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

Order To Effect This He Had To Rest His Eye On The Key

Hole For A Second Or Two. This Was The Moment For Which Arthur Had Been

Anxiously Waiting. Instantly The Eyes Of The Bheel Were Withdrawn From

Him. He Brought His Revolver From Under His Pillow,  And Passing It

Beneath The Light Coverlet,  Placed The Barrel Across His Left Leg,  Which

He Gently Raised,  At The Same Time Removing The Cloth Clear Of The

Muzzle,  Brought It In Line With The Ribs Of The Robber And Fired. The

Bullet Went Straight To The Heart,  And The Ruffian Bheel Fell Dead

Without Uttering A Groan Or Sound.

 

"What Is The Matter," Enquired The Sentry,  Stopping At The Door Of The

Tent,  Which Had Been Closed To Keep Out The Night Dews.

 

"Nothing," Arthur Had Promptly Replied,  "I Have Discharged My Pistol By

Accident,  And Am Going To Reload It,  That Is All. But When The Nique

Comes With The Relief Tell Him To Send The Havildar To Me,  I Wish To

Speak To Him." The Sentinel Then Resumed His Walk Up And Down His Post.

Arthur Then With His Hands Quietly Enlarged The Hole By Which The Robber

Had Entered,  Into Which He Pushed The Body And Covered It With The Sand

Which Had Been Thrown Up,  And The Tent Resumed Its Original Appearance;

Then,  After Washing His Hands And Refilling The Empty Chamber Of His

Revolver,  He Dressed Himself For The March.

 

At Twelve O'clock The Havildar Made His Sallam At The Tent Door. "Come

In,  Havildar," Said Carlton,  "I Have Changed My Mind; Instead Of

Marching At Four A.M.,  The Usual Hour,  I Wish To Start With As Little

Delay As Possible. Go Round,  Wake Up The Cart Men And Have The Cattle

Put To With As Little Noise As Practicable,  Fall In The Guard,  And,

When We Have Moved Off Some Distance,  I Will Tell You The Reason Of This

Change In The Hour Of Marching. Let Everything Be Done As Quietly As May

Be; Also Tell The Syce To Bring My Horse Round Directly." The Havildar

Received His Orders (Native Like) Without Remark,  Saluted And Went To

See Them Carried Out. When The Escort Had Got About A Mile From Where

They Had Encamped,  Arthur Related What Had Taken Place In His Tent The

Night Previous. This Was A Sufficient Inducement For Them To Accelerate

Their Speed To The Utmost In Order To Get Beyond The Precincts Of The

Bheel,  As They Well Knew That In The Event Of The Discovery Of The Body

The Whole Village Would Turn Out _En Masse_ To Revenge His Death,  But

Having Some Four Hours Start Arthur And His Party Arrived At The

Station--Where He Was To Part From Them--Without Molestation Or Pursuit,

As Far As He Was Aware Of.

Chapter 5 Pg 27

This Adventure Fully Developed His Coolness And Courage When Aroused To

Immediate Action By Any Unexpected Danger. This Gained For Arthur The

Favorable Opinion Of His Brother Officers. Although He,  On Joining,  Made

No Mention Of The Circumstance,  Until In Course Of Casual Conversation

The Affair Leaked Out. Soon After Joining He Wrote To Sir Jasper

Informing Him Of His Safe Arrival,  And To Edith A Long And Interesting

Account Of His Journey From Calcutta To Karricabad,  In Which He

Portrayed With Faithful Accuracy His Encounter With A Bheel,  And Many

Other Incidents Which He Thought Likely Would Interest Or Amuse Her. In

Describing The Scenery And General Features Of The Wild Districts He Had

To Pass Through,  He Said:

 

"After Traversing For Miles The Hot And Dusty Plains Of Hindostan,  Quite

Unexpectedly You Will Come Upon A Tope Or Grove Of Fruit Trees,  Planted

In Regular Rows,  With A Well Or Tank Of Spring Water,  And A Place To

Bathe In Built In The Centre,  Where The Weary And Way-Worn Traveller

Could Bathe And Wash Away The Heat And Dust Of The Road,  And Cool His

Parched Throat With A Draught Of The Pure Element,  Gather As Much Of The

Rich Fruit As He May Wish,  To Appease His Appetite If Hungry; Then,  In

The Soft Mossy Grass,  Beneath The Overhanging Branches Which Effectually

Protect Him From The Heat And Glare Of The Sun,  Enjoy A Sound Sleep,

Awake Refreshed And Proceed On His Way Rejoicing. In European Countries

Where Hotels And Places Of Accomodation Are To Be Met With At Every

Turn,  This May Appear Of Little Moment,  But In The East Where There Are

No Such Places To Obtain Food Or Shelter From The Powerful Rays Of The

Sun,  This Is An Inestimable Boon. On Enquiring How These Topes Or Groves

Came To Grow In Places So Far Distant From Any Other Cultivation,  I Was

Informed That They Were Planted By Rich High Caste Natives,  As A Penance

That Was Imposed Upon Them By The Brahmin Priests For Sins Of Omission

Or Commission Against Their Creed. By The Way,  I Heard The Other Day A

Good Story Concerning These Said Topes. It Appears That A Certain Ensign

Of The Company's Service,  Who Had Been Furnished With His Commission And

Outfit By An Elderly Maiden Aunt Of A Serious And Pious Turn Of Mind,

Whose Positive Injunctions To Him On Leaving England Were That He Was

Not To Attempt To Impose Upon Her With Any Account Of Dangers,

Difficulties,  Or Surprising Adventures That Were Not Strictly True,  For

She Hated Liars,  And Would Cut Him Out Of Her Will If She Detected Him

Indulging In Anything Of The Sort; But Requested That He Would Write To

Her A Full,  True And Particular Account Of His First Battle,  Should He

Be Engaged In One.

Chapter 5 Pg 28

Long Descriptive Letter,  But Unfortunately He Did Not Pay Sufficient

Attention To His Orthography,  And So Came To Grief,  For One Paragraph Of

The Letter Ran Thus:

 

"'Our Entire Brigade,  Ten Thousand Strong,  Halted About Six In The

Morning,  And By Seven The Whole Of The Tents Were Snugly Pitched,  And We

Were Taking Our Breakfast Comfortably In The Tops Of Trees Which Grew On

Both Sides Of The Road.'

 

"He Spelt The Word Topes Without The Capital Or Letter E. Tents For Ten

Thousand Men Pitched In The Tops Of Trees. Oh,  Was There Ever Such A

Monstrous Falsehood,  And The Poor Old Lady Fairly Shook From Head To

Foot With Pious Indignation. The Letter Was Returned To The Writer

Without Remark Or Comment,  And She Was Never Again Heard To Mention The

Name Of Her Nephew,  And On Her Death,  Which Occurred Soon After,  It Was

Found That She Had Bequeathed The Whole Of Her Property To Establish A

Mission For Diffusing The Gospel Truth Among The Natives Of The Fiji

Islands,  And The Unfortunate Victim To Bad Spelling Was Left Lamenting."

 

In Another Of His Epistles To The Fair Young Girl In Merry England,  He

Winds Up With The Following: "Much Has Been Said And Written Concerning

The Sagacity Of Some Animals,  Especially The Elephant,  Horse And Dog,

But The Other Day I Was An Eye Witness To A Fact Which Developed The

Cunning,  Reason,  Instinct,  Or Call It What You Will,  Of The Indian

Jackall. Having Sauntered From My Tent In The Cool Of The Evening

Through Some Wild Cotton Plants,  Down To A Clump Of Shady Trees That

Grew At No Great Distance From The River,  I Sat Down To Enjoy A Cigar,

And While So Doing I Observed The Following Incident: A Jackall,  One Of

The Largest I Believe I Had Ever Seen,  Came Quietly Out From The Cover

Of The Jungle And Made For The River,  Having In His Mouth A Large Bunch

Of Cotton; Curious To Know To What Purpose He Intended Applying His

Mouthful,  I Watched Him. Having Reached The Water's Edge He Turned

Deliberately Round And Faced In The Direction Where I Was Seated,  But

Not In View,  Then Depressing His Bushy Tail He Gradually Backed Into The

Water; Very Slow,  Indeed,  Was His Backward Movement,  But On Gaining The

Centre Of The Somewhat Shallow Stream His Whole Body Became Submerged,

Leaving Nothing Visible Above The Water But The Tip Of His Nose;

Suddenly He Dived,  And Reappeared On The Opposite Bank. After Giving

Himself A Good Shake,  He Scampered Off,  Apparently In High Glee,  Leaving

The Cotton Floating On The Surface Of The Water. Determined To Find Out

If Possible The Meaning Of This Strange Proceeding,  I Walked To The

River's Bank,  And Wading Some Paces In Contrived,  With My Long Riding

Whip,  To Get Hold Of The Piece Of Cotton. You May Judge Of My Surprise

On Finding It To Be Actually Alive With Enormous Flees. The Cunning

Jackall Had Taken This Effectual Means Of Ridding Himself Of His

Troublesome Companions."

 

But Ere Long Scenes Of A Much More Stirring Character Engaged The

Attention Of Our Young Soldier,  And Letter-Writing Had To A Considerable

Extent To Give Way To The Flashing Of The Sabre And The Blurr Of The

Trumpet. The Punjaub Was Again Swarming With A Discontented Population,

Chapter 5 Pg 29

Often Hauntingly Boasted Of Fighting With The Greatest Power In

Hindostan,  Until Within Two Or Three Months Of The First Battle,  And

Even Then The Rude And Illiterate Yeoman Considered That They Were About

To Enter Upon A War Purely Defensive,  Although One In Every Way

Congenial To Their Feelings Of Pride And National Jealousy. To The

General Impression Of The Seiks,  In Common With Other Indian Nations,

That The English Were And Are Ever Ready To Extend Their Power,  Is To Be

Added The Particular Bearing Of The British Government Toward The

Punjaub Itself.

 

Throughout This Campaign It Was By The Fortune Of War Determined That

Arthur's Regiment Should Serve,  And Among The Brave Men Who Rode In Its

Ranks No Heart Beat Higher Or Bosom Burned With Greater Military Ardor

At The Prospect Of Glory Now Opening Before Them,  Than That Of Arthur

Carlton,  For With Him Promotion Was The Oyster To Be Eagerly Sought For,

But Which Could Only Be Opened By The Sword,  And No Service,  However

Dangerous,  Must Be Shirked,  In Order To Attain This Desired End.

 

"Gentlemen,  It Affords Me Much Pleasure To Be Able To Announce To You

That I Have Just Received The Order For The Light Dragoons To Proceed

Forthwith And Join The Field Force Now Advancing Towards The River

Sutlej,  For The Purpose Of Reducing The Strong Fortress Of Mooltan,  And

Capturing Its Dewan,  The Notorious Moolraj,  Who For Some Time Past Has

Been Sowing The Seeds Of Disaffection Amongst His Subjects,  And Has