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

Attempts To Break Through Or

Divide The Small Party That Opposed Them. But The Cool And Determined

Courage And Thorough Discipline Of The Dragoons,  And Their Friends Was

Too Much For Them,  Fighting As They Did,  For A Time,  On The Defensive;

Warding Off The Cuts Of The Dusky Villains,  And Giving Only A Few

Thrusts Here And There,  When It Could Be Done With Fatal Effect. Many Of

Their Number Had Already Bit The Dust,  And,  As Yet,  No Impression Had

Been Made On The Gallant Little Band,  The Soaws Being Still Two To One.

Thus Carlton And His Party Were Still Fighting Under A Disadvantage As

Far As Numbers Were Concerned. Had The Combatants Been Less Pre-Occupied

With Their Deadly Strife,  They Might Have Observed,  At A Short Distance,

A Female Figure Cautiously Emerging From Between The Bushes And

Stealthily Creep Beneath The Vehicle,  To The Wheels Of Which The

Collector Had Been Bound. This Was The Wife Of The Head Clerk,  The

Pretty Three-Quarter Caste,  Whose Presence Of Mind,  Courage And

Forethought Had So Largely Contributed To Their Deliverance. Rapidly But

Surely,  With The Hunting Knife Given Her By Captain Crosby,  She Cut The

Cords That Bound Her Husband And His Companions,  Who,  When They Found

They Were Released,  Rushed Forward And Possessed Themselves Of The

Weapons Of The Fallen Mutineers,  And Immediately Commenced An Attack On

Their Flank And Rear,  In Hopes Of Rendering Some Assistance To Their

Brave Defenders.

 

Moving Quickly,  But In Such A Way As Not To Attract Notice,  Mrs. De

Mello,  Released The Collector's Wife And The Other Ladies From Their

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Unpleasant And Exposed Position,  And One By One Removed Them For Safety

Within The Cover Of The Jungle In Case Of Any Chance Shot Or Blow

Injuring Them. A Brief Time Served To Restore The Ladies To Something

Like Tranquility,  And Enable Them To Arrange Their Attire To The Best

Advantage Under The Circumstances,  And Evincing In The Highest Manner

Their Thanks And Gratitude To Her Who Had,  With Such Peril To Herself,

Relieved Them From A Fate,  To Them,  Worse Than Death Itself.

 

The Unexpected Release Of The Prisoners,  And The Attack Made On Their

Flank And Rear By Them,  Totally Confounded The Mutineers,  And Rendered

All Escape On Their Part Impossible Or Nearly So,  While Arthur And His

Friends,  Seeing The Addition To Their Number,  And Being About Equally

Matched--Numerically Speaking--Changed Their Tactics From The Defensive

To The Offensive,  And Attacked Their Opponents In Right Good Earnest,

And With Such Skill And Determination Did They Use Their Weapons That

They Very Shortly Brought The Contest To A Close. Eleven Of The

Mutinous Rascals Lay Stone Dead Upon The Blood-Stained Sod,  And Five

Others So Fatally Wounded That It Would Be Impossible For Them To

Survive Another Hour,  Three More Were Slightly Injured,  But Sufficiently

So To Render Them For The Present _Hors De Combat_,  While The One

Remaining Wretch Who Had Escaped Scathless Had Sullenly Thrown Down His

Arms And Stood Looking On In Moody Silence. Every One Of The Brave

Little Party That Had Come Thus Opportunely To The Rescue,  Had Been More

Or Less Injured By The Tulwas And Pistol Shots Of The Black Sowas,  But

In No Case Did Their Wounds Render Them Unfit For Active Service; Rest

For A Few Days,  Together With Some Sticking Plaster,  Was All That They

Needed To Enable Them To Take The Field Again. Of The Mutineers,  The

Five Mortally Wounded Were Left To Keep Guard Over The Eleven Dead,  The

Remaining Four Were Bound And Lashed To One Of The Garries Belonging To

The Collector. The Oaths And Imprecations Of These Wretched Beings At

The Failure Of Their Project And The Position They Now Found Themselves

In,  Were Something Fearful To Listen To.

 

After A Brief Time,  For Congratulations,  Rest And Refreshments,  Which

Refreshment Consisted Chiefly In Brandy Punnee,  Sherry And Biscuit,  From

The Flasks And Wallets Of The Party,  (No Bad Thing By The Way,  Under The

Circumstance.) Matters Then Having Been Got _En Train_,  The Whole Party

Proceeded Leisurely To The Camp Near Laurieghur,  And Arrived Just As The

Sun Was Casting Her Golden Rays On The Slopes Of The Adjacent Hills,

Previous To Its Sinking For The Night Into The Purple Depths Of

Obscurity. Early The Following Morning,  The Collector,  With A Suitable

Escort,  Proceeded On Their Way To Runjetpoora,  The Place To Which They

Were Returning When They Were So Ruthlessly Set Upon By The Atrocious

Mutineers.

 

The Day Proceeding The One On Which Arthur Had Joined His Troop,  The

Officer In Command Of The Little Force Ordered A Court Martial To

Assemble For The Trial Of The Prisoners Concerned In The Late Murderous

Attack On The Collector And Party. The Finding Of The Court Was,  That

The Prisoners Were Guilty Of All The Charges Brought Against Them,  And

The Sentence Pronounced Was That Of Death,  By Being Blown To Fragments

From The Cannon's Mouth,  The Sentence To Be Carried Into Effect The Day

Succeeding The Promulgation Of The Order For The Execution. Preparations

Were Then To Be Pushed Forward Vigorously For Carrying By Assault

Laurieghur,  The Fortress Among The Hills. Already A Heavy Breaching

Battery Had Been Sent For To Runjetpoora,  For On A Party Of Engineers

Advancing More Closely And With The Aid Of Their Field Glasses,  It Was

Found To Be A More Formidable Place,  And More Strongly Guarded Than Had

Been Anticipated By Those In Command At Runjetpoora; Thus The Delay In

Commencing The Attack.

 

On The Evening Prior To The Execution Of The Wretched Criminals,  As

Arthur Carlton Was Quietly Smoking A Cigar And Meditating On Edith,  The

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Approaching Siege,  And Things In General,  An Orderly Came To His Tent

And Announced To Him,  That One Of The Prisoners Desired To Speak With

Him On A Subject That Admitted Of No Delay. Surprised At So Unlooked For

An Event,  Arthur At First Felt Inclined To Refuse The Man's Request,  But

Presently,  Curiosity Getting The Better Of The Dislike He Felt At Having

Any Communication With The Wretch,  And Wondering What He Could Possibly

Have To Communicate,  Sent Word That He Would Visit Him Soon After Sun

Set.

 

"What Is It You Have To Say To Me?" Enquired Arthur Carlton,  An Hour

Later,  As With Stern Composure And Folded Arms,  He Looked Down Upon The

Wretched Culprit Who Lay Manacled On The Floor Of The Guard Tent,  And

Who Proved To Be The Youth Before Alluded To,  As The Son Of The Man

Called Shumsodeen.

 

The Captive,  With Much Difficulty Raising Himself To A Sitting Posture,

Said,  "You Are A Brave Man,  And The Brave Among The Whites Are Always

Truthful They Tell Me. I Am Told That I Am To Be Blown From The Cannon's

Mouth To-Morrow. Is This The Truth? Is There No Hope Of Pardon Or

Reprieve?"

 

"The Sentence Of The Court Has Been Read To You,  And There Is No Hope Of

Remission. You Will Die At Sunrise To-Morrow Morning,  And Have But A Few

Hours To Live. This You Might Have Ascertained From The Sergeant Of The

Guard Without Sending For Me," Said Arthur,  Turning To Leave The Tent.

 

"Stay!" Resumed The Prisoner,  Observing Carlton's Intention,  "I Have

That To Say Which Nearly Concerns Yourself And Companions. I Have

Learned That It Is The Intention Of Your Commander To Carry The Fort Of

Laurieghur By Assault; This Cannot Be Done Without Great Loss Of Life

Among You,  For The Place Is Much Stronger And Better Provisioned And

Garrisoned Than He Has Any Idea Of. Listen To My Story,  You Will Then

See That I Have It In My Power To Render Your General A Very Great

Service If Permitted To Do So."

 

"Speak On," Responded Arthur,  Getting Somewhat Interested,  And Seating

Himself On A Bag Of Tent Pegs,  The The Only Apology For A Seat The Tent

Afforded.

 

The Youth Then Proceeded With His Story,  From Which It Appeared That,

About Five Weeks Previous,  A Party Of Cavalry Sowas,  Regular And

Irregular,  Who Had Deserted Their Regiments,  Had Arrived At The Village

In Which The Speaker And His Father,  Who Was A Mounted Police Patell,

Resided. While There,  The Emissaries Of The Begum Of Runjetpoora,  Who

Had Established Herself At Laurieghur,  And Was Organizing A Force And

Getting Together Supplies Of Ammunition,  Provisions,  Etc.,  With The

Intention Of Making A Raid On Runjetpoora And Looting It,  Had Made

Overtures To This Party,  And Promised Them High Pay And A Share Of The

Plunder If They Would Join Her. This They Had Accepted,  And Some Of The

Men Of The Village,  The Father And Son Included,  Had Cast In Their Lots

With The Mutineers And Entered The Fort; But,  Dissatisfied With Being So

Long Cooped Up Within Its Walk,  And Seeing No Prospect Of Immediate

Plunder,  Had Attempted To Leave The Place,  But Were Prevented From So

Doing By The Begum's Order. In Sullen Silence They Received This

Injunction,  But Determined To Escape When Opportunity Offered. That One

Day While He,  (The Prisoner) Was Passing Through The Ruins Of A Deserted

Palace,  He Had Discovered The Entrance To A Subterraneous Passage,

Leading Under The Walls And Coming Out About A Quarter Of A Mile From

The Fort. This He Had Communicated To His Comrades,  And The Following

Morning Ere It Was Light,  The Party,  Led By Himself,  Made Good Their

Retreat,  And Keeping Within The Jungle For Some Miles,  Came Upon The

High Road,  And Chanced To Meet The Collector's Party; That He Had Taken

No Part In The Slaughter Of The Children,  And Had Intended Leaving The

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Band As Soon As They Came In Sight Of His Own Village,  And In

Conclusion Said,  "If You Will Swear To Obtain My Pardon,  And Liberty To

Go Where I Please,  I Will Lead You And Any Number Of Your Men Through

This Same Passage,  And In Less Than Two Hours From Leaving This Place,

You Shall Be In Possession Of The Fort And All It Contains." This Offer

Our Hero Did Not Consider Himself At Liberty To Refuse Or Accept,  But

Promised At Once To Bring The Matter To The Notice Of The Officer

Commanding The Force,  And Let Him (The Prisoner) Know The Result As

Speedily As Might Be,  And Immediately Left The Guard Room For That

Purpose.

 

 

 

 

The Prisoner's Proposition Was At Once Accepted By The Authorities,  And

Very Shortly A Party Of Five Hundred Infantry,  And One Hundred

Dismounted Dragoons,  Led By Carlton And Accompanied By The Prisoner As

Guide,  Left The Camp And