Vellenaux A Novel by Edmund William Edmund William (e book reader pc TXT) 📕

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.

"At The Commencement Of His First Campaign He Wrote To The Old Lady A

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,

Whose Warlike Natures Rendered Them A Most Formidable Foe For Everywhere

It Was Acknowledged That The Seik Soldiery As A Body Were Very

Effective,  And Their Cavalry The Finest Horsemen In The Country. These

Had Yet To Be Conquered And The Bloody Fields Of Mooltan And

Chillianwalla Had To Be Fought And Won,  And The Campaign On The Sutlej

Brought To A Successful Termination,  Ere The Troops About To Be Engaged

Could Return To Peaceful Quarters.

These Brave,  But Now Lawless People,  Rendered Desperate By The Internal

Commotion Of Petty Factions Under Different Leaders,  Each Seeking His

Own Personal Aggrandizement,  Endeavored To Throw The Onus Of The Coming

Struggle On The Shoulders Of The British Government,  Though It Was

Patent To All Nations,  European And Asiatic,  That It Had Been Brought

About By The Punjaubees Themselves.

The Bloody Fields Of Allewal And Sabranon,  Where They Had Been Severely

Beaten,  Was Not Sufficient To Deter These Dusky Warriors Or Prevent Them

From Again Trying Their Strength With The Paramount Power In India,

Formidable As They Knew It To Be From Past Experience,  But It Is

Doubtful Whether The Seik Soldiery Ever Seriously Thought,  Although They

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 At

Last Succeeded In Inducing The Seiks And Others To Take Up Arms And Act

Offensively Against Our Government. This,  Of Course,  Can Lead To But One

Result--Their Overthrow And Ultimate Defeat; But It Will Also Give Our

Regiment An Opportunity Of Gaining Fresh Laurels And Again Proving To

These Fellows How Dangerous It Is To Measure Weapons With British

Cavalry. We March The Day After To-Morrow."

Thus Spoke Colonel Leoline,  Commanding The Regiment In Which Young

Carlton Was Serving As A Cornet.

This News,  So Pleasing To The Ear Of The Soldiers,  Was Received With The

Utmost Enthusiasm By Every Officer Present. They Gave Three Cheers For

Their Gallant Leader,  And Another Rouser For The Service They Belonged

To,  Which Made The Walls Of Their Mess Room Ring Again,  So Delighted

Were They At The Prospect Of Leaving Their Quiet,  Humdrum Quarters For

The Dash And Excitement Of The Battle Field.

The Panorama Which Opened To The View On The Mornings Of The--Was

Glorious In The Extreme,  And One Well Calculated To Awaken Feelings Of

Emotion In The Most Obdurate Breast. The Dark Waters Of The Sutlej

Glittering In The Sun'S Rays As They Flowed Onward,  All Unconscious Of

The Bloody Strife About To Be Enacted On Its Banks: The Frowning

Fortress,  With Its Embattled Walls Bristling With Cannon And Swarming

With Men,  Whose Dusky Figures Beamed With Hate And Defiance; Around The

Outskirts Of The Town Were The Battalions Of Seik Soldiery,  Drawn Up

Under The Dewan Moolraj,  Watching With Savage Anxiety The Approach Of

The British Force,  Whose Regiments Of Cavalry That Headed The Advance

Opened Their Glittering Ranks To The Right And Left And Made Apparent

The Serried Battalions Of Infantry And The Frowning Batteries Of Cannon.

The Scene Was Grandly Magnificent. The Eye Included The Whole Field And

Glanced Approvingly From The Steady Order Of One Foe To The Even Array

Of The Other. All This Spoke Gladness Of Mind And Strength Of Heart; But

Beneath The Elate Looks Of The Advancing Warriors There Lurked That

Fierce Desire For The Death Of Their Fellow-Men Which Must Ever Impel

The Valiant Soldier.

With The General Details During The Progress Of The Siege Our Story Has

Little To Do,--Suffice It To Say That It Was A Bloody And Protracted

Affair. The Mooltanees Fought With Their Usual Desperate Valor,  But They

Had To Cope With Men Who Never Turned Their Backs Upon A Foe When The

Fiat Of Battle Had Gone Forth,  Who Scorned To Yield Even When Greatly

Outnumbered,  And Regarded Defeat,  If Not Actually A Crime,  An

Imperishable Disgrace; And So The Strife Waged Fast And Furious Up To

The Closing Hours Of The Conflict.

The Siege And Train Heavy Ordinance Of The Besieging Force Hurled Their

Ponderous Shot And Shell Against The Masonry And Buildings That Defended

The Town And Citadel,  Destroying,  Crushing,  And Burning With Terrible

Effect,  While The Field Artillery Poured Forth Continuous Discharges Of

Lighter Projectiles Of Every Description Then In Use,  Sweeping With

Dreadful Result Every Opposing Force That Appeared On The Walls Or Other

Parts Of The Fortification. Amid The Dire Confusion And Heavy Clouds Of

Smoke Caused By The Incessant Cannonading The Infantry Effected An

Entrance Among The Advanced Mounds And Trenches Of Petty Outworks,  And

Animated By Their Partial Success,  Formed Themselves Simultaneously Into

Wedges And Masses,  And Headed By Their Brave Leaders Rushed Forward In

Gallant Style. With A Shout They Leaped The Ditch And Up Swarming

Mounted The Ramparts And Stood Victorious Amid The Captured Cannon.

The Cavalry Were Effectually Employed Around And About The Outworks Of

The Town,  And Many A Dashing Charge And Smart Encounter Took Place

Wherever The Enemy'S Horse Made A Sortie Or Sally,  Which Was Of Frequent

Occurrence.

Wherever The Blows From The Tulwa'S Of The Seik Horse Rained Heaviest

There Was To Be Seen The Flashing Sabre Of Our Young Cornet,  Cutting And

Slashing With Right Good Will. The Early Training Of Old Bridoon Stood

Him In Good Stead,  And Although Scarcely Twenty-One He Had Strength And

Nerve Far Beyond His Age,  And On Several Occasions His Conspicuous

Bravery Drew Forth The Hearty Plaudits Of His Own Men And Others Who

Witnessed His Dashing Courage.

In One Of The Outworks Captured From The Enemy During The Early Part Of

They Siege Had Been Erected A Field Hospital For The Wounded,  Under

Charge Of Assistant Surgeon Dracott Of The Light Dragoons. Now It So

Happened That On The Day Of The Grand Attack A Party Of Seik Horse In

Attempting To Effect A Retreat From The Town Were Met By The Dragoons,

And After A Severe Contest Driven Back And Pursued As Far As It Was

Thought Advisable. A Number Of These Fellows Turned Down A Narrow

Passage In Hopes Of Escaping Into The Country At Another Point Less

Guarded,  And In So Doing Came Suddenly Upon The Hospital Alluded To,  In

Which There Was A Considerable Number Of Poor Fellows Who Had Been More

Or Less Hurt During The Attack. Filled With Rage And Discomfiture At The

Failure Of Their First Attempt,  And Seeing The Place Was Guarded Only By

A Small Party Of Sepoys,  For Whom They Had A Supreme Contempt--For The

Independent Yeomanry Warriors Of Afghanistan And The Punjaub Held In

Light Estimation The Hired Native Soldiery Of Southern India. There Were

Numerous Instances On Record During The Afghan And Seik Wars Where The

Men Of The North Were Seen,  Sword In Hand,  To Attack The Company'S

Sepoys,  Beat Down Or Turn Aside Their Bayonets,  And With The Other Hand

Drag Them From The Ranks By Their Cross Belts And Slay Them. Even When

Run Through The Body They Have Been Known To Seize A Firm Grip Of The

Musket Until They Had Dealt A Fatal Blow To Their Antagonist And Both

Fall Together Mortally Wounded,  So Hostile And Revengeful Were They One

To Another When Engaged In conflict,  Creed Against Creed,  For The Sepoys

Of The South Were,  As A Rule,  Hindoos,  While The Seiks And Afghans Were

Mahomedans--They Conceived The Brutal Design Of Destroying The Hospital

And Ruthlessly Putting To Death All They Could Lay Their Hands On,  In

Revenge For The Morning'S Defeat,  Then Escape To The Plains Beyond The

Town. After A Few Moments' Consultation They Commenced The Onslaught;

The Sepoy Guard Made But A Feeble Resistance To These Powerful Horsemen,

They Threw Down Their Arms And Fled In Haste Leaving The Poor Invalids

To Their Mercy.

Draycott The Moment