Vellenaux A Novel, Edmund William Edmund William [reading a book .TXT] 📗
- Author: Edmund William Edmund William
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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
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
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
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.
"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
You, Gentlemen, To Offer Me Quarters Among You; But, As I Cannot Divide
Myself Into Half A Dozen Pieces, I Shall Only Be Too Happy To Accept Our
Friend Dorville'S Offer, He Being First In The Field. By George, It Will
Be Rejoining With _Eclat_ If That Little Fort Up Yonder, On The Hill
Side, Could Be Carried By One Bold Dash, And The Affair Terminated In a
Day Or So," Cried Carlton, His Handsome Face Lighting Up, And
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