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

Appeared. He Was Aroused At An Early Hour By The Hurried Entrance

Of His Portuguese Servant Who,  After Carefully Closing The Door,

Communicated The Following Startling Intelligence: It Appears That

Pedro,  After Executing The Commission Entrusted To Him,  Called On A

Friend In The Bazaar,  Who,  Like Himself,  Was A Christian,  To Bid Him

Farewell,  And Remained For Two Or Three Hours; That On His Way Home He

Heard Voices In The Angle Of A Small Compound,  Which Excited His

Curiosity. Approaching The Spot Noiselessly,  Through A Hole In The

Prickly Pear Hedge He,  By The Light Of The Moon,  Saw Four Persons

Conversing Together,  Two Of Whom He Recognized; One Was A Jemidar Of

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Cavalry,  The Other,  Soobadah,  Major Of One Of The Native Regiments,  The

Remaining Two Were Strangers,  Evidently Belonging To Some Irregular

Corps. The Substance Of Their Conversation Was To The Effect That,  About

Six Hundred Irregular Horse,  And A Company Of Goolandowz,  (But Without

Guns Or Ammunition) Were Halted A Short Distance Beyond The Limits Of

The Cantonments Ready To Enter At A Given Signal; That All The Native

Corps In Garrison Were To Rise,  Simultaneously,  About Eight A.M.; An

Attempt Was To Be Made To Carry Off The Artillery Guns While The

European Gunners Were At Their Breakfasts; The Fort Was To Be Carried By

A Sudden Rush,  And The Town Plundered; They Were Then To Make Off To The

Next Smallest Station,  Where They Were Unlikely To Meet With Any

European Force.

 

For Some Moments Arthur Was Undecided As To What Course He Ought To

Pursue. "If," Thought He,  "I Carry This Information To The Brigadier,  He

Will Pooh,  Pooh It As Mere Moonshine,  Besides I No Longer Belong To His

Staff,  And He Would Not Listen To Anything I Might Suggest; It Would

Only Be Time Thrown Away; But Huntingdon Must Be Warned. Forewarned Is

Forearmed,  And He Is Not The Man To Disregard A Circumstance Of This

Kind." He At Once Wrote A Note Relating What Had Been Told Him,  And Sent

It By The Portuguese.

 

"You Will Deliver This Into The Hand Of Major Huntingdon,  And Likewise

Give Him A Full Account Of All You Saw And Heard,  And Return As Quickly

As Possible." The Servant Was Soon On His Way To The Artillery Lines.

The Next Thing Was To Start His Servants' Baggage And Personal Effects

By A Road,  Directly Opposite The One Where The Irregulars Were Said To

Be Halted. While Dressing And Arming,  He Resolved As To What Step He

Should Now Take. He Would Ride Over To Edith,  And,  After Placing Her In

Safety Within The Walls Of The Fort,  Join The Other Officers Of The

Garrison Under The Direction Of Major Collingwood And Act As He Deemed

Best In The Coming Struggle. He Was Well Mounted And Thoroughly Armed,

And Likewise Carried A Double-Barreled Tiger-Rifle,  Slung

Carbine-Fashion To His Saddle,  And Was As Formidable A Cavalier As One

Could Meet With In The Country. Giving His Last Instructions To Pedro,

Who,  By This Time,  Had Returned,  He Rode Out Of The Compound And Took

His Way To The Bungalow,  Where All That He Held Most Dear In Life Was,

Perhaps,  Sleeping,  All Unconscious Of The Impending Danger. When He Was

Near The House,  A Few Shots Were Fired,  And A Hubbub Was Heard Within

The Sepoy Lines.

 

"I Am Almost Too Late," Thought Arthur,  As He Dashed Up To The Door.

Edith,  Who Had Seen His Approach Met Him In The Verandah. A Few Words

Sufficed To Explain How Matters Stood,  And She Hurried Away To Put On

Her Riding Habit,  And Gather Together What Valuables Belonged To Her.

Arthur Lost No Time In causing To Be Saddled One Of The Best Horses In

The Stable,  And Had It Led Round To The Front Of The Bungalow,  Where,  In

A Very Short Time,  He Was Joined By Edith,  Fully Equipped For Any

Emergency.

 

Placing Her Quickly And Firmly On Her Saddle,  And Carefully Examining

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Every Strap And Buckle,  And Finding Everything Secure,  He Sprang Lightly

On His Own Steed. One Glance At The Space In Front Of The Bungalow,  Was

Quite Sufficient To Realize,  To A Practical Mind Like Arthur'S,  The

Imminent Dangers That Would Beset Them,  Should They Attempt To Cross The

Open Plain In The Direction Of The Fort. The Only Chance Was In a Rapid

Flight. There Was No Time To Arrange Any Definite Plan Of Action,  For A

Very Few Minutes Would Elapse Before The Mutineers Would Surround The

Bungalow,  And Cut Off All Means Of Escape; So Passing Directly To The

Rear Of The Compound,  They Sought The Cover Of The Jungle That Skirted

It. Advancing As Rapidly As The Narrow Path And Thickly Interwoven

Underbrush Would Admit Of,  They Soon Left The Station Far Behind Them.

At The Foot Of An Eminence They Emerged From The Cover Of The Woods,  And

Struck Into The Highroad That Wound Round The Hill In Front Of Them.

This They Ascended At A Gentle Canter,  For Arthur Was Too Good A Rider

To Push His Horses At The Commencement Of A Journey,  In Which Both Speed

And Endurance Might Be Required Before Its Termination. His Intention

Was,  If Possible,  To Reach Rutlaum; Should He Fail In This He Must Reach

Some Station On The Sea Coast Before Night-Fall,  And Place Edith Under

The Protection Of The Officer Commanding Such Post,  Until He Could

Arrange For A Passage For Her To Bombay. On Arriving At The Crest Of The

Hill,  They Turned To Take A Parting Look At The Pretty Little Station,

Where,  For So Many Weeks,  They Had Been Supremely Happy In The Enjoyment

Of Each Others Society,  And Framing Projects For Their Union,  At Some

Future Period,  When The Young Lieutenant Should Have Advanced

Sufficiently In His Profession To Warrant That Consummation So Devoutly

To Be Wished For.

 

Lurid Flames And Thick Dark Smoke Shot Up From Many A Burning Bungalow,

While The Roar Of Artillery And Discharge Of Musketry,  Convinced The

Fugitives That The Conflict Was Still Going On Between The Defenders Of

The Fort And The Miscreants Who Vainly Endeavoured To Effect An Entrance

In Order To Put To Death Any Europeans Who Had Taken Shelter Within Its

Walls. Parties Of Sepoys Were Looting The Bazaars And Residences Of The

European Officers Of Whatever They Could Lay Their Hands Upon,  While The

Cavalry,  Both Regular And Irregular,  Were Riding Hither And Thither In

Search Of Christian Men,  Women,  Or Children,  Who Might Have Been

Unfortunate Enough Not To Have Gained Admission To The Fort,  Or Make

Good Their Escape From The Fated Place Ere It Was Too Late.

 

"Look,  Dearest Arthur," Exclaimed Edith,  Pointing With Her Riding Whip

To A Bend In The Road Some Distance Below Them,  "What Are Those

Horsemen? Are They Friends Or Foes? Oh! I See You Change Colour,  And We

Are Lost. But Is There No Hope For Us?"

 

For A Few Moments Carlton Remained Silent,  Measuring With A Practised

Eye The Distance Between Those Advancing And The Spot On Which They

Stood. For Himself He Had Not A Single Thought,  But For Her In Whom His

Whole Soul Was Bound,  The Thought Of What Would Be Her Fate,  Should She

Fall Into The Hands Of Those Who He Well Knew Were Bent On Their

Capture,  It Was This Agonizing Thought That Caused A Convulsive Shudder

To Run Through His Whole Frame,  And Rendered Him For The Moment

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Speechless. But It Was Only For A Moment; His Deep Love For The

Beautiful Being At His Side,  And Her Imminent Peril,  Roused Him To

Immediate Action.

 

"It Would Be Wrong For Me To Attempt To Conceal The Fact Of The Great

Danger In Which We Stand. Our Pursuers Are Irregular Troops; Men Who

Have Been Taught To Hate Everything Christian,  Being The Followers Of

Petty Rajahs,  Who For Some Act Of Their Own,  Or Some Of Their Families'

Treachery Or Disloyalty To Our Government,  Lost Their Landed

Possessions,  And Consequently Their Revenue And Power; But,  Dearest,

They Shall Only Reach You Over My Dead Body. They Would,  In The Long

Run,  Overtake Us; But Could We Reach A Wooden Bridge That Crosses A

Small River,  A Few Miles Up The Road,  I Believe We Could Yet Elude

Them. For There Is An Old Road Leading From The Ford And Running

Parallel With The One We Are On. It Has Not Been Used For The Past Two

Years,  And They,  Being Strangers In This Part Of The Country,  Will,  In

All Probability,  Know Nothing Of It,  And By This Way We May Escape.

Courage,  Dearest Edith,  All May Yet Go Well With Us."

 

"Your Love And Devotion,  Dear Arthur,  I Have Never For One Moment

Doubted,  And Confidently Trust Myself To Your Protecting Arm And Loving

Heart. But What Can One Single Arm Do Against Numbers; But Should Those

Wretches Overtake Us,  The Spirit Of The Effinghams Will Teach Me How To

Act,  And,  If Necessary,  How To Die." As She Said This,  She Drew From The

Folds Of Her Riding Habit,  A Handsome Five-Chambered Revolver. "I Will

Never Become Their Prey,  Nor Shall You Perish Unavenged While I Have

Strength To Draw A Trigger," Exclaimed The Beautiful Girl,  Now Excited

Beyond Measure At The Critical Position In Which She Found Herself

Placed. "Brave And Noble Girl," Responded Arthur,  As He Bent Over And

Imprinted A Kiss On The Lovely Brow. And In another Moment They Were

Bounding Along The High Road At A Hand Gallop.

 

"We Are Gaining On Them," Shouted One Of The Pursuers,  As He Caught

Sight Of The Two Lovers Flying Along A Straight Piece Of Road At No Very

Great Distance In Front Of Them. "But We Shall Have Some Tough Work

Before We Capture The Young Fellow Or I Am Much Mistaken."

 

"Curse Him," Growled Out A Tall Athletic Fellow In The Uniform Of A

Russeldah. "I May Thank Him For My Court Martial And Loss Of Commission

In The Regulars; But My Turn Is Coming Now. He And His Dainty Lady Shall

Curse The Hour Of Their Birth Before I Have Done With Them. 'Remember,'

Said He,  Turning To The Party,  Of Whom He Was Evidently The Leader,

'They Must,  If Possible,  Be Taken Alive. Their Money And Valuables--And,

Doubtless,  They Have A Good Store About Them--You Can Divide Among

Yourselves; I Will Not Touch One Rupee Of It; But Their Lives Are Mine."

A Shout Of Approval Followed This Last Speech,