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

Again. The Dead And Wounded Men Were

Removed To Some Soft Grass On The Side Of The Road. But This Delay,

Short As It Was,  Enabled Arthur To Reload And Shift His Position,  Which

Chapter 11 Pg 73

He Did By Rapidly Passing Under The Bridge To The Opposite Side Of The

Road,  Being Too Good A Soldier To Neglect This Opportunity.

 

"Forward!" Shouted The Russeldah. "Follow Me! I Will Soon Unkennel The

Foe. May The Grave Of His Fathers Be Accursed,  And His Bones Be Burned,"

And,  After Uttering This Anathema,  He Drove The Rowels Of His Spurs Into

His Horse's Flanks,  Springing Him,  At Least,  Two Lengths In Advance Of

His Followers,  And Making A Dash For The Bush From Whence The Smoke Of

The Rifle Was Seen To Issue. But Ere The Scoundrel Reached It,  A Bullet

From Arthur's Rifle Went Crashing Through His Brain. A Second Brought

Another To The Earth With A Broken Thigh Bone. The Others Reined Up In

Time To Avoid The Accident They Had Before Experienced. On Finding Their

Leader To Be Quite Dead,  And Only Five Of Their Number Fit To Carry On

The Contest,  They Consulted Together As To The Expediency Of Any Further

Pursuit; Besides,  They Could Not Understand Being Attacked From Both

Sides Of The Road. They Had Seen No One Cross,  And Never Dreamed Of The

Passage Under The Bridge,  And Imagined There Must Be Others Concealed In

The Jungle. Taking Advantage Of This Opportunity,  Arthur Returned The

Way He Came As Quickly As Possible,  And,  Mounting His Horse,  Regained

His Beloved Edith,  Who Had Witnessed The Whole Affair. She Was About To

Thank,  With Ardent Words Of Gratitude,  Her Gallant Lover,  When He

Silenced Her With A Motion Of His Hand,  And Whispered To Her To Follow

Him. They Proceeded Slowly For A Time,  Carefully Avoiding The

Overhanging Branches,  Lest They Should Attract The Attention Of Either

Of The Troopers,  Who Were Still Halted On The High Road At No Great

Distance,  And As Carlton Afterwards Affirmed,  A Chance Shot From One Of

Their Carbines Might Have Proved Fatal To One Or Perhaps Both Of Them.

After Riding Some Distance They Had The Satisfaction,  On Looking Back,

Of Seeing That Their Cowardly Pursuers Were Returning The Way They Came,

Carrying Their Dead And Wounded With Them. But Still They Had A Very

Long Ride Before Them,  Under A Scorching Sun,  Before They Could Consider

Themselves Safe From Further Pursuit; And The Deep Shadows Of The Dark

Jungle Had Closed Around Them As They Pushed Their Way Along The Dusty

Road. And It Was Not Until The Moon Had Risen In All Her Splendour,  High

Above Their Heads,  That Edith,  Worn Out With The Excitement And Fatigue

Of The Day's Journey,  Attended By A Gallant Cavalier,  Reached Rutlaum.

 

Fortunately,  They Experienced No Difficulty In Tracing The Whereabouts

Of The Bartons,  Who Had Not,  As Yet,  Left The Place. The News Of The

Disaster At Goolampore Had Not Reached Rutlaum,  The Mutineers Having

Cut The Telegraph Lines,  And The Intelligence Would Not,  In All

Probability,  Be Received For A Couple Of Days; And It Was Agreed That It

Should Be Suppressed As Long As Possible. It Was Arranged That The

Family Should Leave On The Following Evening By The Palkee Dawk For The

Coast. Carlton,  Of Course,  Called On The Officer Commanding The Post,

And Explained To Him All He Knew Concerning The Outbreak,  And Exactly

How Things Stood When He Left The Station.

 

The Bartons Were Delighted To Have Edith With Them Again,  For Nothing

Had Gone Right During Her Absence. Mrs. Barton Had Not Been Accustomed

To Take Any Part In The Household Arrangements Or Keeping The Servants

In Order,  Consequently Everything Had Gone Wrong.

 

Edith Grew Eloquent When Describing The Dauntless Courage Of Carlton In

Rescuing Her From A Fate Too Horrible To Be Thought Of. On Hearing This,

Arthur Rose At Least Fifty Per Cent. In The Estimation Of Mrs. Barton,

With Whom He Had Always Been A Great Favourite,  And She Warmly Thanked

Him For The Exertion He Had Made In Behalf Of Her Young Friend. Taking

Advantage Of The Opportunity Thus Afforded Him,  Arthur,  On The Spur Of

The Moment,  Disclosed To Her Everything Concerning His Engagement To

Edith,  And Solicited Their Approval To The Union On His Attaining The

Rank Of Captain. He Was Warmly Supported By Edith,  Who Did Not Hesitate

To Declare Her Affection For One Whom She Had Known So Long,  And Who Had

Chapter 11 Pg 74

Risked So Much For Her. And When Mrs. Barton Found That The Wedding Was

Not To Take Place For Some Time,  And That Edith Was To Return With Them

To England,  She Professed Herself To Be Satisfied On The Subject,

Whereupon It Was Arranged That The Party Should Proceed To The Sea

Coast. On Reaching Doollia,  The Lovers Parted In Hopes Of Meeting Again

At No Distant Day In England,  For The Ratification Of Those Vows That

Were Exchanged During Their Ride For Life Through The Goozeratte.

 

Independent Of The Inward Satisfaction Felt By Edith,  That Her

Engagement To Arthur Had Met The Approval Of The Kind Friends To Whom

She Owed So Much,  She Experienced A Great Deal Of Pleasure During The

Overland Journey To Europe. Both Horace And Pauline Had Twice Traversed

The Route,  And Therefore Were Enabled To Point Out The Various Objects

Of Interest That Were Met With In The Different Places They Passed

Through. The Egyptian Pyramids,  Cleopatra's Needle,  And The Far-Famed

Catacombs At Alexandria,  With Many A New And Strange Sight,  Encountered

During Their Short Sojourn At Malta And Gibraltar,  Which Had Been

Unheeded On Her Passage Out,  So Depressed And Sad At Heart Had She Felt

At The Death Of Her Uncle. But,  Time Having Healed That Mental Wound,

And A Bright Future Opening Before Her,  She Could Now Fully Enjoy Those

Scenes And The Associations They Usually Call Up.

 

Chapter 12 Pg 75

 

Arthur Carlton Lost No Time In Making His Way To The Capital And

Reporting Himself To The Commander-In-Chief. His Excellency Was Pleased

To Accept Graciously His Reasons For Throwing Up His Appointment On The

Staff Of General D----,  At Goolampore. Our Hero Had Expected To Get A

Good Rap Over The Knuckles For Acting As He Had Done Without First

Applying To Headquarters,  And This,  Doubtless,  Would Have Been The Case

At Any Other Time,  But The Blind Folly And General Mismanagement Of The

Late Brigadier Had Already Been Commented Upon And Censured By The

Authorities,  And No Doubt If Death Had Not Interfered To Prevent It,  A

Court Martial And Dismissal From The Service Would Have Been The Result.

As It Was,  Another Officer Was Sent Up And Appointed To The Command At

Goolampore,  And Lieutenant Carlton Ordered To Join His Regiment At The

Earliest Opportunity,  Which,  Of Course,  Meant That He Should Proceed

With Any Corps,  Detachment,  Or Party That Might Be Moving In That

Direction. But Arthur Was Too Anxious For Active Employment To Brook Any

Such Delay; So,  After A Few Days' Sojourn At The Capital,  Attended Only

By His Servants,  Took The Road To Runjetpoora,  Where His Regiment Was

Reported To Be Stationed. Nothing,  Of Interest Occurred On The Route,

Until Within A Few Miles Of His Destination Where He Expected To Join

His Corps.

 

It Being His Last Day's March,  He Had Sent His Servants And Baggage On

Several Hours In Advance,  And Being Well Armed And Well Mounted,  He

Started From His Halting Place About Daylight,  Alone,  And Pursued His

Course Along The High Road,  In The Best Possible Spirits,  Feeling Well

Contented With The Position Of Things In General,  And His Own In

Particular.

 

About Noon,  Being Somewhat Heated And Thirsty,  He Turned His Horse's

Head To The Right,  And Rode Quietly Some Distance Into The Jungle,  And

Finding A Cool Shady Spot By A Small Running Stream,  Dismounted,  And

Chapter 12 Pg 76

Taking Off The Saddle From His Charger,  Gave Him A Feed Of Gram Or Corn,

And Allowed A Sufficient Length Of Tether To Enable Him To Crop The Soft

Grass Which Grew In The Immediate Vicinity Of The Running Stream Just

Alluded To,  While He Rested And Regaled Himself With Some Biscuits,

Brandy Punnee,  And His Favourite German Pipe. He Had Taken Up His

Position At The Foot Of A Small Tree,  With His Back Against The Trunk,

His Famous Tiger-Rifle Lying By His Side And The Hilt Of His Sabre

Within Convenient Handling Distance,  For The Time And Place Was Such

That These Precautions Could Not,  With Safety,  Be Neglected. While Thus

Resting,  He Sank Into A Deep Reverie; His Thoughts Wandering Back To His

School Boy Days,  In Merry Old England,  Ere He Had Sighed For A Sword And

Feather Or Longed To Seek The Bubble Reputation At The Cannon's Mouth,

Or Dreamed Of Scenes By Flood And Field,  Beneath The Scorching Suns,

Over The Arid Plains,  Or Amid The Wild Trackless Jungles Of Industan.

 

Then Vellenaux,  The Home Of His Happy Youth With Its Architectural

Grandeurs,  Its Magnificent Parks And Rich Woodland Scenery,  Passed In

Review Like A Panorama Before His Mental Vision,  But Fair As These

Visions Were,  Another Far Brighter Rose Before Which All Others Paled

Or Faded By Comparison. Edith,  In All Her Glorious Beauty,  Now Riveted

His Every Thought,  Engrossed The Whole Stretch Of His Imagination,  And

For The Time Rendered All Else Opaque And Obscure; For Had She Not

Promised To Become His Wife,  To Share With Him The Varied Fortunes Of A

Soldiers' Life,  To Be The Joy And Solace Of His Riper Years,  And Heart

In Heart And Hand In Hand,  To Glide Together,  As It Were,  Almost

Imperceptibly Into The Yellow Leaf Of Ripe Old