Vellenaux A Novel, Edmund William Forrest [read with me TXT] 📗

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

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

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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 79

 

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

Chapter 12 Pg 80

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

Chapter 12 Pg 81

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.