grey Dawn

Of Day