Vellenaux A Novel, Edmund William Edmund William [reading a book .TXT] 📗

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

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.

 

 

 

Chapter 11

 

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 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

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

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