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

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

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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

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 Age. Again,  Like The Ever

Varying Pictures Of Light And Shade,  His Thoughts Turned On The

Present,--This Campaign Over,  The Mutiny Crushed Out,  And The Command Of

A Troop Conferred Upon Him,  He Would Be In a Position To Return To

England,  Claim His Bride,  And Thus Would The Dearest Wishes Of His Heart

Be Fully Realized. From This Delightful Train Of Thought,  He Was Aroused

By The Cracking And Breaking Of The Dry Leaves And Brush Wood At Some

Little Distance,  Yet Immediately In Front Of Him,  And Ere He Had Time To

Rise,  An Enormous Tiger,  A Regular Bengalle,  Sprang Over The Intervening

Bushes On The Open Space,  Within A Few Yards Of Where Carlton Was

Quietly Smoking. This Sudden Appearance Was As Unlooked For By Our Hero

As Was Carlton'S Figure By The Royal Beast Himself,  And,  For A Few

Seconds,  They Gazed On Each Other. But Arthur'S Presence Of Mind On Such

Occasions Never Deserted Him. Instantly Bringing To His Shoulder The

Rifle That Lay Handy By His Side,  And Without Moving His Position,  He

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Covered And Took Deliberate Aim At His--To Say The Least Of It--Just

Then Unwelcome Visitor. Until The Cocking Of The Rifle,  The Enormous

Brute Seemed Undecided As To What Course To Pursue. But No Sooner Did

This Sound Reach The Tiger,  Than His Long Tail Began To Sway Slowly

Backwards And Forwards Two Or Three Times; And,  With A Low Growl,  Fierce

And Deep,  Settled Himself Gradually Back On His Haunches,  Preparatory To

Making That Spring Which This Class Of Animals Are So Famous For,  And

Which In Many Instances Prove So Fatal To Those Who Pursue Or Oppose

Them. But Arthur Was A Cool And Energetic Hunter,  And Had Scoured The

Jungles For Weeks Together,  And Had Brought In More Trophies Of His

Skill,  As A Shirkarree,  Than Any Other Man In The Regiment,  And Ere The

Spring Could Be Completed,  For The Animal Had Risen In The Air,  Arthur

Had Planted A Brace Of Bullets In The Chest Of The Monster,  Literally

Cracking,  In Their Progress,  The Heart Of The Tiger,  Who Fell Forward

Stone Dead Within Six Feet Of Where Our Hero Was Seated. His Practical

Eye In an Instant Convinced Him That No Danger Was To Be Apprehended

From His Late Foe,  And Without Changing His Attitude,  Resumed The Pipe,

He Had Let Fall From His Lips Prior To Firing,  And,  As Unconcerned As

Though Nothing Of Moment Had Taken Place,  Commenced Carefully To Reload

His Rifle. While Thus Engaged,  The Crushing Among The Branches Of The

Jungle Trees,  And The Cracking Of The Withered Stocks And Leaves Again

Attracted His Attention; And Presently Some Half Dozen Horsemen Cleared

The Adjacent Bushes And Reined Up Suddenly On The Brink Of The Little

Brook Before Alluded To,  With Surprise And Astonishment Depicted On

Their Glowing And Excited Features,  As They Gazed On The Scene,  Thus

Unexpectedly Presented To Their View.

 

"By Jove! Did I Not Know That Arthur Carlton Was Hundreds Of Miles Away

Up In The North-West,  I Could Swear That Was He," Pointing To The Figure

Of Carlton Seated At The Foot Of The Tree,  Exclaimed The Foremost

Rider,  As He With Difficulty Curbed In His Impatient Steed.

 

"And Who Else But The Burra Shirkarree,  The Carlton Sahib,  Would You

Expect To Find Within A Couple Of Yards Of The Carcass Of A Lord Of The

Jungle,  Just Slaughtered By Him,  And Cooly Re-Loading As If He Had Only

Been Shooting At A Pidgeon Match," Said Travas Templeton In Reply,

Dismounting As He Spoke,  And Advancing Quickly,  Seized And Shook Warmly

The Hand Of Our Hero,  Who Had By This Time Sprang To His Feet.

 

"You Guessed Right This Time,  Travas,  Old Fellow," Said Carlton,  Giving

His Friend Another Hearty Shake Of The Hand. Then,  Turning To The First

Speaker,  Whom He Addressed As Dorville,  Said,  "So You Thought Me Miles

Away,  Did You? I Was Sure You Had Seen The General'S Order For Me To

Rejoin. Pray,  Introduce Me To Your Friends,  And We Can Have A Mutual

Explanation Of How We Came To Meet Thus Unexpectedly." This Being Done,

The Whole Party Dismounted And Threw Themselves At Full Length Within

Such Shade As The Jungle Afforded,  And Listened To Arthur'S Account Of

The Outbreak At Goolampore,  And His Reasons For Throwing Up His

Appointment On The Staff; The Unexpected Appearance Of The Tiger And The

Death Of The Same.

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"A Ticklish Thing To Do,  By Jove,  To Take The Matter In Your Own Hands In

That Fashion. But All'S Well That Ends Well,  And Devilish Glad Will Our

Fellows Be To Learn That You Will Be So Soon Among Us Again,  Especially

As Your Troop And Mine Have Been Ordered Out On Some Special Service,

And That Accounts For Our Presence In This Neighborhood,  And So Far From

Headquarters; But Travas Will Give You The Particulars;" And Lighting A

Cheroot,  Francis Dorville Puffed Out Numberless Circles Of Pale,  Blue

Smoke,  Which He Appeared To Enjoy With Infinite Satisfaction.

 

"Then You Must Know,  Most Redoubtable Of Tiger-Slayers," Began Travas

Templeton,  Who Was A Cornet In arthur'S Troop,  And An Enthusiastic

Sportsman,  "That The Brigadier Commanding,  Having Secretly Got Wind That

A Party Of Mutineers Had Ensconced Themselves In a Small Fortress,  Among

Yonder Hills," Pointing With His Cigar In The Direction As He Spoke,

"Has Ordered A Flying Column,  Of Which Two Troops Of Ours Form A Part,

To Attack,  And,  If Possible,  To Carry The Place By Assault Or _Coup De

Main_; That We Are Encamped About Eight Miles To The South-West Of This

Spot. Last Night Some Villagers Came In and Reported That A Large Tiger,

Doubtless The Identical One Yonder,  Was Causing Great Havoc Among The

Cattle; So Some Half Dozen Of Us Started This Morning In Pursuit. We

Caught Sight Of The Brute About A Mile From Here,  And Dorville,  Being

Green At This Kind Of Sport,  Took A Shot At Him At Too Great A Range,

And,  Of Course,  Missed,  Sending The Creature In Your Direction,  And So

Gave You The Opportunity Of Bagging Him,  Which You Have Most

Successfully Accomplished."

 

"I Am Sorry,  Gentlemen,  To Have Deprived You Of Your Day'S Sport,  But

Under The Circumstances,  I Really Could Not Have Done Anything Less,  For

The Tiger Came So Suddenly Upon Me,  That There Was Nothing Else For It;

But This Really Will Be Capital Fun,  The Expedition To The Hill Fort You

Speak Of," Replied Arthur As He Tossed Off The Remaining Portion Of His

Brandy Punnee,  Exclaiming At Same Time,  "Here'S All Success To Our New

Undertaking."

 

"You Will Give Up All Idea,  Of Course,  Of Going On To Runjetpoora,  And

Return With Us To Our Camp And Join Our Troop,  For We Are To Attack

These Gentry To-Morrow Evening,  I Believe. Colonel Atherly,  Of The

Engineers,  Commands The Column. He Has Heard Of Your Exploits At Mooltan

And Chillianwalla,  And Would Be Sorry To Lose The Services Of So Good A

Sabre On This Occasion. You Can Report In Writing To Headquarters,

Through His Deputy-Adjutant-General,  That You Have Joined Your Troop.

Your Tent And Servants Can Be Sent Over To You During To-Morrow; In The

Meantime,  You Can Share Mine,"--"Or Mine,"--"Or Mine,"--Shouted A Chorus

Of Voices.

 

"Upon My Word,  Dorville,  You Are Highly Complimentary. It'S Very

Flattering To A Fellow'S Feelings To Be So Thoroughly Appreciated,

Especially,  After So Long An Absence From The Regiment. Devilish Kind Of