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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e3497ac --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #69500 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69500) diff --git a/old/69500-0.txt b/old/69500-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 799acdd..0000000 --- a/old/69500-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7358 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Queen's cadet and other tales, by -James Grant - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Queen's cadet and other tales - -Author: James Grant - -Release Date: December 7, 2022 [eBook #69500] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Al Haines - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE QUEEN'S CADET AND OTHER -TALES *** - - - - - - - - THE QUEEN'S CADET - - And other Tales - - - BY JAMES GRANT - - AUTHOR OF - "THE ROMANCE OF WAR," "FIRST LOVE AND LAST LOVE," - "THE WHITE COCKADE," ETC., ETC. - - - - LONDON - GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS - THE BROADWAY, LUDGATE - NEW YORK: 416 BROOME STREET - 1874 - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -THE QUEEN'S CADET - -THE SPECTRE HAND - -THE BOMBARDIER'S STORY - -KOTAH: A TALE OF THE INDIAN MUTINY - -THE STORY OF RAPHAEL VELDA - -LA BELLE TURQUE: THE STORY OF THE PRINCESS CECILE - -THE MARQUIS DE FRATTEAUX, CAPTAIN OF FRENCH HORSE - -SOCIVISCA: THE STORY OF A GREEK OUTLAW - -PAQUETTE: AN EPISODE OF THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR - -APPARITIONS AND WONDERS: - - LEAVES FROM OLD LONDON LIFE; 1664-1705 - - THE WILD BEAST OF GÉVAUDAN - - "THERE WERE GIANTS IN THOSE DAYS" - - BURIED HEARTS - - PHANTASMAGORIA - - A STRING OF GHOST STORIES - - - - -THE QUEEN'S CADET. - -"I have been forced to believe in the existence and influence of an -unseen world, of something which is described in that line of -Dryden's, - - "'With silent steps I follow you all day.' - - -"I have felt the influence of the spiritual and invisible on the -senses, though I know nothing of the complications, the deceptions -and alleged perils, forming a portion of that which is now termed -spiritualism; and which affirms that the unseen world cannot become -manifest, save in obedience to certain occult laws which regulate the -phenomena of nature." - -What rigmarole was this? - -Could the speaker--this man with the melancholy tone and saddened -eye--actually be the same handsome Jack Arkley, my old college chum -at Sandhurst, who was always rather sceptical even in religious -matters, who was one of the merriest fellows there, who had been once -nearly rusticated for breaking the lamps and dismounting the guns to -spite the adjutant, but who, as a Queen's cadet, had more marks of -excellence than any of us; who was afterwards the beau-ideal of a -fine young English officer--a prime bat and bowler, who pulled a good -stroke oar, had such a firm seat in his saddle, and who was the best -hand for organizing a picnic, a ball, or a scratch company, for -amateur theatricals; and who in the late expedition against the -Looshais, had won the reputation of being a regular fire-eater--a -fellow who would face the devil in his shirt sleeves! - -Could the champagne of "the Rag" have affected him, thought I, as he -continued earnestly and sadly, and while manipulating a cigar -selected from the silver stand on the table: - -"I have somewhere read that very few persons in this world have been -unfortunate enough to have seen those things that are invisible to -others." - -"By Jove! Do you mean a--ghost?" - -"Not exactly the vulgar ghost of the nursery," said he, his pale face -colouring slightly. - -"But we have all met with those who knew some one else who had seen -something weird, unearthly, unexplainable." - -"Precisely; but I shall speak from personal experience--so now for a -little narrative of my own." - -We had dined that evening at the club, where D---- of the Greys had -given a few fellows a dinner, in honour of being gazetted to his -troop, and to "wet" the new commission; and though it seemed to me -that, like the rest of us, Jack Arkley had done justice to all the -good things set before him, from the soup to the coffee and curaçao, -he had been, during dinner, remarkably _triste_ or abstracted, and -took but little interest in the subjects discussed by the guests, who -were mostly all upon short leave from Aldershot, and, the Spring -drills being over, were thankful to exchange the white dust of the -Long Valley, for the Row or Regent Street. - -We were alone now, and lingering over some iced brandy-pawnee (as we -called it in India) in the cool bay-window of his room in Piccadilly, -where it overlooked the pleasant Green Park and where the clock of -Westminster was shining above the trees, like a red harvest moon. So -I prepared to listen to him with more curiosity than belief, while he -related the following singular story, which he would never have -ventured to relate to the circle of heedless fellows whom we had just -left. - -"My parents died when I was little more than an infant, leaving me to -the care of two uncles, a maternal one, named Beverley, a man of -considerable wealth, who in consequence of a quarrel with my father, -whose marriage with his sister he resented, totally ignored my -existence, and was ever a kind of myth to me; the other a paternal -one, a bachelor curate in North Wales, poor old Morgan Apreece -Arkley, than whom there was no better or more kind-hearted man in all -the principality. - -"His means were most limited; but to share the little he possessed he -made me freely and tenderly welcome, all the more so that to two -appeals he had made to the generosity of my Uncle Beverley, no -response was ever returned--a cutting coldness and rudeness, bitterly -resented by my hot-tempered but warm-hearted old Welsh kinsman. - -"A career was necessarily chosen for me. - -"The death of my father on duty at Benares, enabled me to be borne on -the strength of the Military College at Sandhurst as one of the -twenty Queen's cadets; and to that seminary I repaired, a few months -after you did, when in my sixteenth year, leaving with sincere sorrow -the lonely white-haired man who had been as a parent to me, and whose -secluded parsonage by the margin of Llyn Ogwen, and under the shadow -of Carneydd Davydd, had been the only home I could remember. There -for years he had been my earnest and anxious tutor, mingling with the -classics a store of quaint old Welsh legends and ancient songs, for -he was an excellent and enthusiastic harper, and had come of a long -line of harpers. - -"Prior to this change in my life, I encountered an adventure which -has had considerable influence in my after career. - -"From childhood I had been familiar with the mountains that overhang -Llyn Ogwen. I knew every track and rock and fissure of Carneydd -Davydd, of 'the Black Ladders' of Carneydd Llewellyn, and the brows -of the greater giant of the three, cloud-capped Snowdon. For miles -upon miles among them I had been wont to wander with my gun, and at -times to aid the shepherds in tracking out lost sheep or goats, by -places where we looked down upon the gray mist and vapour that -floated below us, and where the mountain peaks seemed to start out of -it like isles amid a sea. In the heart of such solitudes as these I -found food for much reflective thought, and was wont to give full -swing to my boyish fancies. - -"Under every variety of season and weather I was wont to wander among -these mountains; sometimes when their sides seemed to vibrate under -the hot rays of a cloudless summer sun; at others when the glistening -snow lay deep in the passes and valleys, or when height and hollow -were alike shrouded in thick and impenetrable mist; but my favourite -spot was ever Llyn Idwal, the wildest and most savage of all our -Welsh lakes. It fills the crater of an ancient volcano, and is the -traditional scene of the murder of Idwal, a prince of Wales, who was -flung over its precipice--a place which for gloomy grandeur has no -equal, as the bare rocks that start out of it, sheer as a wall, -darken by their shadows its depth to the most intense blackness; and -the peasants aver that no fish can swim in it, and no bird fly over -it and live. - -"Lying upon the mountain tops, amid the purple heather or the scented -thyme-grass, I was wont to watch the distant waters of the Channel, -stretching far away beyond the Puffin Isle and Great Orme's Head, -ever changing in hue as the masses of cloud skimmed over them; and -from thence I followed, with eager eyes, the white sails of the -ships, or the long smoky pennants of the steamers that were bound -for--ah! where were they bound for?--and so, far from the solitary -parsonage of the good old man who loved me so well, I was ungrateful -enough to follow to distant isles and shores these vanishing specks, -in the spirit. - -"I see that you are impatient to know what all this preamble has to -do with Sandhurst and the melancholy which now oppresses me; but -nevertheless, I am fast coming to the matter--to 'that keystone of -the soul which must exist in every nature.' - -"One day I was up a wild part of the mountains, far above Llyn Ogwen, -a long and narrow sheet of water which occupies the whole pass -between Braich-ddu and the shoulder of Carneydd Davydd. My sole -companion was my dog Cidwm--in English, 'Wolf'--which lay beside me -on the sunny grass, when from one of my day-dreams I was suddenly -roused by voices, and found three persons close beside me. - -"Mounted on sturdy Welsh ponies, two of these were a gentleman in the -prime of life, and a very young lady, apparently his daughter, -attended by David Lloyd, one of the guides for the district, who knew -me well. He led the bridle of the girl's pony with one hand, and -grasped his alpenstock with the other. This group paused near me, -and some conversation ensued. Lloyd had evidently mistaken the path, -and was loath to admit the fact, or to suggest that they should -retrace their steps, and yet he knew enough of the mountains to be -well aware that to advance would be to court danger. During the -colloquy that ensued between him and his employer, a haughty and -imperious-looking man, I was earnestly gazing in the half-averted -face of the girl, who was watching an eagle in full flight. - -"She was marvellously beautiful. Her features--save in profile--were -perhaps far from correct, yet there was a divine delicacy, a charming -purity of complexion, and brightness of expression over them all; and -her minute face seemed to nestle amid the masses of her fair rippling -hair. She turned towards me, and her eyes met mine. They were dark -violet blue, and shaded by brown lashes, so long that they imparted -much of softness to their dove-like expression, and she smiled, for -no doubt the little maid saw that there was something of unequivocal -admiration to be read in my ardent gaze; and so absorbed was I, that, -for a few seconds, I was not aware that the guide was addressing me, -and inquiring how far the path was traversable in this particular -direction. Ere I could reply, - -"'How should this mere lad know, if you don't?' asked the male -tourist, haughtily and sharply. - -"'Few here can know better, sir,' replied Lloyd. 'I have seen him -climb where the eagles alone can go.' - -"'Shall we proceed, then?' he asked me, sharply. - -"'I think not, sir,' said I; 'Moel Hebog was covered with mist this -morning, and----' - -"'But Moel Hebog is clear enough now,' said David Lloyd, with -irritation--the mountain so named being deemed an unerring barometer, -as regards the chances of mist upon its greater brethren--'so I think -we may proceed,' he added, touching his hat to his employer. 'I -don't require, sir, to be taught my trade by a mere lad, a gentleman -tho you be, Master Arkley.' - -"'_Arkley!_' repeated the stranger, starting and eyeing me keenly, -and yet with a lowering expression of face. - -"I warned them of the danger of farther progression, but the -avaricious guide derided me; and I heard his employer, as they passed -on, asking him some questions, amid which--but it might be fancy--I -thought my own name occurred. I gazed after them with interest, and -with much of anxiety, for their path was perilous, and the sweet soft -beauty of the girl had impressed me deeply; and, as she disappeared, -with all her wealth of golden hair, the brightness seemed to have -departed from the mountain side. - -"What was the magic this creature, whom I had only seen for a few -minutes, possessed for me? She was scarcely a woman, yet past -childhood; and her features remained as distinctly impressed upon my -memory as if they were before me still. Do not infer from this -strange interest that 'love at first sight,' as the novels used to -have it, was an ingredient of this emotion. No; it was something -deeper--a subtle magnetism--something that I know not how to define -or to express; and with a repining sigh, I thought of my lonely life, -and longed to go forth on the career that awaited me beyond those -green mountains that were bounded by the sea. - -"Had I ever seen that fair little face before, or dreamed of it by -night or by day, that already it seemed to haunt me so? - -"The little group had not disappeared above five minutes, when a -sound like a cry was borne past me on the mountain breeze. I started -up, my heart beating wildly; and with undefined apprehension, -hastened in the direction of the sound, while Wolf careered in front -of me. There now came the sound of hoofs, and with bridle trailing, -saddle reversed, and nostrils distended, the pony on which I had so -recently seen the young girl, came tearing over the crest of the -hill, and galloped madly past me towards Llyn Idwal. - -"Quicker beat my heart, and my breath came thick and fast. Something -dreadful had taken place! True to his instincts as ever was the -faithful Gelert of the Welsh tradition, Wolf sped in haste to the -edge of what I knew to be a frightful ravine. There the hoof marks -were fresh in the turf, the edge of which was broken; the grass too, -was crushed and torn, as if something had fallen over it. The dog -now paused, lifted up his nose, and howled ominously. I peered over; -and far down below, on a ledge of green turf, but perilously -overhanging a chasm in the mountain side, lay that which appeared at -first to be a mere bundle of clothes, but which I knew to be the -little maiden dead-- doubtlessly dead--and a wail of sorrow escaped -me. - -"Her father and the guide had disappeared. - -"Partly sliding, partly descending as if by a natural ladder, finding -footing and grasp where many might have found neither, mechanically, -and as one in a dream, I reached her in about ten minutes; and, as I -had a naturally boyish dread of facing death, with joy I saw her -move, and then took her in my arms tenderly and caressingly; while -she opened her eyes and sighed deeply, for the fall had stunned and -shaken her severely. Otherwise she was, happily, uninjured; but I -had reached her just in time, for, if left to herself, she must have -tottered and fallen into the terrible profundity below. - -"'Papa! oh, where is my papa? I was thrown suddenly from my pony--a -bird scared it--and remember no more;' then a passion of tears and -terror came over her, with the consciousness of the peril she had -escaped and that which still menaced her, for to ascend was quite -impracticable, and to descend seemed nearly equally so. Above us the -mountain side seemed to rise like a wall of rock; on the other hand, -at the bottom of the ravine, where the shadows of evening were dark -and blue, though sunset still tipped Snowdon's peaks with fire, and -clouds of crimson and gold were floating above us, I could see a -rivulet, a tributary of the Ogwen, glittering like a silver thread -far down, perhaps a thousand feet below. - -"'Courage,' said I, while for a time my heart died within me; 'I -shall soon conduct you to a place of safety.' - -"'But papa, he will die of fright. Where is my papa?' she exclaimed, -piteously. - -"'Gone round some other way,' I suggested. And subsequently this -proved to be the case. Placing an arm round her for aid, we now -began to descend, but slowly, the face of the hill, which was there -so steep and shelved so abruptly, that to lose one step might have -precipitated us to the bottom with a speed that would have insured -destruction. From rock to rock, from bush to bush, and from cleft to -cleft, I guided and often lifted her, sometimes with her eyes closed; -and gazed the while with boyish rapture on the beautiful girl, as her -head drooped upon my shoulder. She had lost her hat, and the unbound -masses of her golden hair, blown by the wind, came in silken ripples -across my face; and delight, mingled with alarm, bewildered me. - -"Till that hour no sorrow could have affected a spirit so pure as -hers; and certainly love could not have agitated it--she was so -young. But when we drew nearer the base of the hill, and reached a -place of perfect safety, the soft colour came back to her face, and -the enchantment of her smile was as indescribable as the clear violet -blue of her eye, which filled with wonder and terror as she gazed -upward to the giddy verge from which she had partly fallen; and then -a little shudder came over her. - -"With a boy's ready ardour, I was already beginning to dream of being -beloved by her, when excited voices came on the wind; and round an -angle of the ravine into which we had descended came Lloyd, the -guide, several peasants, and her father, who had partially witnessed -our progress, and whose joy in finding her alive and well, when he -might have found her dashed perhaps out of the very semblance of -humanity, was too great for words. The poor man wept like a very -woman, as he embraced her again and again, and muttered in broken -accents his gratitude to me, and praise of my courage. Suddenly he -exclaimed to the guide, - -"'You said his name was--Arkley, I think?' - -"'Yes, sir,' replied Lloyd. - -"'John Beverley Arkley, nephew of the curate at the foot of the -mountain yonder?' he added, turning to me. - -"'The same, sir.' - -"'Good heavens! I am your Uncle Beverley!' said he, colouring -deeply, and taking my hand again in his. 'The girl you have saved is -your own cousin--my darling Eve. I owe you some reparation for past -neglect, so come with me to the parsonage at once.' - -"Here was a discovery that quite took away my breath. So this -dazzling little Hebe was my cousin! How fondly I cherished and -thought over this mysterious tie of blood--near almost as a sister, -and yet no sister. It was very sweet to ponder over and to nurse the -thoughts of affection, and all that yet might be. - -"What a happy, happy night was that in the ancient parsonage! The -good old curate forgave Uncle Beverley all the short-comings in the -years that were past, and seemed never to weary of caressing the -wonderful hair and the tiny hands of Evelyn Beverley, for such was -her name, though familiarly known as Eve. - -"'It is quite a romance, this,' said kind Uncle Arkley to his -brother-in-law; 'the young folks will be falling in love!' - -"Eve grew quite pale, and cast down her eyes; while I blushed -furiously. - -"'Stuff!' said Uncle Beverley, somewhat sharply. 'She has barely cut -her primers and pinafores, and Jack has Sandhurst before him yet.' - -"He presented me with his gold repeater, and departed by the first -convenient train, taking my newly-discovered relation with him. I -had a warm invitation to visit them for a few weeks before entering -at Sandhurst; and, to add to my joy and impatience, I found that -Beverley Lodge was in Berkshire, and within a mile of the College: -and so, but for the presence of the golden gift, and the memory of a -kind and grateful kiss from a beautiful lip--a kiss that made every -nerve thrill--I might have imagined that the whole adventure on the -slopes of Carneydd Davydd was but a dream. - -"Naturally avaricious, cold, and hard in heart, Mr. Beverley had -warmed to me for a time, but a time only; yet I revered and almost -loved him. He was the only brother of my dead mother, whom I had -never known. _She_--this golden-haired girl--was of her blood, and -had her name; so my whole soul clung to her with an amount of -youthful ardour, such as I cannot portray to you--for I was always -much of an enthusiast--and I was again alone, to indulge in the old -tenor of my ways amid the voiceless mountain solitudes. - -"Again and again in my lonely wanderings had my mind been full of -vague longings and boyish aspirations after glory, pleasure, and -love: and now the memory of Eve's minute and perfect face--so pure -and English in its beauty--by its reality filled up all that had been -a blank before; and I was ever in fancied communion with her, while -lying on the hill-slopes and looking to the sea that sparkled at the -far horizon, into the black ravines through which the mountain brooks -went foaming to the rocky shore, or where our deep Welsh _llyns_ were -gleaming in the sunshine like gold and turquoise blue--amid the -monotony of the silent woods; and so the time passed on, and the day -came when I was to start for Beverley Lodge, and thence to Sandhurst; -while love and ambition rendered me selfishly oblivious of poor old -Uncle Morgan, and the fervent wishes and blessings with which he -followed my departing steps. - -"A month's visit to Beverley Lodge, amid the fertility of Berkshire, -many a ride and ramble in the Vale of the White Horse, many an hour -spent by us together in the shady woods, the luxurious garden, in the -beautiful conservatory, and in the deep leafy lanes where we wandered -at will, confirmed the love my cousin and I bore each other. A boy -and a girl, it came easily about; while many were our regrets and -much was our marvelling that we had not known each other earlier. - -"No two men make a declaration of love, perhaps, in precisely the -same way, though it all comes to the same thing in the end; but it -might be interesting to know in what precise terms, and having so -little choice, Father Adam declared his passion for Mother Eve, and -in what fashion she responded. - -"I know not now how my love for _my_ little Eve was expressed; but -told it was, and I departed for college the happiest student there, -every hour I could spare from study and drill being spent in or about -Beverley Lodge. - -"With an income of forty pounds per annum till gazetted, I almost -thought myself rich; and I had three years before me--it seemed an -eternity of joy--to look forward to. At Sandhurst I was, as you -know, entered as a Queen's cadet _free_, and a candidate for the -infantry. I had thus to master algebra, the three first books of -Euclid, French, German, and 'Higher Fortification;' but in the pages -of Straith, amid the ravelins of Vauban and the casemates of Coehorn, -I seemed to see only the name and the tender eyes of Eve. The daily -drills, in which I was at first an enthusiast, became dull and -prosaic, and hourly I made terrible mistakes, for Eve's voice was -ever in my ear, and her delicate beauty haunted me; for wondrously -delicate it became, as consumption--which she fatally inherited from -her mother--shed over it a medium that was alike soft and alluring. - -"Since then I have met girls of all kinds everywhere. Though only a -sub, I have been dressed for, played for, sung for; but never have I -had the delight of those remembered days that were passed with Eve -Beverley in our dream of cousinly love; however, a rude waking was at -hand! - -"When she was eighteen, and I a year older, she told me one day that -her father had been insisting upon her marrying an old friend of his, -a retired Sudder judge, who had proposed in form; but she had laughed -at the idea. - -"'Absurd! It is so funny of papa to have a husband ready cut and dry -for me; is it not, Jack?' said she. - -"I did not think so; but my heart beat painfully as I leaned -caressingly over her, and played with her beautiful hair. - -"'I don't thank him for selecting a husband for me, Jack, dear,' she -continued, pouting; 'do you?'" - -"'Certainly not, Eve.' - -"'But I must prepare my mind for the awful event,' said she, looking -up at me with a bright, waggish smile. - -"The time was fast approaching, however, when neither of us could see -anything 'funny' in the prospect; for 'the awful event' became -alarmingly palpable, when one day she met me with tears, and threw -herself on my breast, saying: - -"'Save me, dearest Jack--save me!' - -"'From whom?" - -"'Papa and his odious old Sudder judge, Jack, love. You know that I -must marry you, and you only!' - -"'The devil he does!' said a voice, sharply; and there, grim as Ajax, -stood Uncle Beverley, with hands clenched and brows knit. 'My sister -married his father, a beggar, with only his pay; and now, minx, you -dare to love their son, by heavens, with no pay at all! Leave this -house, sir--begone instantly!' he added, furiously, to me. 'I would -rather that she had broken her neck on the mountains than treated me -to a scene like this.' - -"The gates of Beverley Lodge closed behind me, and our dream was over. - -"Half my life seemed to have left me. After three years of such -delightful intercourse I could not adopt the conviction that I should -never see her again; and in a very unenviable state of mind I entered -the college, where you may remember meeting me under the Doric -portico, and saying: - -"'What's up, Jack? But let me congratulate you.' - -"'On what?' I asked sulkily. - -"'Your appointment to the Buffs. The _Gazette_ has just come from -town. They are stationed at Jubbulpore.' - -"And so it proved that the very day I lost her saw me in the service, -with India, and a far and final separation before us. Necessity -compelled us to prepare for an almost instant departure; short leave -was given me by the adjutant-general; and I had to join the Candahar -transport going with drafts from Chatham for the East, on a certain -day. - -"Rumours reached me of Eve being seriously ill. She was secluded -from me, and there was every chance that I should see her no more. A -letter came from her imploring me to meet her for the last time at a -spot known to us both--a green lane that led to a churchyard -stile--the scene of many a tender tryst and blissful hour, as it was -a place where overhanging trees, with the golden apple, the purple -damson, and the plum, formed a very bower, and where few or none ever -came, save on Sunday; and there we met for the last time! - -"There once again her head lay on my shoulder, my circling arm was -round her, and her hot, tremulous hand was clasped in mine. I was -shocked by the change I perceived in her. Painful was her pallor to -look upon; there were circles dark as her lashes under her sad, -melancholy eyes; her nostrils and lips were unnaturally pink; she had -a short, dry cough; and blood appeared more than once upon her -handkerchief. - -"Consumption on one hand, and parental tyranny on the other, were -fast doing their fatal work. - -"Her father was pitiless and inexorable--wonderfully, infamously so, -as he was so rich that mere money was no object, and as she was his -only child, and one so tender, and so fragile. His studied system of -deliberate 'worry' had wrung a consent from her; she was to marry the -old judge; and in more ways than one I felt that too surely I was -losing her for ever. She could not go out with me. I felt -desperate, and in silence folded her again and again to my breast. -At last the ting-tong of the old church clock announced the hour when -we must part, never to meet again, and the fatal sound struck us like -a shock of electricity. - -"'Jack, my dearest--my dearest,' she whispered wildly; 'I don't think -I shall live very long now. I may--nay, I must, die very soon; but -the spirit is imperishable, and I shall always be with you, wherever -you may be, wherever you may go, hovering near you, I hope, _like a -guardian angel_!' - -"Her words struck me as strange and wild; I did not attach much -importance to them then, but they have had a strange and terrible -significance since. - -"'Would you welcome me?' she asked, with a mournful smile. - -"'Dead or living shall I welcome you!' I replied, with mournful -ardour. - -"'Then kiss me once again, dear Jack; and now we part--in this world, -at least!' - -"Another wild, passionate embrace, and all was over. In a minute -later I was galloping far from the villa to reach the railway. I saw -her beloved face no more; but voice and face, eye and kiss, were all -with me still. Would a time ever come when I might forgot them? - -"Adverse winds detained us long in the Channel, but we cleared it at -last; and the last _Times_ that came on board announced the marriage -of this unhappy girl. - -"Six months subsequent found me in cantonments at Neemuch, with a -small detachment of ours, and in hourly expectation of the mutiny -which had broken out at Meerut and Delhi, with such horrors, being -imitated there, though we had sworn the sepoys to be 'true to their -salt,' the Mahometans on the Koran, the Hindoos on the waters of the -Ganges, and the other darkies on whatever was most sacred to them; -and if they revolted, all Europeans were to seek instant shelter in -the fort. - -"It was the night of _the 3rd June_--one of the loveliest I ever saw -in India--the moonlight was radiant as midday, and not a cloud was -visible throughout the blue expanse of heaven. I was lying in my -bungalow, with sword and revolver beside me, as we could not count -upon the events of an hour, for all Hindostan seemed to be going to -chaos in blood and outrage. - -"The cantonment ghurries had clanged midnight; my eyes were closing -heavily; and when just about to sleep I thought that my name was -uttered by some one near me, very softly, very tenderly, and with an -accent that thrilled my heart's core. Starting, I looked up, and -there--oh, my God!--there, in the slanting light of the moon, like a -glorified spirit, with a brightness all about her, was the figure of -Eve Beverley bending over me, with all her golden hair unbound, and a -garment like a shroud or robe about her. - -"Entranced, enchained by love as much as by mortal terror, I could -not move or speak, while nearer she bent to kiss my brow; but I felt -not the pressure of her lips, though reading in her starry, violet -eyes a divine intensity of expression--a mournful, unspeakable -tenderness, when, pointing in the direction of _the fort_, she -disappeared. - -"'It is a dread--a dreadful dream!' said I, starting to my feet -preternaturally awake, to hear the sound of artillery, the rattle of -musketry, the yells of 'Deen! deen!' and the shrieks of those who -were perishing; for the mutineers had risen, and the 1st Cavalry, the -72nd N. I., and Walker's artillery, had commenced the work of -massacre. I rushed forth, and at the moment I left my bungalow on -one side it was set in flames and fired through from the other. I -fled to the fort, which, thanks to my dream--for such I supposed it -to be--I reached in safety, while many perished, for all the station -was sheeted now with flame. - -"Once again I had that dream, so wild and strange, when a deadly -peril threatened me. I was hiding in the jungle, alone and in great -misery, near Jehaz-ghur, a fugitive. The time was noon, and I had -dropped asleep under the deep, cool shadow of a thicket, when that -weird vision of Eve came before me, soft and sad, tender and intense, -with her loving eyes and flowing hair, as, with hands outstretched, -she beckoned me to follow her. A cry escaped me, and I awoke. - -"'Was my Eve indeed dead?' I asked of myself; 'and was it her -intellectual spirit, her pure essence, that imperishable something -engendered in us all from a higher source, that followed me as a -guardian angel?' I remembered her parting words. The idea suggested -was sadly sweet and terrible; and so, as a sense of her perpetual -presence as a _spirit-wife_ hovered at all times about me, -controlling all my actions, rendered me unfit for society, till at -Calcutta, a crisis was put to all this. - -"With some of the 72nd, and other Europeans who had escaped from -Neemuch, or had 'distinguished themselves,' as the 'Hurkaru' had it, -I once went to be photographed at the famous studio near the corner -of the Strand. I sat, in succession, alone and in a group, after -being posed in the usual fashion, with an iron hoop at the nape of my -neck. On examining the first negative, an expression of perplexity -and astonishment came over the face of the artist. - -"'Strange, sir,' said he; 'most unaccountable!' - -"'What is strange; what is unaccountable?' asked several. - -"'Another figure that is _not_ in the room appears at Captain -Arkley's back--a woman, by Jove!' he replied, placing the glass over -a piece of black velvet; and there--there--oh, there could be no -doubt of it--was faintly indicated the outline of one whose face and -form had been but too vividly impressed on my heart and brain, -bending sorrowfully over me, with her soft, bright eyes and wealth of -long bright hair. - -"From my hand the glass fell on the floor, and was shivered to atoms. -A similar figure hovering near me, was visible among the pictured -group of officers, but faded out. I refused to sit again, and -quitted the studio in utter confusion, and with nerves dreadfully -shaken, though my comrades averred that a trick had been played upon -me. If so, how was the figure that of my dream--that of my lost -love--who, a letter soon after informed me, had burst a blood-vessel, -and expired on _the night of the 3rd June_, with my name on her lips?" - - -Such was the story of Jack Arkley. Whether it was false or true, in -this age of spiritualism and many other _isms_ of mediums with the -world unseen, and in which Enemoser has ventilated his theory of -polarity, I pretend not to say, and leave others to determine. He -became a moody monomaniac. I rejoined my regiment, and from that -time never saw my old chum again. The last that I heard of him was, -that he had quitted the service, and died a Passionist Father, in one -of the many new monastic institutions that exist in the great -metropolis. - - - - -THE SPECTRE HAND. - -Do the dead ever revisit this earth? - -On this subject even the ponderous and unsentimental Dr. Johnson was -of opinion that to maintain they did not was to oppose the concurrent -and unvarying testimony of all ages and nations, as there was no -people so barbarous, and none so civilized, but among whom -apparitions of the dead were related and believed in. "That which is -doubted by single cavillers," he adds, "can very little weaken the -general evidence, and some who deny it with their tongues confess it -by their _fears_." - -In the August of last year I found myself with three friends, when on -a northern tour, at the Hôtel de Scandinavie, in the long and -handsome Carl Johan Gade of Christiania. A single day, or little -more, had sufficed us to "do" all the lions of the little Norwegian -capital--the royal palace, a stately white building, guarded by -slouching Norski riflemen in long coats, with wide-awakes and green -plumes; the great brick edifice wherein the Storthing is held, and -where the red lion appears on everything, from the king's throne to -the hall-porter's coal-scuttle; the castle of Aggerhuis and its petty -armoury, with a single suit of mail, and the long muskets of the -Scots who fell at Rhomsdhal; after which there is nothing more to be -seen; and when the little Tivoli gardens close at ten, all -Christiania goes to sleep till dawn next morning. - -English carriages being perfectly useless in Norway, we had ordered -four of the native carrioles for our departure, as we were resolved -to start for the wild mountainous district named the Dovrefeld, when -a delay in the arrival of certain letters compelled me to remain two -days behind my companions, who promised to await me at Rodnaes, near -the head of the magnificent Ransfiord; and this partial separation, -with the subsequent circumstance of having to travel alone through -districts that were totally strange to me, with but a very slight -knowledge of the language, were the means of bringing to my knowledge -the story I am about to relate. - -The table d'hôte is over by two o'clock in the fashionable hotels of -Christiania, so about four in the afternoon I quitted the city, the -streets and architecture of which resemble portions of Tottenham -Court Road, with stray bits of old Chester. In my carriole, a -comfortable kind of gig, were my portmanteau and gun-case; these, -with my whole person, and indeed the body of the vehicle itself, -being covered by one of those huge tarpaulin cloaks furnished by the -carriole company in the Store Standgade. - -Though the rain was beginning to fall with a force and density -peculiarly Norse when I left behind me the red-tiled city with all -its green coppered spires, I could not but be struck by the bold -beauty of the scenery, as the strong little horse at a rasping pace -tore the light carriole along the rough mountain road, which was -bordered by natural forests of dark and solemn-looking pines, -interspersed with graceful silver birches, the greenness of the -foliage contrasting powerfully with the blue of the narrow fiords -that opened on every hand, and with the colours in which the toy-like -country houses were painted, their timber walls being always snowy -white, and their shingle roofs a flaming red. Even some of the -village spires wore the same sanguinary hue, presenting thus a -singular feature in the landscape. - -The rain increased to an unpleasant degree; the afternoon seemed to -darken into evening, and the evening into night sooner than usual, -while dense masses of vapour came rolling down the steep sides of the -wooded hills, over which the sombre firs spread everywhere and up -every vista that opened, like a sea of cones; and as the houses -became fewer and farther apart, and not a single wanderer was abroad, -and I had but the pocket-map of my "John Murray" to guide me, I soon -became convinced that instead of pursuing the route to Rodnaes I was -somewhere on the banks of the Tyri-fiord, at least three Norwegian -miles (_i.e._ twenty-one English) in the opposite direction, my -little horse worn out, the rain still falling in a continual torrent, -night already at hand, and mountain scenery of the most tremendous -character everywhere around me. I was in an almost circular valley -(encompassed by a chain of hills), which opened before me, after -leaving a deep chasm that the road enters, near a place which I -afterwards learned bears the name of Krogkleven. - -Owing to the steepness of the road, and some decay in the harness of -my hired carriole, the traces parted, and then I found myself, with -the now useless horse and vehicle, far from any house, homestead, or -village where I could have the damage repaired or procure shelter, -the rain still pouring like a sheet of water, the thick, shaggy, and -impenetrable woods of Norwegian pine towering all about me, their -shadows rendered all the darker by the unusual gloom of the night. - -To remain quietly in the carriole was unsuitable to a temperament so -impatient as mine; I drew it aside from the road, spread the -tarpaulin over my small stock of baggage and the gun-case, haltered -the pony to it, and set forth on foot, stiff, sore, and weary, in -search of succour; and, though armed only with a Norwegian tolknife, -having no fear of thieves or of molestation. - -Following the road on foot in the face of the blinding rain, a Scotch -plaid and oilskin my sole protection now, I perceived ere long a side -gate and little avenue, which indicated my vicinity to some place of -abode. After proceeding about three hundred yards or so, the wood -became more open, a light appeared before me, and I found it to -proceed from a window on the ground floor of a little two-storeyed -mansion, built entirely of wood. The sash, which was divided in the -middle, was unbolted, and stood partially and most invitingly open; -and knowing how hospitable the Norwegians are, without troubling -myself to look for the entrance door, I stepped over the low sill -into the room (which was tenantless), and looked about for a -bell-pull, forgetting that in that country, where there are no -mantelpieces, it is generally to be found behind the door. - -The floor was, of course, bare, and painted brown; a high German -stove, like a black iron pillar, stood in one corner on a stone -block; the door, which evidently communicated with some other -apartment, was constructed to open in the middle, with one of the -quaint lever handles peculiar to the country. The furniture was all -of plain Norwegian pine, highly varnished; a reindeer skin spread on -the floor, and another over an easy-chair, were the only luxuries; -and on the table lay the _Illustret Tidende_, the _Aftonblat_, and -other papers of that morning, with a meerschaum and pouch of tobacco, -all serving to show that some one had recently quitted the room. - -I had just taken in all these details by a glance, when there entered -a tall thin man of gentlemanly appearance, clad in a rough tweed -suit, with a scarlet shirt, open at the throat, a simple but _dégagé_ -style of costume, which he seemed to wear with a natural grace, for -it is not every man who can dress thus and still retain an air of -distinction. Pausing, he looked at me with some surprise and -inquiringly, as I began my apologies and explanation in German. - -"Taler de Dansk-Norsk," said he, curtly. - -"I cannot speak either with fluency, but----" - -"You are welcome, however, and I shall assist you in the prosecution -of your journey. Meantime, here is cognac. I am an old soldier, and -know the comforts of a full canteen, and of the Indian weed too, in a -wet bivouac. There is a pipe at your service." - -I thanked him, and (while he gave directions to his servants to go -after the carriole and horse) proceeded to observe him more closely, -for something in his voice and eye interested me deeply. - -There was much of broken-hearted melancholy--something that indicated -a hidden sorrow--in his features, which were handsome, and very -slightly aquiline. His face was pale and care-worn; his hair and -moustache, though plentiful, were perfectly white-blanched, yet he -did not seem over forty years of age. His eyes were blue, but -without softness, being strangely keen and sad in expression, and -times there were when a startled look, that savoured of fright, or -pain, or insanity, or of all mingled, came suddenly into them. This -unpleasant expression tended greatly to neutralize the symmetry of a -face that otherwise was evidently a fine one. Suddenly a light -seemed to spread over it, as I threw off some of my sodden mufflings, -and he exclaimed-- - -"You speak Danskija, and English too, I know! Have you quite -forgotten me, Herr Kaptain?" he added, grasping my hand with kindly -energy. "Don't you remember Carl Holberg of the Danish Guards?" - -The voice was the same as that of the once happy, lively, and jolly -young Danish officer, whose gaiety of temper and exuberance of spirit -made him seem a species of madcap, who was wont to give champagne -suppers at the Klampenborg Gardens to great ladies of the court and -to ballet girls of the Hof Theatre with equal liberality; to whom -many a fair Danish girl had lost her heart, and who, it was said, had -once the effrontery to commence a flirtation with one of the royal -princesses when he was on guard at the Amalienborg Palace. But how -was I to reconcile this change, the appearance of many years of -premature age, that had come upon him? - -"I remember you perfectly, Carl," said I, while we shook hands; "yet -it is so long since we met; moreover--excuse me--but I knew not -whether you were in the land of the living." - -The strange expression, which I cannot define, came over his face as -he said, with a low, sad tone-- - -"Times there are when I know not whether I am of the living or the -dead. It is twenty years since our happy days--twenty years since I -was wounded at the battle of Idstedt--and it seems as if 'twere -twenty ages." - -"Old friend, I am indeed glad to meet you again." - -"Yes, old you may call me with truth," said he, with a sad weary -smile as he passed his hand tremulously over his whitened locks, -which I could remember being a rich auburn. - -All reserve was at an end now, and we speedily recalled a score and -more of past scenes of merriment and pleasure, enjoyed -together--prior to the campaign of Holstein--in Copenhagen, that most -delightful and gay of all the northern cities; and, under the -influence of memory, his now withered face seemed to brighten, and -some of its former expression stole back again. - -"Is this your fishing or shooting quarters, Carl?" I asked. - -"Neither. It is my permanent abode." - -"In this place, so rural--so solitary? Ah! you have become a -Benedick--taken to love in a cottage, and so forth--yet I don't see -any signs of----" - -"Hush! for God's sake! You know not _who_ hears us," he exclaimed, -as terror came over his face; and he withdrew his hand from the table -on which it was resting, with a nervous suddenness of action that was -unaccountable, or as if hot iron had touched it. - -"Why?--Can we not talk of such things?" asked I. - -"Scarcely here--or anywhere to me," he said, incoherently. Then, -fortifying himself with a stiff glass of cognac and foaming seltzer, -he added: "You know that my engagement with my cousin Marie Louise -Viborg was broken off--beautiful though she was, perhaps _is_ still, -for even twenty years could not destroy her loveliness of feature and -brilliance of expression--but you never knew _why_?" - -"I thought you behaved ill to her,--were mad, in fact." - -A spasm came over his face. Again he twitched his hand away as if a -wasp had stung, or something unseen had touched it, as he said-- - -"She was very proud, imperious, and jealous." - -"She resented, of course, your openly wearing the opal ring which was -thrown to you from the palace window by the princess----" - -"The ring--the ring! Oh, do not speak of _that_!" said he, in a -hollow tone. "Mad?--Yes, I was mad--and yet I am not, though I have -undergone, and even _now_ am undergoing, that which would break the -heart of a Holger Danske! But you shall hear, if I can tell it with -coherence and without interruption, the reason why I fled from -society and the world--and for all these twenty miserable years have -buried myself in this mountain solitude, where the forest overhangs -the fiord, and where no woman's face shall ever smile on mine!" - -In short, after some reflection and many involuntary sighs--and being -urged, when the determination to unbosom himself wavered--Carl -Holberg related to me a little narrative so singular and wild, that -but for the sad gravity--or intense solemnity of his manner--and the -air of perfect conviction that his manner bore with it, I should have -deemed him utterly--mad! - -"Marie Louise and I were to be married, as you remember, to cure me -of all my frolics and expensive habits--the very day was fixed; you -were to be the groomsman, and had selected a suite of jewels for the -bride in the Kongens Nytorre; but the war that broke out in -Schleswig-Holstein drew my battalion of the guards to the field, -whither I went without much regret so far as my _fiancée_ was -concerned; for, sooth to say, both of us were somewhat weary of our -engagement, and were unsuited to each other: so we had not been -without piques, coldnesses, and even quarrels, till keeping up -appearances partook of boredom. - -"I was with General Krogh when that decisive battle was fought at -Idstedt between our troops and the Germanizing Holsteiners under -General Willisen. My battalion of the guards was detached from the -right wing with orders to advance from Salbro on the Holstein rear, -while the centre was to be attacked, pierced, and the batteries -beyond it carried at the point of the bayonet, all of which was -brilliantly done. But prior to that I was sent, with directions to -extend my company in skirmishing order, among some thickets that -covered a knoll which is crowned by a ruined edifice, part of an old -monastery with a secluded burial-ground. - -"Just prior to our opening fire the funeral of a lady of rank, -apparently, passed us, and I drew my men aside, to make way for the -open catafalque, on which lay the coffin covered with white flowers -and silver coronets, while behind it were her female attendants, clad -in black cloaks in the usual fashion, and carrying wreaths of white -flowers and immortelles to lay upon the grave. Desiring these -mourners to make all speed lest they might find themselves under a -fire of cannon and musketry, my company opened, at six hundred yards, -on the Holsteiners, who were coming on with great spirit. We -skirmished with them for more than an hour, in the long clear -twilight of the July evening, and gradually, but with considerable -loss, were driving them through the thicket and over the knoll on -which the ruins stand, when a half-spent bullet whistled through an -opening in the mouldering wall and struck me on the back part of the -head, just below my bearskin cap. A thousand stars seemed to flash -around me, then darkness succeeded. I staggered and fell, believing -myself mortally wounded; a pious invocation trembled on my lips, the -roar of the red and distant battle passed away, and I became -completely insensible. - -"How long I lay thus I know not, but when I imagined myself coming -back to life and to the world I was in a handsome, but rather -old-fashioned apartment, hung, one portion of it with tapestry and -the other with rich drapery. A subdued light that came, I could not -discover from where, filled it. On a buffet lay my sword and my -brown bearskin cap of the Danish Guards. I had been borne from the -field evidently, but when and to where? I was extended on a soft -fauteuil or couch, and my uniform coat was open. Some one was kindly -supporting my head--a woman dressed in white, like a bride; young and -so lovely, that to attempt any description of her seems futile! - -"She was like the fancy portraits one occasionally sees of beautiful -girls, for she was divine, perfectly so, as some enthusiast's dream, -or painter's happiest conception. A long respiration, induced by -admiration, delight, and the pain of my wound escaped me. She was so -exquisitely fair, delicate and pale, middle-sized and slight, yet -charmingly round, with hands that were perfect, and marvellous golden -hair that curled in rippling masses about her forehead and shoulders, -and from amid which her _piquante_ little face peeped forth as from a -silken nest. Never have I forgotten that face, nor shall I be -_permitted_ to do so, while life lasts at least," he added, with a -strange contortion of feature, expressive of terror rather than -ardour; "it is ever before my eyes, sleeping or waking, photographed -in my heart and on my brain! I strove to rise, but she stilled, or -stayed me, by a caressing gesture, as a mother would her child, while -softly her bright beaming eyes smiled into mine, with more of -tenderness, perhaps, than love; while in her whole air there was much -of dignity and self-reliance. - -"'Where am I?' was my first question. - -"'With me,' she answered naïvely; 'is it not enough?' - -"I kissed her hand, and said-- - -"'The bullet, I remember, struck me down in a place of burial on the -Salbro Road--strange!' - -"'Why strange?' - -"'As I am fond of rambling among graves when in my thoughtful moods.' - -"'Among graves--why?' she asked. - -"'They look so peaceful and quiet.' - -"Was she laughing at my unwonted gravity, that so strange a light -seemed to glitter in her eyes, on her teeth, and over all her lovely -face? I kissed her hands again, and she left them in mine. -Adoration began to fill my heart and eyes, and be faintly murmured on -my lips; for the great beauty of the girl bewildered and intoxicated -me; and, perhaps, I was emboldened by past success in more than one -love affair. She sought to withdraw her hand, saying-- - -"'Look not thus; I know how lightly you hold the love of one -elsewhere.' - -"'Of my cousin Marie Louise? Oh! what of that! I never, never loved -till now!' and, drawing a ring from her finger, I slipped my -beautiful opal in its place. - -"'And you love me?' she whispered. - -"'Yes; a thousand times, yes!' - -"'But you are a soldier--wounded, too. Ah! if you should die before -we meet again!' - -"'Or, if you should die ere then?' said I, laughingly. - -"'Die--I am already dead to the world--in loving you; but, living or -dead, our souls are as one, and----' - -"'Neither heaven nor the powers beneath shall separate us now!' I -exclaimed, as something of melodrama began to mingle with the -genuineness of the sudden passion with which she had inspired me. -She was so impulsive, so full of brightness and ardour, as compared -to the cold, proud, and calm Marie Louise. I boldly encircled her -with my arms; then her glorious eyes seemed to fill with the subtle -light of love, while there was a strange magnetic thrill in her -touch, and, more than all, in her kiss. - -"'Carl, Carl!' she sighed. - -"'What! You know my name?-- And yours?' - -"'Thyra. But ask no more." - -"There are but three words to express the emotion that possessed -me--bewilderment, intoxication, madness. I showered kisses on her -beautiful eyes, on her soft tresses, on her lips that met mine half -way; but this excess of joy, together with the pain of my wound, -began to overpower me; a sleep, a growing and drowsy torpor, against -which I struggled in vain, stole over me. I remember clasping her -firm little hand in mine, as if to save myself from sinking into -oblivion, and then--no more--no more! - -"On again coming back to consciousness, I was alone. The sun was -rising, but had not yet risen. The scenery, the thickets through -which we had skirmished, rose dark as the deepest indigo against the -amber-tinted eastern sky; and the last light of the waning moon yet -silvered the pools and marshes around the borders of the Langsö Lake, -where now eight thousand men, the slain of yesterday's battle, were -lying stark and stiff. Moist with dew and blood, I propped myself on -one elbow and looked around me, with such wonder that a sickness came -over my heart. I was _again_ in the cemetery where the bullet had -struck me down; a little gray owl was whooping and blinking in a -recess of the crumbling wall. Was the drapery of the chamber but the -ivy that rustled thereon?--for where the lighted buffet stood there -was an old square tomb, whereon lay my sword and bearskin cap! - -"The last rays of the waning moonlight stole through the ruins on a -new-made grave--the fancied _fauteuil_ on which I lay--strewn with -the flowers of yesterday, and at its head stood a temporary cross, -hung with white garlands and wreaths of immortelles. Another ring -was on my finger how; but where was she, the donor? Oh, what -opium-dream, or what insanity was this? - -"For a time I remained utterly bewildered by the vividness of my -recent dream, for such I believed it to be. But if a dream, how came -this strange ring, with a square emerald stone, upon my finger? And -_where_ was mine? Perplexed by these thoughts, and filled with -wonder and regret that the beauty I had seen had no reality, I picked -my way over the ghostly _débris_ of the battle-field, faint, -feverish, and thirsty, till at the end of a long avenue of lindens I -found shelter in a stately brick mansion, which I learned belonged to -the Count of Idstedt, a noble, on whose hospitality--as he favoured -the Holsteiners--I meant to intrude as little as possible. - -"He received me, however, courteously and kindly. I found him in -deep mourning: and on discovering, by chance, that I was the officer -who had halted the line of skirmishers when the funeral _cortège_ -passed on the previous day, he thanked me with earnestness, adding, -with a deep sigh, that it was the burial of his only daughter. - -"'Half my life seems to have gone with her--my lost darling! She was -so sweet, Herr Kaptain--so gentle, and so surpassingly beautiful--my -poor Thyra!' - -"'_Who_ did you say?' I exclaimed, in a voice that sounded strange -and unnatural, while half-starting from the sofa on which I had cast -myself, sick at heart and faint from loss of blood. - -"'Thyra, my daughter, Herr Kaptain,' replied the Count, too full of -sorrow to remark my excitement, for this had been the quaint old -Danish name uttered in my dream. 'See, what a child I have lost!' he -added, as he drew back a curtain which covered a full-length -portrait, and, to my growing horror and astonishment, I beheld, -arrayed in white even as I had seen her in my vision, the fair girl -with the masses of golden hair, the beautiful eyes, and the -_piquante_ smile lighting up her features even on the canvas, and I -was rooted to the spot. - -"'This ring, Herr Count?' I gasped. - -"He let the curtain fall from his hand, and now a terrible emotion -seized him, as he almost tore the jewel from my finger. - -"'My daughter's ring!' he exclaimed. 'It was buried with her -yesterday--her grave has been violated--violated by your infamous -troops.' - -"As he spoke, a mist seemed to come over my sight; a giddiness made -my senses reel, then a hand--the soft little hand of last night, with -my opal ring on its third finger--came stealing into mine, unseen! -More than that, a kiss from tremulous lips I could not see, was -pressed on mine, as I sank backward and fainted! The remainder of my -story must be briefly told. - -"My soldiering was over; my nervous system was too much shattered for -further military service. On my homeward way to join and be wedded -to Marie Louise--a union with whom was intensely repugnant to me -now--I pondered deeply over the strange subversion of the laws of -nature presented by my adventure; or the madness, it might be, that -had come upon me. - -"On the day I presented myself to my intended bride, and approached -to salute her, I felt a hand--the _same hand_--laid softly on mine. -Starting and trembling I looked around me; but saw nothing. The -grasp was firm. I passed my other hand over it, and felt the slender -fingers and the shapely wrist; yet still I saw nothing, and Marie -Louise gazed at my motions, my pallor, doubt, and terror, with calm -but cool indignation. - -"I was about to speak--to explain--to say I know not what, when a -kiss from lips I could not see sealed mine, and with a cry like a -scream I broke away from my friends and fled. - -"All deemed me mad, and spoke with commiseration of my wounded head; -and when I went abroad in the streets men eyed me with curiosity, as -one over whom some evil destiny hung--as one to whom something -terrible had happened, and gloomy thoughts were wasting me to a -shadow. My narrative may seem incredible; but this attendant, unseen -yet palpable, is ever by my side, and if under any impulse, such even -as sudden pleasure in meeting you, I for a moment forget it, the soft -and gentle touch of a female hand reminds me of the past, and haunts -me, for a guardian demon--if I may use such a term--rules my destiny: -one lovely, perhaps, as an angel. - -"Life has no pleasures, but only terrors for me now. Sorrow, doubt, -horror, and perpetual dread have sapped the roots of existence; for a -wild and clamorous fear of what the next moment may bring forth is -ever in my heart, and when the touch comes my soul seems to die -within me. - -"You know what haunts me now--God help me! God help me! You do not -understand all this, you would say. Still less do I; but in all the -idle or extravagant stories I have read of ghosts--stories once my -sport and ridicule, as the result of vulgar superstition or -ignorance--the so-called supernatural visitor was visible to the eye, -or heard by the ear; but the ghost, the fiend, the invisible Thing -that is ever by the side of Carl Holberg, is only sensible to the -touch--it is the unseen but tangible substance of an apparition!" - -He had got thus far when he gasped, grew livid, and, passing his -right hand over the left, about an inch above it, with trembling -fingers, he said-- - -"It is here--here now--even with you present, I feel her hand on -mine; the clasp is tight and tender, and she will never leave me, but -with life!" - -And then this once gay, strong, and gallant fellow, now the wreck of -himself in body and in spirit, sank forward with his head between his -knees, sobbing and faint. - -Four months afterwards, when with my friends, I was shooting bears at -Hammerfest, I read in tell Norwegian _Aftenposten_, that Carl Holberg -had shot himself in bed, on Christmas Eve. - - - - -THE BOMBARDIER'S STORY. - - "Some feel by instinct swift as light - The presence of the foe, - Whom God ordains in future time - To strike the fatal blow." AYTOUN. - - -Very few persons in this world are unlucky enough to see, or to have -seen, a ghost; but we nearly have all met with some one else who had -seen something weird or unearthly. And now for a little story of my -own, by which you will find that, in my time, I have more than once -encountered a ghost, or that which, perhaps, was _worse_ than any -ghost could be. - -In the Christmas before the battle of the Alma, I, Bob Twyford, was a -young bombardier of the Royal Artillery, a "G.C.R." (good conduct -ring) man, mighty proud of that, and of my uniform, with its yellow -lace and rows of brass buttons, with the motto "_Ubique quo fas et -gloria ducunt_," and so forth, when I went home on a month's -furlough, to see old mother and all my friends at our little village -in the Weald of Kent. - -I was proud too, to show them that, by the single chevron of -bombardier, my foot was firmly planted on the first step of the long -ladder of promotion; happy, too, that there was one in particular to -show it to--my cousin, little Bessie Leybourne--though she was a big -Bessie now--my sweetheart, and my wife that was to be, if good -promotion came, or if I bought my discharge, and took to business -with some money we expected--money that was long, long in coming. - -More than once, in the beautiful season of autumn, had Bessie -Leybourne been the queen of the hop-pickers, and then I thought that -she looked bright and beautiful as a fairy, when the crown of flowers -was placed on her sunny brown hair, and her deep blue eyes were -beaming with pleasure and gratified vanity. - -I had a dream about Bessie on the night before--a dream that made me -uncomfortable and gave me much cause for thought; and so a vague -presentiment of coming evil clouded the joy of my returning home. - -I had seen Bessy in her beauty and her bravery as the hop queen; but -she was calling on me to protect her--for she was struggling to free -herself from the embraces and the blandishments of a handsome and -blasé-looking man, whose costume and bearing were alike fashionable -and distinguished. Close by them, looking on evidently with -amusement, was his friend, a hook-nosed, grim, and sombre-looking -fellow, with a black moustache, and malevolent eyes, who held me back -as with a grasp of iron, while uttering a strange, chuckling laugh, -the sound of which awoke me. But the faces of those men made a vivid -and painful impression upon me; for the whole vision seemed so -distinct and real, that I believed I should recognize them anywhere. - -I spoke to Tom Inches, our Scotch pay-sergeant, about it, and he, -being a great believer in dreams, assured me that it was ominous of -some evil that would certainly happen to Bessie or to me, or to us -both. - -"For you must know, Bob," he continued, "that in sleep the soul seems -to issue from the body, and to attain the power of looking into the -future; for time or place, distance or space, form no obstruction -then; so the untrammelled spirit of the dreamer may see the future as -well as the past, and know that which is to happen as well as that -which has happened." - -The Scotchman's words had a solemnity about them that rendered me -still more uneasy; but I strove to shake off care, and already saw in -anticipation my mother's cottage among the woodlands of the Weald. - -Every pace drew me nearer home, and I trod gaily on, with my knapsack -on my back, and only a crown piece in my pocket. My purse was light; -but, save for that ugly dream, my heart was lighter still, as I -thought of Bessie Leybourne. - -I had left the railway station some miles behind. It was Christmas -Eve. The Weald of Kent spread before me; not as I had seen it last -in its summer greenness, but covered deep with snow, over which the -sun, as he set, shed a purple flush, that deepened in the shade to -blue, and made the icicles on every hedge and tree glitter with a -thousand prismatic colours. - -Red lights were beginning to twinkle through the leafless copses from -cottage windows, and heavily the dun winter smoke was curling in the -clear mid air, from many a house and homestead, and from the -clustered chimney stalks of the quaint and stately old rectory. - -An emotion of bitterness came over me, on passing this edifice, with -all its gables and lighted oriel windows. - -I had no great love for the rector. When a boy I had found in our -garden a pheasant, which he, the Rev. Dr. Raikes, had wounded by a -shot. Pleased with the beauty of the bird, I made a household pet of -it, till his keeper, hearing of the circumstance, had me arrested and -stigmatized as a little poacher, the rector, as a magistrate, being -the exponent of the law in the matter. So I quitted the parish and -its petty tyrant, to become a gunner and driver in the artillery, -where my good education soon proved of service to me. - -For the sake of a miserable bird, the sporting rector had driven into -the world a widow's only son. But how fared he in his own household? - -Valentine Raikes, his only son, was breaking his proud and pampered -heart by mad dissipation, by gambling, and every species of -debauchery; by horse-racing, and by debts of honour, which had been -paid thrice over, to save his commission in the hussars. - -At last I stood by mother's cottage door. - -The little dwelling was smothered among hops and ivy, and with these -were blended roses and honeysuckle in summer. Now the icicles hung -in rows under the thatched eaves, but a red and cheerful glow came -through the lozenged panes of the deep-set little windows on the -waste of snow without. - -A moment I lingered by the gate, and in the garden plot, for my heart -was very full, and it well-nigh failed me; but there was a listener -within who heard my step and knew it. And the next moment saw me in -my mother's arms, and I felt like a boy again, as my happy tears -mingled with hers, and it seemed as if this Christmas Eve was to be -the Christmas Eve of past and jollier times. - -"A merry Christmas, Bob, and a happy new year!" - -The dear old woman's face was bright with joy; yet I could detect -many a wrinkle now where dimples once had been, and see that her hair -was thinner and whiter, perhaps, as she passed her tremulous hand -caressingly over my bronzed face as if to assure herself of my -identity, and that I was really her "own boy Bob." Then she helped -me off with my knapsack, and sat me in father's old leathern chair, -by the side of the glowing hearth, and pottered about, getting me a -hot cake, and a mug of spiced ale, muttering and laughing, and -hovering about me the while. - -"But, mother, dear," said I, looking round, "where is Bessie all this -time? She got my letter, of course?" - -"Bessie is across the meadows at the church, Bob?" - -"On this cold night, mother!" - -"Yes; helping Miss Raikes to decorate it for the service to-morrow." - -"Miss Raikes!" said I, and a cloud came over me. - -I had left head-quarters with only four crowns in my pocket. We -soldiers are seldom over-burdened with cash--for though England -expects every man to do his duty, England likes it done cheap--and I -had well-nigh starved myself on the road home that I might bring -something with me for those I loved--some gay ribbons for Bessie, and -a lace cap for my mother, who was so proud of her "Bombardier Bob," -for so she always called me, heaven bless her! - -"I hope she won't be long away, mother, for I've had such a dream----" - -"Lor' bless me, Bob," said she, pausing as she bustled about -preparing supper, "a dream, have you--about what, or whom?" - -"Bessie," said I, with a sigh, as I took the ribbons from my knapsack. - -"Was it good or evil, Bob?" - -"I can't say, mother," said I, with a sickly smile, as the solemn -words of the Scotch pay-sergeant came back to my memory; "for an evil -dream, say we, portends good, and a pleasant dream portends evil; -they seem to go by contraries. Yet somehow, by the impression this -dream made upon me, it seems almost prophetic." - -"Don't 'ee say so, Bob, for though in the Old Testament we find many -instances of prophetic dreaming, I don't believe in such things -nowadays." - -The darkness had set completely in now, and I saw that, although -mother affected to make light of Bessie's protracted absence, she -glanced uneasily, from time to time, through the window, and at the -old Dutch clock that ticked in its corner, just as it used to tick -when I was a boy, and rode on father's knee; for nothing here seemed -changed, save that mother was older, and stooped a trifle more. - -"Mother, dear," said I, starting up at last, "I can't stand this -delay, and Bessie must not come through the lanes alone; so I shall -just step down to the church and escort her home." - -In another moment I was out in the snow. A few thick flakes were -falling athwart the gloom. The decoration of the rectory church for -the solemn services of the morrow was, I knew of old, always -considered an important matter in our village, yet I could not help -thinking that, as I had written to announce the very time of my -return, Bessie might have been at home to welcome me. Instead of -that, I had now to go in search of her; and this was the Christmas -meeting--the home-coming of which I had drawn so many happy and -joyous pictures when alone, and in the silence of the night when far -away, a sentinel on a lonely post, or when tossing sleeplessly on the -hard wooden guard-bed. - -Mother was kind, loving, affectionate as ever, but Bessie, my -betrothed, why was she absent at such a time? - -The sad presentiment of coming evil grew strong within me, and I -thought, with bitterness, of how far I had marched afoot for days, -and starved myself to buy her gewgaws, for I knew that pretty Bessie -was not without vanity. - -"Pshaw!" said I. "Be a man, Bob Twyford--be a man!" and, leaping the -churchyard stile, I slowly crossed the burial ground. - -There were lights in the church; and I heard the sound of merry -voices, and even of laughter, ringing in its hollow, stony space. - -Snow covered all the graves, and the headstones, which stood in close -rows; a heavy mantle of snow loaded the roof of the church, and, -tipping the carvings of its buttresses, brought them out from the -mass of the building in strong white relief. Great icicles depended -from the gurgoyles of its tower and battlements, and the wind -whistled drearily past, rustling the masses of ivy that grew over the -old Saxon apse. The tracery of the windows, the sturdy old mullions -and some heraldic blazons, with quaint and ghastly spiritual subjects -in stained glass, could be discerned by the lights that were within. - -I lifted my forage-cap in mute reverence as I passed one grave, for I -knew my father lay there under a winding-sheet of snow, and a pace or -two more brought me to the quaint little porch of the church, where I -remained for a time looking in, and irresolute whether to advance or -retire. - -When my eyes became accustomed to the partial gloom within, I could -see that the zigzag Saxon mouldings and ornaments of the little -chancel arch, the capitals of the shafts, the stairs of the pulpit, -and the oaken canopy thereof, were all decorated with ivy sprigs and -holly leaves, combined with artificial flowers, all with some meaning -and taste, so as to bring out the architectural features of the -quaint old edifice. - -A portable flight of steps stood in the centre of the aisle, just -under the chancel arch, which was low, broad, massive, of no great -height, and formed a species of frame for a picture that sorely -disconcerted me. - -On the summit of that flight stood a lovely, laughing young lady, -whose delicate white hands, a little reddened by the winter's frost, -were wreathing scarlet holy-berries among the green leaves. - -A little lower down was seated Bessie--my own Bessie--her blue eyes -radiant with pleasure, her thick hair--half flaxen, half -auburn--shining like golden threads in the light of the altar lamps, -that fell on her beaming English face, so fresh, so fair, so -charming. Her lap was full of ivy and holly twigs, which a gentleman -who hovered near, cigar in mouth, was cutting and tossing into that -receptacle, amid much banter and badinage, that savoured strongly of -familiarity, if not of flirtation. - -Near them in the background loitered another, who was simply leaning -against the pillar of the chancel arch, looking on with a strange -smile, and sucking the ivory handle of his cane. - -He laughed as he regarded them. - -That laugh--where had I heard it before? - -In my dream. And now the antitypes--the men of my dream--stood -before me! - -As yet unnoticed, I remained apart, and observed them; but not -unseen, for the eyes of the dark man were instantly upon me, and the -peculiarity of their expression rendered me uneasy. - -He who hovered about Bessie was a fair-faced, blasé-looking young -man, with sleepy blue eyes, a large jaw, a receding chin, and thick, -red, sensual lips. He had long, thin, flyaway whiskers, and a slight -moustache, with an unmistakably good air about him. - -His companion had that peculiar cast of features which we sometimes -see in the Polish Jew--keen and hawk-like, with sharp, glittering -black eyes, hair of a raven hue, and a general pallor of complexion -that seemed bilious, sickly, and unhealthy. - -I felt instinctively that I hated one and solemnly feared the other. -Why was this? - -Was it the result of my dream?--of that "instinct which, like -imagination, is a word everybody uses, and nobody understands?" - -Perhaps we shall see. - -Suddenly the eye of the fair-haired stranger fell on me. He adjusted -his glass, surveyed me leisurely, and, pausing in the act of -playfully holding a sprig of mistletoe over Bessie's head, said, in -the lisping drawl peculiar to men of his style-- - -"A soldier, by Jove! Now, my good man--ah, ah!--what do you want -here at this time of night?" - -"I came to escort my cousin home, sir." - -"Your cousin, eh--haw?" - -"Bessie Leybourne, sir; but," I added, reddening with vexation and -annoyance, "I see she is still busy." - -"Cousin, eh? What do you say to this, Bessie?" - -Bessie, who started from the steps on which she had been seated, came -towards me, also blushing, confused, and letting fall all the -contents of her lap as she held out her hands to me, and said-- - -"Welcome home, dear Bob. A merry Christmas and a happy new year! -Captain Raikes, this is my Cousin Bob, who is a soldier like -yourself--an artilleryman," she added, with increasing confusion, as -if she felt ashamed of my blue jacket among those fine folks; while -the captain, after glancing at me coolly again, merely said, -"Oh--ah--haw--indeed!" and proceeded to assist his sister in -descending the steps, as their labours were done, and the decorations -of the church complete; but a heavier cloud came over me now. - -Captain Raikes was the son of the rector, and squire of the parish, -in right of his mother, who was an heiress; and he, perhaps the -wildest and most systematic profligate in all England, had made the -acquaintance of Bessie Leybourne! - -A little time they lingered ere Bessie curtseyed, and bade the young -lady good-night. Captain Raikes whispered something which made -Bessie blush, and glance nervously at me, while his friend with the -hook nose gave a mocking cough, and then we separated. They took the -path to the gaily-lighted rectory, while Bessie and I trod silently -back through the snow to my mother's little cottage. - -I pressed Bessie's hand and arm from time to time, and though the -pressure was returned, I never ventured to touch her cheek, or even -to speak to her, for I felt somehow, intuitively, that all was over -between us; and we walked in silence through the lanes where we had -been wont to ramble when children. - -It seemed to be always summer in the green lanes then; but it was -biting winter now. I asked for no explanation, and none was offered -me; but I felt that Bessie, once so loving and playful, was now cold, -reserved, and shy. - -Next day was Christmas. Our fireplace was decked with green boughs, -and holly-leaves, and huge sprigs of mistletoe. I heard the chimes -ringing merrily in the old tower of the rectory church. - -It was a clear, cold, snowy, and frosty, but hearty old English -Christmas; and faces shone bright, hands were shaken, and warm wishes -expressed among friends and neighbours, as we trod through the holly -lanes, and over the crisp, frosty grass, to church--mother, Bessie, -and I; and again, as in boyhood, I heard our rubicund rector preach -against worldly pride and luxury, both of which, throughout a long -life, he had enjoyed to the full. - -The dark stranger--the squire's constant companion, chum, and Mentor, -whose strange bearing and wicked ways gained him the sobriquets of -Pluto and Hooknose in the village--was not with the rector's family -on this day; and I learned that he resided at the village inn. It -was evident, though we read off the same book, that Bessie's thoughts -were neither with heaven nor me, for I caught many a glance that was -exchanged between Captain Raikes and her, and these showed a secret -intelligence. - -I sat out the rector's sermon in silent misery, and in misery -returned home--a moody and discontented fellow, wishing myself back -at head-quarters, or anywhere but in the Weald of Kent. - -Bessie didn't seem to care much about my ribbons. Why should she? I -was only a poor devil of a bombardier, and couldn't give her such -rich presents as those pearl drops which I now discovered in her ears. - -"A present from Captain Raikes, Bob," said mother, good, simple soul; -"but I don't think she should ha' shown 'em till her wedding-day." - -I had a mouthful of mother's Christmas dumpling in my throat at that -moment, and it well-nigh choked me. - -The mistletoe hung over our heads; but I never claimed the playful -privilege it accorded. Was there not some terrible change, when I -dared not--or scorned--to kiss Bessie, even in jest? Others' kisses -had been upon her lips, and so they had no longer a charm for me! - -Day and night dread and doubt haunted me, while hope, with her -hundred shapes and many hues, returned no more. Brooding, silent, -and melancholy thoughts seemed to consume me; yet the time passed -slowly and heavily, for Bessie's falsehood and fickleness formed the -first recollection in the morning, the last at night, and the source -of many a tantalizing dream between. All the ebbs and flows of -feeling or emotion which torment the lover I endured. My sufferings -were very great; and from being as jolly, hardy, and expert a gunner -as ever levelled a Lancaster or an Armstrong, I was becoming a very -noodle--a moonstruck creature--"a thoroughbred donkey," as Tom Inches -would have called me--and all for the love of Bessie Leybourne. - -Short though my time at home would be, Bessie could give me but -little of her society. My jealousy would no longer be concealed, and -that she had secret meetings with our squire I could no more doubt. -Then came tears, upbraidings, and bitterness, with promises that she -would meet him no more; and in the strongest language I could -command, I told her of the perils she ran, of the desperate character -of Valentine Raikes, of his mad orgies and debaucheries, of the -gambling, drinking, singing, swearing, and whooping that accompanied -the suppers he and Hooknose had almost every night in a lonely lodge -of the rectory grounds. - -"Oh, Bob, don't bother," she would say, imploringly, through her -smiles and tears. "It is terrible to be told constantly that one -must marry one particular young man." - -"Meaning, Bessie, that mother reminds you of being engaged to me?" - -"Well, yes." - -"You are fickle, Bessie." - -"My poor Bob, you are not rich, neither am I." - -"Hence your fickleness; but, oh, Bessie, don't think I want to make a -soldier's wife of you. I hope for better days, and to settle down at -home. Oh, Bessie, my own Bessie, listen to me, and hear me." - -And so she would listen to me, and hear me, and then slip away to -keep a tryst with my rival. - -Once or twice Bessie became angry with me, and ventured to defend the -squire, laying the blame of all his evil actions on his friend, or -Mentor--the dark Mephistopheles, who was always by his side. Her -defence of him maddened me. From tears she took to taunts, and I -replied by scorn. - -We separated in hot anger, and with my mind a perfect chaos--a -whirl--and already repenting my violence, or precipitation, I strode -moodily through the holly lanes, till a sudden turn brought me face -to face with Captain Raikes and his dark friend, in close and earnest -conversation. - -The idea of honest and manly remonstrance seized me; and touching my -cap respectfully, as became me to an officer, I said-- - -"Captain Raikes, may I crave a word with you?" - -"Certainly--haw!" he drawled, while his friend drew back, surveying -me with his strange, malevolent, but terrible smile. "In what can -I--haw--serve you?" - -"In a matter, sir, that lies very near my heart." - -He surveyed me with a quiet but puzzled air, through his glass, and -replied-- - -"Haw--have seen you before. How is your pretty cousin, Bessie -Leybourne, this morning--well, I hope?" - -"It is about Bessie I wish to speak, sir," said I, with a gravity -that made him start and colour a little--but only a little, as he was -one of those solemn, self-conceited, unimpressionable "snobs," who -disdain to exhibit the slightest emotion. He did, however, become -uneasy ultimately, and pulled his long whiskers when I said-- - -"Captain Raikes, my cousin Bessie is my betrothed wife; and, though I -am but a poor private soldier (or little more), I must urge, sir--ay, -request--that you cease to follow, molest, or meet her, as I have -good reason to know you do; for though Bessie is a true-hearted girl, -no good can come of it. So I put it to you, sir, as a gentleman--as -my comrade, though our ranks are far apart--whether your intentions -can be honourable in the matter?" - -"By Jove! the idea! I'll tell you what it is, my good fellah," said -he, twirling his riding whip; "I have listened to your impertinent -advice--your demmed interference with my movements--so far without -laying this across your shoulders; but beware--haw--how you address -me on this subject again." - -Passion and jealousy blinded me, and shaking my hand in his face, I -said-- - -"Captain Raikes, on your life I charge you not to trifle with her or -with me!" - -He never lost his self-possession, but said, with a smile-- - -"Very good; but rather daring in a private soldier--a poacher--a -vagabond!" - -I heard the strange laugh of Hooknose at these words, and, while it -was ringing in my ears, I struck the squire to the earth, and he lay -as still as if a twelve-pound shot had finished him. Then I walked -deliberately away. - -I had vague alarms now. He might have me arrested on a charge of -assault or might report me to head-quarters for the blow, although he -was not in uniform; but he did neither, as he left the Weald that -night for London; and mother and I sat gazing at each other in alarm -and grief--our Bessie had disappeared! - -By some of our neighbours she had been seen near the branch station -of the South-Eastern line, with Valentine Raikes and his mysterious -friend, the Hooknose: and from that hour all trace of her was--lost! - -* * * * * - -She had left me coldly and heartlessly, and old mother, too, who had -always been more than a mother to her. - -So passed the last Christmas I was to spend in old England. - -I got over it in time. I was not without hope that I might discover -Bessie, and befriend her yet--ay, even yet. But I couldn't do much, -being only a poor fellow with two shillings per diem, and an extra -penny for beer and pipeclay. But even that hope was crushed when, in -the following August, I was ordered with the siege train to -Sebastopol, and sailed from Southampton aboard the "Balmoral," of -Hull, a transport ship, which had on board a whole battery of -artillery, with one hundred and ten fine horses. - -Captain Raikes was, I knew, with the Light Cavalry Brigade, under -Lord Cardigan; and I only prayed that heaven and the chances of war -would keep us apart, and not put the terrible temptation before me of -seeing him under fire. - -Our voyage was prosperous till we entered the Black Sea, when we -experienced heavy gales of wind, and lost our topmasts; and as the -gales increased in fury and steadiness, they were blowing a perfect -hurricane on the night when, in this crippled condition, we hauled up -for the harbour of Balaclava. - -Were I to live a thousand years, I should never forget the horrors -and certain events of that night; and though the perils that our -transport encountered were ably described by more than one newspaper -correspondent, I shall venture to recall them here. - -Wearied with hard stable duty, I had fallen asleep in my birth, when -I was suddenly roused by a voice--the voice of Bessie, - -"Bob, Bob, dearest Bob--save me! save me! I am drowning!" - -It rang distinctly in my ears, and then I seemed to hear the gurgling -of water, as I sprang from bed in terror and bewilderment, and from -no dream that I was at all conscious of; but I had little time to -think of the matter, for now the bugle sounded down the hatchway to -change the watch on deck. - -The night was pitchy dark; all our compasses had suddenly become -useless--no two needles pointed the same way--and the rudder bands -were rent by the force of the sea, which tore in vast volume over the -deck, sweeping everything that was loose away. The watch were all -lashed to belaying pins, or the lower rattlins; but three of ours and -two seamen were swept overboard and drowned. - -To add to our dangers, as we lifted towards the harbour mouth, the -"Balmoral" heeled over so much that the ballast broke loose in the -hold, and uprooted the stable deck. The centre of gravity was thus -lost, and the transport lay almost over on her beam-ends, with the -wild sea breaking over her, as she went, like a helpless log, on some -rocks within the harbour entrance. - -The captain commanding the artillery ordered Tom Inches and a party, -of whom I was one, into the hold or stables, to see how the horses -fared; and I shall never forget that terrific scene, for it nearly -rendered me oblivious of the cry that yet lingered in my ears. - -The time was exactly midnight, and I almost fear to be considered a -visionary by relating all that followed. The vessel lay nearly on -her beam-ends to starboard; the whole of the stalls on the port side -had given way, and the horses were lying over each other in piles, -many of them half or wholly strangled in their halters; and there, in -the dark, they were biting and tearing each other with their teeth, -neighing, snorting, and even screaming (a dreadful sound is a horse's -scream), and kicking each other to death. - -The atmosphere was stifling. The wounds they gave each other were -bloody and frightful. Many had their legs and ribs broken, and -others their eyes dashed out by ironed hoofs. Above were the -bellowing of the wind, and the roaring of the Black Sea on the rocks -of Balaclava. There were even thunder-peals at times, to add to the -terrors of the occasion, and the rain was falling on the deck like a -vast sheet of water. - -Many of our men were severely wounded by kicks; for the horses that -survived were wild with fear--maddened, in fact--and, in their -present condition, proved quite unmanageable. - -Carrying a lantern, I was making my way into the hold, and through -this frightful scene, when suddenly, amid it all, and through the -gloom, I saw a face that terrified--that fascinated--me, but which -none of my comrades could see. - -Was I mad, or about to become so? - -Within six inches of my own face was the keen, dark, and swarthy--the -almost black--visage of Hooknose glaring at me, mocking and -jibbering; his eyes shining like two carbuncles, his sharp teeth -glistening with his old malevolent smile; and, as I shrank back, I -heard his mocking laugh--the same laugh that had tingled in my ears -on that fatal Christmas time at home. - -I fell over a horse, the hoof of another struck me on the chest. I -became insensible, and, on recovering, found myself on deck, in the -hands of Tom Inches and the surgeon. - -I was soon fit for duty, luckily, as that ship was no place for a -sick man. With sunrise the storm abated; with slings the horses were -hoisted out as fast as we could bring them; and of the hundred and -ten we had on board, we found that ninety-five had been kicked to -death, smothered, or so bruised that we were compelled to shoot them -with our carbines. - -Their carcasses lay long in Balaclava harbour, where they were used -as stepping stones by the sailors and boatmen, till their corruption -filled the air, adding to the cholera and fever in the town and camp. - -All that haunted me must have been fancy, thought I, for my thoughts -were always running on Bessie--lost to me and to the world--fevered -fancy, especially the cry, and the horrid gurgling as of a drowning -person that followed it. The sound of the sea must have produced or -suggested the cry in my sleeping ear, and the subsequent vision in -the hold--those gleaming eyes and that fierce hooked nose; and yet, -as an author has remarked, the whole world of nature is but one vast -book of symbols, which we cannot decipher because we have lost the -key. - -It was ungrateful of me to be always thinking of Bessie, who had -scorned, flouted, and deserted me--thinking more of her than of poor -old mother in the Weald of Kent, who loved me with all her soul, as -only a mother could love a son who was amid the trenches of -Sebastopol; but I couldn't help it, for the terrible mystery that -involved the fate of Bessie made me brood over it at all times. - -As for the trifle of money I had expected, it never came, and now I -didn't want it. - -It was Christmas Eve before Sebastopol, as it was all over God's -Christian world; but I hope never again to see such a ghastly -festival. I was not at the breaching batteries that night, having -been sent with two horses and four men to bring in a twelve pound -gun, which had been left by the Russians in the valley of Inkermann, -after the battle of the 5th of November. Tom Inches and many a brave -fellow of ours had gone to their long home in that valley of death, -and I was a battery-sergeant now. - -The cold was awful, and we were rendered very feeble by hunger, toil, -and half-healed wounds; so, like men in a dream, we traced the horses -to the gun, and limbered up the tumbril, both of which lay among some -ruins in rear of the British right attack, and not far from the -frozen Tchernay. - -Three miles distant rose Sebastopol, and the sky seemed all on fire -in and around it, for they were keeping Christmas night, amid shot -from our Lancaster guns, and whistling Dicks of all sorts and sizes, -from hand-grenades to eighteen-inch bombs, chokeful of nails, broken -bottles, and grapeshot. - -Yet I couldn't help thinking of home, and how merrily the village -chimes would be ringing in the old tower of the rectory church, amid -the hop-gardens and the cherry-groves of Kent. And then I saw in -fancy the old fireside, where father's leathern chair was empty now, -and where one at least would say her prayers that night for me--that -happy night at home, when every church and hearth would be gay with -ivy leaves and holly-berries, and the lads and the lasses would be -dancing under the mistletoe; and with all these came thoughts of -Christmas geese and plum-puddings, and I drew my sword-belt in a hole -or two, for I was starving--light-headed and giddy with want; and as -we rode silently on, the swinging chains of the gun seemed to me like -the jangle of our village chimes! but they rung over the snowy waste -that lay between Khutor Mackenzie and the Highland camp--a white -waste, dotted by many a dead man and horse. - -As we rode silently on, man after man of our little party of four -gave in, dropped from the gun, to which I had no means of securing -them, overcome by cold, fatigue, and death. At last I was riding -alone in the saddle, with the gun rattling behind me. - -Ghastly sights were around me on that Christmas night, and the -glinting of the moon at times made them more ghastly still. - -On French mule litters, and on horses, many wounded and dying men -were being borne from the redoubts down to Balaclava; and as my -progress was very slow, with two worn-out, half-starved nags, a -terrible procession passed before me. Many of the poor fellows were -nearly over their troubles and sorrows. With closed eyes, relaxed -jaws, and hollow visages, they were carried down the snowy path by -the Ambulance Corps, and the pale steam that curled in the frosty air -from the lips of each alone indicated that they breathed. - -Two dismounted hussars--for amid their rags, I discovered them to be -such--were carrying one who seemed like a veritable corpse, strapped -upright on a seat; the legs dangled, the eyes were staring open and -glassy, and the head nodded to and fro. - -"Comrades," said I, "that poor fellow is surely out of pain now?" - -"Not yet," said one. "He is an officer of ours, badly wounded and -frost-bitten." - -"An officer!" - -"Captain Raikes. He won't last till morning, I fear." - -"Raikes," said I through my clenched teeth; "Valentine Raikes--and -here!" - -"Ay, here, sure enough," said the hussar. - -My heart bounded, and then stood still for a moment. At last I said-- - -"Place him on the gun, comrades, and I will take him on to Balaclava; -but first, here I've some raki in my canteen. Give him a mouthful, -if he can swallow." - -Raikes was placed on the seat of the gun-carriage, buckled thereto -with straps, and muffled up as well as we could devise, to protect -him from the cold. The two hussars left me, and then we were alone, -he and I--Valentine Raikes and Bob Twyford--in the solitary valley, -through which the road wound that led to Balaclava. - -Though coarse and fiery, the raki partially revived the sinking man, -and, leaving my saddle, I asked him, in a voice husky with cold and -emotion, if he knew me. - -But he shook his head sadly and listlessly. And bearded as I was -then, it was no wonder that his dimmed vision failed to recognize me. - -"I am Robert Twyford, the bombardier, whose plighted wife you stole, -Valentine Raikes! God judge between you and me; but I feel that I -must forgive you now." - -"My winding sheet is woven in the loom of hell!" he moaned, in a low -and almost inarticulate voice. "Oh! Twyford, I have wronged -you--and her--and--many, many more." - -"But Bessie!" said I, drawing near, and propping him in my arms; -"what came of Bessie Leybourne? Speak--tell me for mercy's sake, -while you have the power!" - -"Ask the waters--the waters----" - -"Where--where?" - -"Under Blackfriars-bridge. She perished there on the 27th of last -September." - -The 27th was the night of the storm--the night of the mysterious -drowning cry, which startled me from sleep! - -"I am sinking fast, Twyford!" he resumed, in a hollow and broken -voice. "Pray for me--pray for me. There is but one way to -heaven----" - -"But many to perdition!" added a strange, deep voice. - -And a dark, indistinct, and muffled figure, having two gleaming eyes, -stood by the wheel of the gun-carriage, just as a cloud overspread -the moon. - -"Here--he here! Do not let him touch me--do not let him--touch me!" -cried Raikes, in a voice that rose into a scream of despair, as he -threw up his arms and fell back. - -There was a gurgle in his throat, and all was over! - -A fiendish, chuckling laugh seemed to pass me on the skirt of the -frosty wind; but I saw no one; nor had I time to observe, or to -remember, much more, for now a madness seemed to seize the horses. - -They dashed away with frightful speed, the field-piece swinging like -a toy at their hoofs. It swept over me breaking one of my legs, and -inflicting also a terrible wound on the head, I sank among the snow, -and remember no more of that night, for, after weeks of delirium and -fever, I found myself a poor, weak, and emaciated inmate of the -hospital at Scutari, and so far on my way home to dear old England. - -But such was the Christmas night I spent before Sebastopol, and such -were those mysteries in the "Book of Nature," to which I can find as -yet no key. - - - - -KOTAH. - -A TALE OF THE INDIAN MUTINY. - -It was on a soft and warm night in April that we were encamped not -far from the margin of Lake Erie, in expectation of the Fenian -raiders, who were having armed picnics, and threatening a plundering -invasion of Upper Canada. We were simply an advanced post, -consisting of my company of the Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment, and -some two hundred volunteers, farmers and their sons. For some time -past there had been considerable alarm along the Canadian frontier. -General Mead, of the United States army, was at Eastport with his -staff, and the Federal gun-boat Winooske was cruising off that place, -on the look-out for an alleged Fenian vessel. - -Numerous armed meetings had taken place in the State of Maine, and a -great embarkation of the brotherhood in green was expected to take -place at Ogdensburg, the capital of St. Lawrence, which has a safe -and commodious harbour; but luckily the whole affair ended in bluster -and rumour. The only fire we saw was that of our bivouac, and the -only smoke that of the soothing weed, while we sat by "the -wolf-scaring faggot," and drank from our canteens of rum-and-water, -singing songs, and telling stories to wile the night away. - -The picturesque was not wanting in the group around that blazing fire -of pine wood. The Royal Canadians, in their dark green tunics, faced -with scarlet; the volunteers, in orthodox red coats or fringed -hunting-shirts, with white belts worn over them, were all bronzed, -rough, and bearded fellows, hardy by nature and resolute in bearing, -led, in most instances, by old Queen's officers, who had commuted -their commissions, and turned their swords into ploughshares on farms -by the banks of the New Niagara, or the shores of the vast Erie, -whose waters stretched in darkness far away towards the hills of -Pennsylvania. - -"Come, captain, tell us a story of other lands and sharper work than -this," said one of the Canadian volunteers, as he proffered me his -tobacco-pouch, which was prettily embroidered with wampum; "tell us -something about the mutiny in India. You served there, as we all -know." - -"Yes," said I, as the memory of other times and other faces--faces I -should never look upon in this world again--came over me, "I served -there in the --th Dragoons, and can relate a strange story indeed--of -discipline overdone--of that which we hear little about in our -service, thank heaven--tyranny; and of a young hero, who, without a -crime, was sentenced to die the death of a felon!" - -"We know," said one of my subs, "that the mutiny is always a bitter -subject with you." - -"I lost much by the destruction of Indian property, and so had to -begin the sliding-scale." - -"What kind of scale is that?" - -"Sloping from the cavalry to the line." - -"But the story, captain!" urged the volunteers. - -"Well, here goes," said I; and after a pause and a sip at the -canteen, began thus:-- - -"The narrative I am about to tell you was not one in which I figured -much personally, save as member of a court-martial; but it details -suffering with which I was familiar--the miserable fate of Sergeant -Anthony Ernslie, a fine old soldier, and his son Philip, a brave -young fellow--a mere lad--both of whom were in my troop during the -Crimean war, and afterwards in the memorable mutiny, the horrors of -which are so fresh in the minds of all. - -"I had not been long with the regiment before I discovered that a -deeply-rooted enmity existed between our sergeant-major, Matthew -Pivett, and my troop-sergeant, Ernslie, and that it had been one of -long standing, having originated in jealousy when both were privates -quartered at Canterbury, and both were rivals for the affection of a -pretty milliner girl. She, however, preferred Ernslie, then a horse -artilleryman; but when our corps was under orders to join the army of -the East, Ernslie volunteered for general service in the cavalry, -and, by the chance of fate, was placed in my troop of the --th -Dragoons, where his steady conduct, fine appearance, and strict -attention to duty, soon caused me to recommend him for promotion, and -he gained his third stripe with a rapidity that did not fail to -excite the remark of the envious. - -"Yet his life was rendered miserable by the sergeant-major--a stern, -wiry, sharp-eyed, loud-voiced, and vindictive man; and more than -once, when I interposed my authority to keep peace between them, has -Ernslie told me, with tears in his eyes, that 'he cursed the day on -which he left the ranks of the Horse Artillery to become a dragoon!' - -"A senior, when perpetually on the watch to worry a junior, may -easily find opportunities enough for doing so. Thus Ernslie's belts -were never pipe-clayed quite to the taste of Pivett, and at the staff -inspection before parade, faults were ever found with his horse, -harness, and everything. He was put on duty at times out of his -turn, and not in accordance with the roster. A complaint to the -adjutant or myself always altered these errors; but the sting of -annoyance remained. At drill a hundred petty faults were found with -him, and he was perpetually accused of taking up wrong dressings, -distances, and alignments, till, in his anger and bewilderment, the -poor man sometimes really did so, and then great was the delight of -Pivett! - -"'For what,' said he one day, bitterly, 'for what did I ever leave my -old regiment?' - -"'No good, most likely,' sneered Pivett. - -"'Sir, I won my three good-conduct rings there.' - -"'By a fluke, of course,' replied Pivett; adding, in a loud voice, -'Silence!' to check the rising retort of the other. - -"As Shakespeare has it-- - - "'That in the captain's but a choleric word - Which in the soldier is rank blasphemy.' - -And so it came to pass that whenever Ernslie ventured to remonstrate, -his oppressor invariably sent him to his room under arrest, and -twice--a great insult to a sergeant--to the guard-house; but though -the charges of mutiny and insubordination were always 'quashed' by -the colonel, poor Ernslie felt, as he told me, 'that he was a doomed -man, and safe to come to grief some day, for the sergeant-major had -sworn an oath to smash him!' - -"His son Philip, a private in the troop, saw and felt all this. The -lad's smothered hatred and fear of the sergeant-major were great; but -he did his duty well and steadily, and contrived to elude notice. -Ernslie was proud of his handsome boy, and thanked heaven in the -inmost recesses of his heart when the war was over in the Crimea, for -there father and son had ridden side by side in the famous charge of -the Heavy Brigade, and both had escaped almost scatheless; but when -we were ordered to India, to stem with our swords the great tide of -the terrible mutiny, the father's anxieties were revived again. - -"When our transport was off the Cape de Verd Islands, Ernslie came to -my cabin in great distress, to announce that his wife had just died. -I knew that the poor woman had been ailing for some time past, and -the sickness incident to the rough weather we encountered put an end -to her sufferings, and she died in the arms of her son, for her -husband was with his watch on deck, and the sergeant-major would not -permit him to go below. - -"She had died at daybreak, and by noon that day the body, swathed in -her bedding, and lashed round with spun-yarn, lay on a grating to -leeward, with a twenty-pound shot at the feet, and a Union Jack -spread over it. By sound of trumpet, our men fell into their ranks, -and, like the sailors, all stood bare-headed, silent, and grave, for -a funeral at sea is the most sad and solemn of all. There was a -heavy breeze at the time, and the ship was flying before it with her -courses and head-sails only, and the bitter spray swept over us in -drenching showers. - -"The adjutant read the burial service. At a given signal the grating -was lifted, and the body vanished with a splash under the ship's -counter. Close by me stood Sergeant Ernslie and his son. Clutching -the mizen shrouds with one hand, and Philip by the other, he bent his -pale face over the quarter, as if to give a farewell glance at the -corpse; but it was gone--gone for ever! - -"Ernslie was barely forty; but now he looked quite old and haggard, -and his hair was streaked with gray. He saw Pivett standing near -him, as the men were dismissed, and passing forward or below; and as -if he felt and knew that the original cause of enmity had passed -away, he held forth his hand, and said, in a choking voice, for grief -had softened his heart-- - -"'You'll shake hands with me now, sergeant-major, won't you?' - -"But Matthew Pivett answered only by a scowl, and crossed to the -windward side of the deck. So even by the side of that vast and -uncouth grave their hatred was not quenched; and I had twice to -interfere for Ernslie's protection before our transport ran up the -Hooghly, and landed us at Calcutta, from whence the river steamers -took us up country to Allahabad, where our remount awaited us, and we -took the field at once, under Brigadier-General R----. - -"If Ernslie's tormentor spared his son, it must have been through -some lingering regard for the dead mother, or some soft memory of the -love he once bore her, and Ernslie was thankful that Philip escaped, -for the lad was passionate and resentful, and had vowed to his father -in secret that he would 'yet serve out the sergeant-major.' - -"One morning, long before daybreak, we were on the march towards the -province of Ajmir, where a noted rebel, Hossein Ali, was at the head -of a great force. We had endured the most unparalleled heat; for -days the sky had been as a sheet of heated brass above our heads, and -the cracked and baked earth as molten iron under foot. Cases of -sunstroke had been incessant, and many of our horses perished on the -march. - -"On this morning our thirst was excessive, for the tanks of a temple -on which we had relied for water had become dry in the night, and the -_bheesties_, or water-carriers, attached to the regiment, had -deserted to Hossein Ali, and most of us were without liquid of any -kind in our canteens. - -"Among others situated thus was Sergeant Ernslie, who had been on -patrol duty until the last moment. His son Philip was the orderly of -the colonel, and while that officer's horse was getting a drink, he -had contrived to fill his canteen from the bucket, and held it -invitingly to Ernslie, just as the corps filed past, for the colonel -had not yet mounted. Agonized as he was with thirst, to resist the -temptation was impossible; so Ernslie galloped to where his son -stood, a hundred yards distant or so, near the hut of palm-leaves -which had formed the colonel's quarters. - -"'To your troop, Sergeant Ernslie! back to your troop, sir!' cried -the sergeant-major, in a voice of thunder. - -"Ernslie heard the voice of his enemy, but still rode towards his -son, and took a long draught from his canteen before turning his -horse and galloping back to his troop. - -"'How dare you leave the ranks when on the line of march?' resumed -Pivett, heedless in his fury that this was interfering with _me_. -'Fall in with the quarter guard!' he added, in his most bullying -tone; 'and consider yourself under arrest!' - -"'I shall do neither one nor the other,' replied Ernslie, trembling -with passion. 'I am under the orders of the captain of the -troop--not yours. Keep your own place, or, by heaven, I shall make -you!' - -"And in his just anger, Ernslie was rash enough to shake his sword -with the point towards Pivett--an unmistakable threat. So the -colonel was compelled to place him under arrest, in the face of the -whole regiment. - -"'At last you have fixed me, sergeant-major!' said he, calmly, but -bitterly, as he sheathed his sword, and turned to the rear; 'but if -you look for your true character, you will find it in the "Military -Dictionary."' - -"'Likely enough; but under what head? Discipline?' - -"'No. Tyrant! See how that is defined!' - -"The sergeant-major did look, and saw that Colonel James therein -defines, 'Petty tyrants--a low, grovelling set of beings, who, -without one spark of real courage within themselves, execute the -orders of usurped or strained authority with brutal rigour;' and as -he read on Pivett grew pale with rage. - -"At the first halt of the brigade, a general court-martial, of which -I was the junior member, sat, by order of General R----. An example -was wanted; so Ernslie was reduced to the ranks. - -"Our parade next morning was a gloomy one, as we formed a hollow -square of close columns of regiments, near the ruins of a great -Hindoo temple. The sun was yet below the horizon, and in the dim, -cold light, the face of Ernslie looked pale and ghastly as he was -marched into the square, a prisoner, between two armed troopers, one -of whom, with execrable taste, the sergeant-major had contrived -should be his own son, Philip. - -"The sergeant was nervous in bearing and restless in eye; but his -mind seemed to be turned inward. He was thinking, perhaps, of the -terrors of the day at Balaclava, of the dead wife he had committed to -the deep, or of the boy who stood scheming revenge by his side; but -it was not until he felt the penknife of the trumpet-major ripping -the worthily-won chevrons from his sleeve that a groan escaped his -lips, a flush crossed his haggard face, and his soul seemed to die -within him. - -"Then he slunk to the rear of his troop, a broken and degraded man. -Philip's dark eyes were full of fire, and, if a glance could have -slain, the career of Matthew Pivett had ended there. - -"We all felt for the sergeant, and knew that in the vindication of -discipline he had been made a victim; but that night the Queen lost a -good soldier, for Ernslie was absent from roll-call--he had -disappeared without a trace, and the sergeant-major openly declared -his belief that he had deserted to the rebel Sepoys, under Hossein -Ali. - -"The truth was, though we knew it not at the time, that Ernslie, when -wandering alone and unarmed near our camp, communing with himself in -a storm of grief and misery, had actually been waylaid and carried -off by some of Hossein's scouting Sepoys, who by that time were tired -of slaughtering and torturing the white Feringhees. They spared him, -and discovering somehow that he had once been a _golandazee_, or -gunner, they chained him naked to a field-piece, and kept him to -assist in working their cannon against us in Kotah, the place which -we were on the march to besiege and storm. - -"So poor Anthony Ernslie's name was further disgraced by being scored -down as a deserter in the regimental books. - -"The forces which we accompanied, under General R----, consisted of -the 8th Royal Irish Hussars, H.M. 72nd Highlanders, 83rd and 95th -Regiments, together with the 13th Bengal Native Infantry, a corps -which had not yet revolted, but was sorely mistrusted. - -"The enemy in Kotah consisted entirely of mutineers, but chiefly -those of the 72nd Bengal Infantry, whose scarlet coats were faced -with yellow, exactly like those of the 72nd Highlanders, now -advancing against them; and we considered it a curious coincidence -that two regiments bearing the same number should meet in mortal -conflict. - -"Our march was a severe one; each of our horses had not less than -twenty stone weight to carry, irrespective of forage, and yet there -was not a sore back or a broken girth either in our ranks or in those -of the 8th Hussars, when, after traversing a mountainous but fertile -and well-watered district, we came in sight of Kotah (which had been -the seat of a Rajpoot-rajah), on the east bank of the Chumbul. It is -a large town, girt by massive walls, defended by bastions and deep -ditches cut out of the solid rock. Its entrances were all protected -by double gateways. - -"Both strong and stately looked the fortified town, when, under the -scorching blaze of an Indian sun, and a hot, red sky, amid which the -hungry vultures floated, we saw it and the palace of the rajah, with -all its lofty white turrets, the roofs of bazaars and temples, -crowning a steep slope that was covered by teak, tamarind, and date -palm trees, all of lovely green. In the foreground lay a vast lake, -with the superb temple of Jugmandul, a mass of snow-white marble, -rising in its centre, its peristyles and domes reflected downward in -the deep and dark-blue water. - -"The rajah had fled. In his palace Hossein Ali, an -ex-_kote-havildar_, or pay-sergeant of the revolted 72nd B.N.I., -reigned supreme; and its marble courts and chambers were yet stained -by the blood of our women, children, and other defenceless people, -who had been slain therein, after enduring indignities and torments -that maddened those who came, like us, to avenge them; and, full of -the memories of those deeds, with the other horrors of Cawnpore and -Delhi to inflame us, we pushed the siege with relentless vigour, -though Hossein's men, with seventy pieces of cannon, gave us quite -enough to do, and our sappers worked in vain to undermine the -enormous walls. - -"Night and day, amid slaughter, wounds, sunstroke, and cholera, we -pounded away at each other with the big guns. Officers and men -worked side by side at them and in the trenches, aiding or covering -the sappers in their scheme of a mine, till we were all as black as -the Pandies with gunpowder, dust, and grime, and till the once gay -uniform of ours had given place to flannel jerseys and rags; our -helmets to linen puggerees, or solar-hats; our pantaloons to cotton -knickerbockers and Cawnpore boots; and even those who had been the -greatest dandies among us were seldom seen without a scrubby beard, a -shovel, a revolver, and Chinshura cheroot. In short, we were more -like diggers or desperadoes than her Britannic Majesty's dragoons. - -"With a working party composed of men of various corps, one morning, -before daybreak, I was assisting the sappers at the mine, while the -enemy, with shot, shell, and rockets, did all they could to retard or -dislodge us. It was a horrid place, I remember, encumbered by dead -camels and horses--yea, and men, too, in every stage of -decomposition, where the gorged vultures hovered lazily among fallen -ruins and whitening bones. - -"'Jack Sepoy thinks it no sin now to bite the greased cartridge--the -scoundrel!' said one of my men, as a bullet broke the shovel in his -hand. - -"'Sin--as little as to cut the throats of our wives and children in -cold blood!' added another, with a fierce oath. - -"'Fighting for glory is a fine thing,' said young Philip Ernslie, -resting on his pickaxe; 'but fighting for a shilling per day, with a -penny extra for beer, is a different affair.' - -"'But we are fighting for revenge, Phil,' said a soldier, whose wife -and children had perished at Meerut. - -"'True,' replied Ernslie, through his clenched teeth; 'and times -there are, by Jove! when even revenge may be just and holy!' - -"'Silence!' growled Sergeant-Major Pivett, still in pursuance of his -feud. - -"'Down, men--down!' cried I, 'for here comes a shell.' - -"Humming through the air, but, oddly enough, _not_ whistling, a -ten-inch shell fell near me, and, with a thud, half sunk into the -soil. Strange to say, it was without a fuze; the touch-hole was -simply plugged by a common cork, in which a half-scorched quill-pen -was stuck. After lying flat on our faces, and watching it uneasily -for some time, and all fearing a snare, or the explosion of some -poisonous stuff, I ventured to roll it over with a shovel, and found -that it was empty, or quite unloaded. Pivett, who certainly did not -lack courage, sprang forward, and, extracting the cork from the -fuze-hole, found a scrap of paper attached to it, and on the scrap -was written, with ink that seemed to have been composed of gunpowder -and water, these words:-- - -"'_I am a prisoner in Kotah. The work of the sappers is useless, for -where they are mining the rock is solid. There are seventy guns in -this place, and I am chained to one of the seventeen in the right -bastion. If the front gate is blown up, the place may be carried at -the point of the bayonet, as the way beyond is quite open._ - -"'A. ERNSLIE, _private, H.M. --th Dragoons_.' - -"'I knew that fellow had deserted to the enemy!' growled the -sergeant-major. - -"'Silence,' said I, 'and do not be unjust in your hatred.' - -"'It's a message-shell, sir, a message-shell, and fired by my father, -poor man. Heaven help him!--he is in the hands of the Sepoys!' -exclaimed young Ernslie, whom, with the shell and note, I took at -once to the general, whose tent was by the margin of the lake. - -"This information caused the staff at once to abandon the idea of a -mine, and all our energies were now bent against the great gate. - -"Though the junior regiment of the division, the 72nd, or Duke of -Albany's Own Highlanders, were ordered to furnish three hundred men -for a storming party, and at two o'clock on the morning of the 30th -of March the grand assault was to be made, while we--the -cavalry--were in our saddles, to cover, and if possible assist in the -attack, when the great gate was forced. - -"'My brave lads, rouse!' I heard the adjutant of the Highlanders cry -in the dark; 'quit your dog's sleep--half-dozing and half-waking--and -fall in. Fall in, stormers!' - -"And while the warning pipes blew loud and shrill, cheerfully they -formed by companies, those brave Albany Highlanders; and stately, -indeed, looked their grenadiers, with their tall plumed bonnets and -royal Stuart tartan; for the highland regiments during the mutiny had -not time to adopt Indian clothing, and went at the Pandies in their -kilts and ostrich feathers, just as their forefathers did at Madras -and Assaye. - -"Silently they crossed the river in the dark, where the graceful date -palms and the luxuriant mango topes cast a deeper shadow than the -starry night upon the water. Then, quitting their boats, they crept -close to the great outer wall of Kotah; but so great was the delay in -blowing up the gate, that day broke, the Highlanders were seen, and -for hours we sat in our saddles helplessly, and saw the enemy pouring -shot and shell upon them from the same bastion where we knew poor -Tony Ernslie was chained to a gun. - -"Suddenly there was a dreadful shock; the wall of the city seemed to -open, as it rent and gaped, a blinding cloud of dust and stones -ascended into the air, and a shower of wooden splinters, the -fragments of the great gate, flew far and wide, as our mine blew the -barrier up. - -"A mingled shout of 'Scotland for ever!' the old Waterloo war-cry of -the Black Watch and the Greys, broke from the Highlanders* again and -again, as they rushed in with fixed bayonets, driving back the -terrified Sepoys, storming bastion after bastion, and capturing two -standards. The other regiments broke in at different points, and -after much hard fighting Kotah was ours, and then we rode through the -streets cutting down the fugitive rebels on right and left. - - -* See _Scotsman_ of 28th of May, 1858. - - -"Philip Ernslie and a few of his comrades made straight for the -bastion indicated in his father's note. It was deserted by all save -a few dead or dying Sepoys; but a more terrible spectacle awaited the -searchers. - -"Stripped nude, and nailed to the wall of the bastion by the hands -and feet, hung the body of Anthony Ernslie, minus nose and ears, and -otherwise horribly mutilated! - -"Even this appalling spectacle failed to excite the pity or soothe -the hate of the malevolent Matthew Pivett (but we were well used to -scenes of horror and barbarity during the mutiny), for he audibly -expressed a conviction 'that Ernslie had met his just reward for -deserting to the enemy.' - -"'I shall make you eat your words before the going down of the sun, -by the God who made us, I shall!' said Philip Ernslie, in a low, -husky voice, heard only by the sergeant-major, who shrunk back, so -impressed was he by the fierce and resolute aspect of the lad, by the -deep concentrated loathing that glared in his eyes, making his lips -ashy pale, and causing every muscle to quiver; but this emotion was -unseen by others, and his threat was unheard, luckily, for if Pivett -could have found a witness, he would at once have made young Ernslie -prisoner on a charge of insubordination, as he really dreaded his -vengeance. - -"About dark that evening the sergeant-major was returning from the -bungalow of the colonel, where, with the adjutant, he had been -preparing lists of casualties and for our march on the morrow, when -we and the 8th Hussars were to surround a village that was full of -fugitive mutineers. The day had been one of toil, of strife, and -heat; now the atmosphere was steamy and moist, and Pivett was -enjoying by anticipation the comforts of a hearty supper and a cool -sleep in his tent, the sides of which his _tatty-wetter_ had, no -doubt, soused well with cold water. - -"To reach the cavalry camp he had to pass through a ravine, not far -from the town wall--a narrow place, full of prickly and thorny -shrubs, where the beautiful silky jungle grass grew in such wild -luxuriance that, in some instances, it was almost breast-high, and -where the perfume of the many aromatic plants came floating on the -puffs of warm air. - -"Traversing the narrow path on foot, with his sword under his arm, he -was suddenly confronted in the dusk by Philip Ernslie, who resolutely -barred the way. He, too, had his sword by his side, but in each hand -he had a holster pistol. His features were pale as those of a -corpse, and might have passed for such, but for the nervous twitching -of his lips as he spoke. - -"'You know, Matthew Pivett, for what purpose I am here?' - -"'Mutiny and murder, likely enough,' replied Pivett, who was a stern -and resolute man. 'Give up those pistols--fall back, and return to -your quarters, or I shall cut you down.' - -"'Draw your sword but one inch from its sheath, and I shall send a -bullet through your brain!' replied Philip, cocking one of the -pistols. 'You maddened my poor father by your systematic tyranny for -years; you had him reduced and degraded, and driven desperate from -among us. You wronged his memory this morning, and taunted even his -mutilated remains----' - -"'Scoundrel! what then? Would you dare to murder me?' exclaimed the -undaunted sergeant-major. - -"'No, you shall have a chance for your life. Oh, Matthew Pivett, I -have long looked for an opportunity like this, when I might meet you -face to face; so take your choice of these pistols, for, by the -heaven that hears us, you or I must lie dead here to-night!' - -"As Philip spoke solemnly and sternly, with clenched teeth and -flashing eyes, he thrust a pistol into Pivett's hand. - -"'Quarter guard!' shouted Pivett, as he made a resolute attempt to -grasp the throat of Ernslie, who thrust him back with the barrel of -the other pistol, crying-- - -"'Stand back, sergeant-major, and keep your distance, or I shall -shoot you down like the dog you are!' - -"Pivett, who now saw there was no resource but to fight, withdrew a -pace or two, and fired straight at Ernslie's head. The ball whistled -through the white puggeree, or cap, and slightly grazed his left ear. -He gave a ghastly smile, and said-- - -"'You were rather quick, sergeant-major, but now it is my turn!' - -"He levelled his pistol, with a deadly, triumphant, and vindictive -aim, straight at the glaring eyes of the agitated Pivett; but the -percussion cap must have been defective--it snapped and hung fire. - -"'Seize this mutinous rascal!' cried the sergeant-major to a patrol -who, on hearing the explosion of the first pistol, came galloping up; -and Philip was instantly made prisoner by a party of the 8th Hussars, -who had seen the whole situation. - -"Another court-martial sat by break of day, in the palace of the -Rajah of Kotah, and, wan and haggard, after a sleepless night, -fettered by handcuffs, and looking the picture of misery, Philip -Ernslie stood before it, charged with violating the forty-first -clause of the second section of the Articles of War, which ordain -that 'any officer or soldier who shall strike a superior, or use any -violence against him, shall, if an officer, suffer death, and if a -soldier, death, transportation, or such other punishment as by a -general court-martial shall be awarded.' - -"The majority of the members of the court were strangers to the lad -and his story, and the father's alleged spirit of insubordination, -manifested when on the march to Kotah, was now brought forward in the -prosecution of the son. The court was but an epitome of the greater -world, where accusation is condemnation. Nothing is so fallible as -human judgment, but nothing so pitiless. - -"As captain of Philip's troop, I gave evidence of all I knew, and of -the good characters borne by father and son; but, after the brief -proceedings terminated, and the court was cleared for the -consideration of the verdict and sentence, I knew too well what they -would of necessity be. - -"That evening the chaplain visited the prisoner, who was confined in -one of the vaults of the palace, to announce that on the following -morning he was to--DIE! - -"He spent nearly the whole night with the poor lad, who was quite -resigned, and so calm and prepared for his fate that he begged to be -left alone for a little sleep before the appointed time; and when the -provost-marshal came at gun-fire, he found Philip Ernslie in a -profound slumber, with a horse-cloak spread over him, and his head -resting on a bundle of straw. - -"Never did we parade with more reluctance than on that 31st of March -at dawn, and all the corps in and about Kotah, with some others that -had marched in during the night, got under arms to witness the -execution. It was a lovely Indian morning. The beams of the sun -shone redly on the white marble domes and carved minarets of Kotah, -and on the turrets of the rajah's stately palace. - -"The place where we paraded was a hollow between two hills that were -covered with beautiful groves of the peepul-palm and teakwood, and -flocks of wild peacocks and green paroquets flew hither and thither -as we were massed in columns round the spot, where an open grave was -yawning, and where the guard of the provost-marshal--twelve men and a -sergeant--stood with their rifles loaded. - -"Every face was expressive of intense anxiety to have the whole -affair over, and many were very pale. - -"Accompanied by the chaplain of the cavalry brigade, who wore a -surplice over his black uniform surtout, and praying very devoutly -with his fettered hands clasped before him, Philip Ernslie, guarded -by an escort, came slowly into the square of regiments, and stopped -midway between the firing party and that premature grave that was so -soon to receive him. His face was frightfully pale; he looked at -that black hole, which yawned so horribly amid the green turf, calmly -and steadily, and something of a smile--but not of bravado or -derision--stole over his features. - -"My heart bled for the poor lad; but I was immensely relieved when -our colonel said, in a whisper, as he passed me-- - -"'The adjutant-general has a reprieve from General R---- in his -pocket, so there will be no execution.' - -"'Thank heaven!' I exclaimed, fervently. - -"'We are but acting out a solemn farce.' - -"'For the sake of effect and discipline?' - -"'Exactly.' - -"'And the sentence, colonel----' - -"'Will be commuted to transportation for life.' - -"It was a human existence blighted for ever, any way; but now I could -look on with more composure. - -"The fetters were removed from Philip's hands. He was ordered to -take off his cap and listen respectfully to the sentence of the -court; and he seemed to do so mechanically, as one in a dream. - -"The proceedings of the tribunal were briefly noted, the enormity of -the crime forcibly adverted to, and then came the doom--that he was -to be shot to death! - -"The young man's usually haughty and handsome face was wistful and -sad in expression now. He merely bowed his head in meek assent, and -in a weak voice asked leave to shake hands with me and some of his -comrades. They came forth from the ranks as he named them, and wrung -his cold and clammy fingers in silence, and I could see that the eyes -of these men were moist with tears; yet they were brave fellows all, -and had charged by my side at Inkermann and Balaclava. - -"Philip next asked for the sergeant-major, that he might shake hands -even with him, and so die at peace with all mankind. But Pivett was -absent from parade that morning, and lay seriously ill in his tent, -for Asiatic cholera had fastened upon him. - -"Philip then turned to the chaplain to signify that he was ready, -and, kneeling near his grave, had his eyes covered by a handkerchief. - -"The whole scene was now worked up to its utmost intensity, and many -officers, who knew not of the reprieve, had taken off their caps to -utter a silent prayer for the spirit that was so soon to appear -before its Maker. - -"The silence was profound, and we heard only the Chumbal rushing on -its course to meet the Jumna, till the voice of the provost-marshal -rang in the air-- - -"'Firing-party--ready!' and softly the rifles were cocked. - -"'As you were!' cried the adjutant-general, with a bright expression -of face; 'half-cock, and order arms! Prisoner, stand up! you are, I -rejoice to say, mercifully reprieved.' - -"Philip Ernslie did not hear the words apparently, for his head sank -forward on his breast. - -"The provost-marshal took his hand to assist him to rise; but the -poor lad fell forward on his face, dead--stone dead--without a wound. -The sudden revulsion of feeling had killed him. - -"So he was actually buried in that unconsecrated ground, beneath the -shadow of the walls of Kotah; but, ere we marched next day, another -grave was formed beside him. - -"It contained the remains of Sergeant-Major Pivett; and, during a -long career of service, I have met with few events which created so -profound a sensation among the troops as this little tragedy." - - - - -THE STORY OF RAPHAEL VELDA. - -On an evening in the September of 1860, some excitement was caused -among the inhabitants of the secluded town of Oppido in Calabria -Ultra, when the gleam of arms announced the approach of regular -troops. The dealers in pottery and silk, in wine and oil, and the -manufacturers of gloves and stockings from the delicate filaments of -the shell-fish named the _pinna marina_, and the water-carrier by the -well, conferred together on this unusual circumstance; the wandering -_pifferari_ paused in their strains before the shrine of the Madonna; -and the rustics of a more doubtful character--to wit, the armed and -lawless _carbonari_ and mountaineers, the brigands, with their -sugar-loaf hats, velveteen jackets, and sandalled feet--looked forth -from the dense forests and coverts wherein they lurked, defying alike -the anathemas of the Archbishop of Reggio and the powers of the High -Court there, and thought the time was near to inspect their guns and -stilettoes, and set their wives to abandon the distaff for the -bullet-mould, as none knew on what errand those troops had come, or -what might ensue ere long, and strange things were expected, for -Mazzini and "The Liberator" had been busy with their manifestoes; -even the Fata Morgana had been showing strange optical delusions of -late in the Bay of Reggio and the Straits of Messina. - -The battle of Aspromonte had been fought in their vicinity during the -preceding month. - -Garibaldi, as all the world knows, intent on raising an insurrection -in Hungary, had placed himself at the head of a body of Sicilian -volunteers, in the forest district of Ficuzza, twenty miles from -Palermo, and, by a hasty and ill-advised movement, he landed these -men from two steamers on the Calabrian shore, where, on the mountain -plateau of Aspromonte--one of the highest of the Calabrian hills, -rising immediately behind the town of Oppido--he was attacked by the -Royal Italian troops, under Colonel Pallavacino. He fell, wounded by -a musket-shot in the ankle, while all his people were surrounded and -made prisoners. - -Military executions followed on many, though "The Liberator," for his -great services in the cause of Italian independence, was never -brought to trial; and now the young grass was sprouting above the -earthy mounds, and round the rude little crosses that marked where -the dead lay in their lonely graves on the slope of the Apennines. - -For two noted brigands who had accompanied him, named Agostino Velda -and Giuseppe Rivarola, rewards were offered at that time in vain. - -The excitement in Oppido was in no way lessened when the sound of -bugles came on the evening wind, and ere long the 3rd regiment of -Bersaglieri, or Italian Rifles, in the service of Victor Emanuel, -with their plumed hats and quaint uniforms, marched into the town, -and halted before the _Albergo del Leon d'Oro_, where the colours -were lodged, and the lieutenant-colonel commanding took up his -quarters. - -The soldiers were placed in an empty monastery; a guard was mounted -there, and also at the _albergo_; and then it began to be whispered -about in the market-place and _cafés_ that the Bersaglieri were to -remain there until a captain arrived from Reggio with some special -instructions for the colonel, Vincenzo il Conte Manfredi, of whom we -shall hear more anon. - -These rumours were unpleasantly connected with a Bersagliere named -Agostino Velda--the same Velda who had followed General Garibaldi, -and who had been brought in with the quarter-guard as a prisoner, and -was now in a cell of the monastery, heavily ironed, and under the -strictest surveillance. - -Among the Bersaglieri of Colonel Manfredi were two soldiers of the -name of Velda--the prisoner Agostino, and his son Raphael, a youth of -little more than twenty years, who bore a character as high and -unblemished as that of his father was degraded and low, dissipated -and vile. Yet the father and son were both eminently handsome men, -and both had fought bravely--the former on the fields of Goïto and -Novara, and the latter at Montebello and Solferino; but latterly to -many crimes and breaches of military law, Agostino had added that of -desertion and consorting with brigands, among whom he narrowly -escaped an assassination in which he became involved; and a notice of -this event found its way even into the _Times_. - -He had thrown aside his uniform, adopted the well-known costume of -the brigands--a gaily-embroidered jacket, a high hat, with broad, -flaunting ribbon, and long leathern gaiters--and, armed with a rifle -and six-barrelled revolver, made his lurking-place among the -mountains near Naples. - -Not far from Acerra--an episcopal city in the province of Lavoro--for -a year prior to the affair of Aspromonte, he had taken up his -residence with a formidable bandit and his wife, with whom he lived, -concealed in a vault, the fragment of some ruined castle or villa of -the old days of Roman Naples. - -There they might have resided long enough together, and made perilous -the road to Rome, but for the sum of two thousand ducats which had -been put upon the head of Agostino Velda after Garibaldi's defeat, -and which proved too much for a friendship such as theirs. - -One day, after a close pursuit, his _padrona_ assured him that he -might safely issue forth, as the police had disappeared; but -immediately on Velda raising the trap-door, which was covered with -turf and branches to conceal their den, he was struck to the earth by -a blow from an axe, dealt full on his head by a most unsparing hand. - -Assisted by his wife, the _padrona_ dragged the body to a ditch close -by, and then, stabbing her to death, he departed at once to Naples, -where he claimed the reward offered for Agostino Velda, whom he -accused of killing the woman. But Velda was not dead--such men are -hard to kill; he was simply stunned, grievously wounded, and made -hideous by the blood that covered him. - -He managed to crawl to the nearest house of the National Guard, to -whom he told his story, denouncing, as his accomplice, the _padrona_, -who was seized and shot, as the reward of his crimes; while he -(Velda) was sent back under escort to the 3rd Bersaglieri, then on -their march to Calabria, to overawe the brigands in that mountain -region, and he was now under sentence and waiting the result of his -trial, the papers connected with which had been forwarded for -approval to General Enrico Cialdini, who, in the subsequent year, was -appointed leader of the entire Italian army, and "Viceroy of Naples, -with full power to repress brigandage." - -The proceedings of the court-martial by which the father had been -tried were actually engrossed by the hand of his son, who was the -clerk to the regiment, and he knew all the papers contained, save the -sentence, which was known to the sworn members of the court alone; -but he could not doubt the tenor of it. - -Shame and gloom clouded the dark and handsome face of the young man, -and this dejection was held sacred by his comrades, though it has -been said that Colonel Manfredi--a man of weak and vicious character, -one, moreover, who was fierce, reckless, and dissipated--was cruel -enough, on more than one occasion, to taunt the innocent son with the -errors of the guilty father. - -The sun was verging towards the watery horizon of the gulf of Gioja, -and the shadows of the Apennines were falling far athwart the deep -and wooded valleys that lie eastward of Oppido, when, full of sad, -terrible, and bitter thoughts, the younger Velda left the little -city, and, after pausing once or twice to cross himself before the -little lamp-lighted Madonnas at the street corners, hurried towards a -spot which was familiar to him, for he was by birth a Calabrian, and -like his father before him had first seen light among those very -mountains where Aspromonte had been fought. - -Under the circumstances in which he was placed, the young soldier -gazed sadly on the scenes of his infancy--on the forest paths and -secluded places where he had been led by the hand of his mother, who -had perished of fever and fright after the battle of Novara. - -Raphael Velda walked rapidly onward for a few miles through a -district that was rich in fruit trees, where the lemon and citron, -the fig, the vine, and the orange were growing, till he reached a -region that was rocky and wild, and where the majestic oaks and pines -of that extensive tract known as the Forest of La Sila, celebrated -even by Virgil in the twelfth book of the "Æneid," cast a deepening -shadow over the way he pursued, and where the goat, the buffalo, and -the wild black swine appeared at times amid the solitude. - -Brightly streamed the evening sun through the openings in the forest -while Raphael, with unerring steps, trod a path that had been -familiar to him in boyhood, and at last reached the place he sought. - -It was a cavern in the gray basaltic rocks; but the entrance, known -only to the initiated, was carefully concealed by the hand of nature, -for the wild fig-trees, the vines, and other luxuriant creepers -completely screened it from the casual eye. - -"Oh, Francesca, my love! my love! what an abode for _you_!" muttered -the soldier as he saw it. But the place was silent as the grave; the -hum of insect life, and the gurgle of a mountain rivulet, whose -course was hidden by the verdure, alone met his ear. "Francesca, my -betrothed! the wife of my heart!" - -Passing through the screen of leaves, Raphael Velda came to a barrier -of wood, wedged between the walls of rock, and on this he knocked -with a resolute hand, though his heart was throbbing with anxiety. - -After a pause, a sound most unpleasantly like the click of a gunlock -met his quickened ear, and he hastily knocked again. - -"_Chi è la?_ (Who is there?)" demanded a stern voice. - -"'Tis I, good Giuseppe--a friend." - -The wooden barrier sharply revolved on its centre, and within the -cavern, half seen in ruddy sunlight, and half sunk in dark brown -shadow, appeared the picturesque figure of a man whose attire and -bearing proclaimed him to be a Calabrian brigand. Strong and -athletic in form, erect and dignified in carriage, the lines of his -dark face and his keen, wild eyes declared him to possess an ardent -and fiery spirit; but his garments were tattered and miserable, his -beard was long, and its natural raven blackness was becoming silvered -by time. - -His sash contained a brace of pistols and a horn-hafted knife, and in -his hands was a long double-barrelled rifle, which was cocked and -held menacingly, for the naturally ferocious expression of his face -deepened when he saw the hostile attire of his visitor. - -"A friend!" he exclaimed scornfully. "Do the friends of Giuseppe -Rivarola wear the uniform of the king's Bersaglieri?" - -"True, I am a soldier, Giuseppe--a soldier of the king; yet am I not -the less your friend," replied Velda gently. - -"Back, I say! I seek not your friendship, boy, and I want not your -blood! Yet," continued the robber, wrathfully, "how am I to save my -own if I permit you to return alive after having dared to track me to -my hiding-place?" - -As Rivarola spoke he involuntarily raised the musket to his right -shoulder. - -"Hold, Giuseppe Rivarola!" cried his visitor. "Have you quite -forgotten me? I am Raphael, the son of Agostino Velda." - -The brigand uttered a cry, threw down his musket, and springing -forward, with all that volubility of gesture and violent declamation -which proclaims the Calabrian a genuine child of nature--a rough and -impetuous mountaineer--he embraced the young man, took him in his -arms and led him into his hiding-place. - -It was indeed a squalid den, and lighted only by a few dim rays of -the fading sunshine which stole in through fissures in the basalt. -In a recess a little Madonna of coarse clay was fixed to the wall of -rock, and the flame of a brass oil-lamp was flickering before it. -Beneath lay a bed or rather a pallet, the neat arrangements of which -indicated the presence of a female hand. - -Outside this lay a couch of leaves and deer-skins whereon doubtless -old Rivarola snatched his few hours of repose. Some vessels of -coarse pottery, an iron pot, a bullet-mould, a powder-flask, and -other similar _et cetera_, made up the furniture; and Raphael looked -round him with a saddened and anxious eye. - -"Francesca?" said he, inquiringly. - -"She has gone to vespers, and to market at Oppido. The poor child -requires other comforts than my gun can procure her on these bleak -mountain sides, or even on the highway, for few men travel now -without an escort of the Carabinieri. I am in hopes that she may be -employed as a _zitella_--(a girl who will make herself useful)--by -the good sisters of the Benedictine convent--God and His Mother bless -them!" continued the brigand, lifting off his old battered hat with -reverence. "The sisters pity her for her own sake, though they -execrate me as one of the godless Garibaldini. Once that our -Francesca is safe within their walls, I shall go farther west, among -the mountains, where some of the men of Aspromonte are still lurking, -though heaven knows that to leave this place for that may be only -_noi cadiamo da Scilli in Cariddi_," he added, using the old classic -proverb. "But while talking of my own affairs I forget yours. What -of your father, my boy?" - -"He has been taken by the National Guard, and is now with us in -Oppido; but under sentence of death, as I too justly fear it must -be," replied Raphael, in a broken voice. - -"Rebellion, desertion, treason, and robbery! What else could be the -penalty of these but death! He will be shot, of course, by the -Bersaglieri." - -"Alas!" - -"Yet you will continue to wear their uniform?" said the old brigand, -his moustaches quivering with anger. - -"I follow the dictates of my conscience." - -"Conscience!" replied the other, grimly. "I had such a thing about -me once; but now---- Well! well!" - -"Are they safe for Francesca, or safe for you, these evening errands -into Oppido?" - -"She goes in as the twilight falls, and always returns after dark, -when none can see the way she takes. But our perils will be -increased now that your precious Bersaglieri are so close at hand." - -"They are increased, Giuseppe. A list of persons to be captured, and -shot if found with arms in their hands, or who prove unable to give a -satisfactory account of themselves, has been given by Cialdini to the -Conte Manfredi, and your name is the _first_ on that fatal roll, of -which I made a copy no later than yesterday, by the Conte's order." - -The outlaw only laughed at this, and his white teeth glistened under -his dark moustache. - -"They will never discover my retreat," said he. - -"Oh, be not too sure of that." - -"It has served me ever since that fatal day at Aspromonte." - -"You are wrong. Either Francesca has been watched or some one has -betrayed you." - -"None could betray me. My secret is known to Francesca and myself -alone," replied the outlaw, confidently. - -"A clue to your hiding-place is in the hands of the Conte Manfredi, -and ere to-morrow--yea, to-night, perhaps--a cordon of riflemen will -be around it. _Povero amico_! I swear to you that this is the -truth!" - -"And my Francesca!" exclaimed Rivarola, mournfully, as he clasped his -brown hands. - -"She is here--here at last!" cried the young man, as a girl sprang -into the cavern; but on beholding his uniform she uttered a low cry -of terror, and shrank behind her father. - -Her figure was slender and _petite_, yet she was full-bosomed and -beautifully rounded. Her eyes were dark, but bright and sparkling, -and softened in expression by their wonderfully long lashes, which, -like her hair, were black as jet. Her attire was poor, but plain and -neat, even to being piquante and pretty. Her scarlet bodice was -handsomely embroidered, and her habit-shirt, like the square fold of -linen that shaded her face, was white as snow, and contrasted well -with the almost olive hue of her complexion. - -"_O padre mio_! I have been pursued!" she exclaimed. - -"By whom?" asked Rivarola, starting to his musket. - -"An officer of the Bersaglieri; but I escaped him in the forest. Oh, -my father! my father! and a Bersagliere is here before me!" - -"Raphael Velda, your betrothed!" said the young man, taking off his -plumed hat, and coming forward from the shade which had partly -concealed him. - -Uttering a soft exclamation of joy, mingled with astonishment, the -girl rushed into his arms, and he covered her face with kisses, -showering them on her brow, her lips and eyes, even on her neck, -where hung her only ornament, a little crucifix of brass. - -"_Ne sono estatico!_ (I am in ecstasies!)" the young soldier -continued to murmur, as he gazed upon the upturned face that lay upon -his fringe epaulette, and so near his own flushed cheek. - -"Oh, what happiness!" responded the girl. "I am beside myself with -joy! Raphael, Raphael, speak to me!" - -"Thou art loved by every one, my child," said the old brigand, who -made no attempt to check the free emotions of the lovers, but turned -away sadly, and leaned upon his long musket. - -"Oh, Francesca, many may--nay, must have loved you; but none as poor -Raphael Velda does," said the lover. - -"If ever we are parted, judging by what I have suffered already, the -_wrench_ will be terrible! Francesca will die!" murmured the girl. - -"No female society ever afforded me the delight that yours does, and -were we to be together for days and days, instead of a few short -stolen hours, I would never weary of looking into your sweet eyes. -How often in camp and on the march, when weary and listless, I have -longed for your beloved shoulder to lay my head upon and go to sleep, -though I fear your presence would put all sleep to flight." - -"Oh, Raphael, when absent from you I seem only to endure existence. -All time seems lost that is not spent with you." - -"And one of our officers pursued you, Francesca?" asked Raphael, -after a pause. - -"Yes, my beloved--from the gate of Oppido, along the highway, and -close up to the forest, where I eluded him by lurking behind an ilex -tree, while he passed on." - -"Is he old or young?" - -"A man of some fifty years, with long gray moustaches curled up to -his ears." - -"_Dio!_ 'tis the colonel--the Conte Manfredi! the greatest _roué_, in -all Naples!" - -"Never mind--soldiers are used to run after pretty girls. You have -escaped him, and if he comes hither my gun will do the rest--there -will be promotion for the major," said Rivarola, calmly. - -But the handsome face of Velda became troubled and clouded. - -His love for Francesca was deep and passionate; yet as a soldier -could he marry and make her a camp-follower--the jest, perhaps, of -his comrades, the prey, perchance, of such a man as the conte?--she, -with all her purity and beauty. A soldier, could he with safety wed -the daughter of a brigand--an outlaw--one of the Garibaldini? She -had been seen and pursued by his _roué_ colonel also, to complicate -and make matters more dubious, perilous, and difficult. - -"Be one of us--throw your allegiance to the winds, and take to the -mountains," the brigand would have suggested; but Raphael was loyal -and good, and mourned the lost lives of Rivarola and his doomed -father. - -But now the sun was set, and he knew that he must soon return to -quarters, as he had only leave till midnight, and, taking his gun, -Rivarola prepared to accompany him a little distance on the way. - -The lovers separated, with an arrangement for their meeting on the -morrow, and from the screen of leaves that hid her wretched home the -poor girl, with eyes half-blinded by tears, watched their figures -retiring through the forest; but scarcely had they been gone ten -minutes when both came rushing back to her. The face of Raphael was -deadly pale; that of Rivarola inflamed by passion, and in his eyes -there sparkled a dangerous light. - -"Conceal yourself, my child. A party of the Bersaglieri are in the -forest, searching, doubtless, for _me_, so I must fly; but I shall -leave your betrothed with you. Surely," continued Rivarola, "he will -be able to protect you from his own comrades, at least. I will fire -a shot to lure these men after me, and away from this vicinity; so, -if you hear it, my children, be not alarmed. To heaven and your love -I trust her, Raphael. Adieu!" - -He pressed the terrified girl almost convulsively to his breast, -sprang up the rocks with his musket slung behind him, and -disappeared, while Raphael led Francesca into the cavern and closed -the door. - -The task of soothing her was a delightful one; but then came the -reflection--what was he to do? To remain there with her was -impossible, as, ere midnight, he would have to report himself to the -quarter-guard, and could he leave her alone--alone in the wild forest? - -No! She should return with him to Oppido, and seek at the -Benedictine convent that shelter which would not be denied her. This -was soon resolved on, and, though about to leave the cavern, perhaps -for ever, she reverentially trimmed anew the votive lamp before the -little Madonna, while Raphael stole for half a mile or so into the -forest, to assure himself that his comrades were gone. This proved -to be the case, as they had heard the distant random shot of -Rivarola, and, following it, had disappeared. - -"Heaven be praised!" said Raphael, aloud; "the road is clear for her -and me." - -He was returning to the hiding-place, when a shrill cry--almost a -shriek--from Francesca made him spring forward with all the speed he -could exert; and he saw with dismay that the barrier of wood and -screen of leaves were alike thrown down, and that an armed man stood -within them. - -All that his heart had foreboded of evil--the climax of every vague -apprehension to which the soul of Raphael Velda had been a prey--was -reached when he beheld his beautiful little Francesca struggling to -free herself from the grasp of her visitor--his colonel, the Conte -Manfredi! - -Of all men in Italy, the man from whom he had most cause to fear--the -man who held in his hands, perhaps, the life of his father, Agostino -Velda, and his own life as a consorter with outlaws--had now tracked -out Francesca as a new prey! This was but an example probably, of -"how oft the power to do ill deeds makes ill deeds done." - -Raphael knew that the conte was a man without scruple or conscience, -possessed of vast wealth, of high rank, and a position which enabled -him always to _crush_ with success all who opposed his wishes, -however vile or cruel those wishes might be; and Raphael was but a -poor Bersagliere, whose father was a convicted brigand. - -All this foreknowledge rushed upon the mind of Raphael, and for a -moment he was paralyzed with dismay; but a moment only. - -The next saw him tear Francesca from the grasp of the conte, whom he -thrust without much ceremony aside. - -In an instant the blade of the colonel's sword glittered in his hand. - -"_In guardia, signore! in guardia!_" cried he, in a voice that was -tremulous with rage; while Raphael, who had no other weapon than the -short sword-bayonet of the Bersagliere, promptly drew it to defend -himself, and therewith he parried one or two thrusts that were aimed -at his breast. As yet the colonel had not recognized him, for the -cavern was dark, or only lit by the tiny votive lamp that flickered -above the humble couch of Francesca. "Ha, Signore Spadaccino!" said -Manfredi, mockingly, "I'll be through your body this time." - -But, by a rapid circular parry and great strength of wrist, Raphael -twisted the sword from the hand of the conte, who then drew a pistol. -All this passed in a few seconds; while Francesca, crouching behind -Raphael, looked upward with her face blanched by terror. And now, as -he levelled the pistol, the conte for the first time discovered that -his antagonist was a soldier. - -"_Como vi chiamente_ (what is your name)?" he asked, in a voice of -thunder. - -"Raphael Velda, signore." - -"_Ehi!_ one of my own men, too!" - -"_Illustrissimo--si--_I have the honour," replied Raphael, with a -profound salute, but keeping his sword drawn, nevertheless. - -"Oh, Raphael! my love! my love! you are lost! Spare him, Signore -Colonello! spare him!" cried Francesca. "He is too young to die!" - -"Leave this place, Raphael Velda," said the conte, in a low, hoarse -voice. - -"Never!" - -"Indeed! When are you due at Oppido?" - -"I have my captain's leave till midnight, signore." - -"_Mezzanotte_? Good. It wants but two hours of that time now," said -the mocking conte, looking at his watch. "You know, I presume, the -penalty of drawing upon a superior officer?" - -"No--not when in defence of my own life, and of one who is dearer to -me than life." - -"_Veramente_--indeed!" drawled the other, curling up his enormous -moustache, which he wore in imitation of King Victor Emanuel. "This -girl--the daughter of a brigand--of a Garibaldino--is beyond the pale -of all protection." - -"She is my betrothed wife, signore," said Raphael, with a deep burst -of emotion. - -"Your life is in my hands, Velda, as a consorter with outlaws." - -"Not more a consorter than yourself, signore, if the mere fact of -being here makes me one." - -"Insolent! Yet I will spare your life on one condition." - -"Name it, signore." - -"That you will never mention what has transpired here to-night--our -combat, and my disarmament. Swear it by the God that hears you, and -the soul of the girl you love!" - -Raphael felt astonished at a punishment so unlike Manfredi, but swore -as he was requested. - -"Good," said the colonel, picking up and sheathing his sword. "I -give you life for silence, but my vengeance will come on the morrow!" - -And with these ominous words, which the unfortunate Raphael connected -in some way with his imprisoned father, the colonel quitted the -dreary abode of the Rivarolas, and disappeared in the forest. - -The moment he was gone, Raphael raised Francesca, and strove by his -caresses to reassure her. He affected to make light of the threats -of Manfredi, expatiated on the promises he had given as a reward for -silence, expressed joy that her father had escaped; and, as soon as -she had regained her composure, he led her from the cavern, and -together, hand in hand, with their minds mutually oppressed by fear -for the future, they pursued the highway almost in silence till they -reached the little city of Oppido. - -"Adieu, Raphael," said the girl, weeping on his breast. - -"Oh, Francesca! my dearest Francesca! I cannot tell you how I love -you! And this love continues, if possible, to grow every day. My -whole soul is yours, Francesca!" - -"And I shall yearn long and wearily for you till we meet again. -Separate from you, the most sunny days are gloomy to me, and I seem -to shiver as if chilled by the _tramontana_!" - -And now, after a long and passionate kiss--a _last_ one, as it -proved--they separated at the gate of the Convent of Santo Benedetto; -and, fortunately for Raphael, he was in quarters before the time -necessary, and amid their dull monotony the voice of Francesca ever -lingered in his ear. - -Some valets or emissaries of the conte were at the cavern betimes -before daybreak. The cage was empty, and its pretty bird flown, they -knew not whither; and this only served to inflame him the more -against the elder Velda. - -Next morning the shrill brass bugles of the Bersaglieri were blown at -an unusually early hour, while the mountain summits were yet red with -the first rays of the morning sun, and the whole battalion paraded -under the orders of the conte; for the expected captain had arrived -overnight from Reggio with his final instructions, and, rumour said, -with the death-warrant of Agostino Velda. The latter seemed to be -fully verified by the fact that the regimental chaplain--a Franciscan -friar--had spent the greater portion of the night in his cell. - -It was a lovely Italian morning, and never did the towering Apennines -look more beautiful in their verdure and fertility, while the red -rising sun cast their purple shadows, and those of the great pines -and oaks which clothed their sides far to the westward. To the east, -dotted by many a white sail, the blue Mediterranean spread away -towards the Lipari Isles; and the smoke of many a steamer towered -high into the deep azure of the dome above the Straits of Messina and -the Bay of Gioja. - -The plain where the Bersaglieri (who derive their name from -_bersaglio_, a mark, or shooting-butt) were paraded was a solitary -spot about a mile distant from Oppido, in a rugged ravine, overhung -on all side by masses of rock, which had been rent into fantastic -shapes seventy-seven years before by the dreadful earthquake of 1783. - -The troops were unpopular among the Calabrese; so none of the -inhabitants were present to witness the morning parade, which, on the -part of the Conte Manfredi, embraced a scheme for vengeance such as -an Italian heart of a certain calibre alone could conceive. - -The well-trained Bersaglieri stood silent and firm in their ranks; -the only motion there being the fluttering of their dark-green -plumes, which were caught by the passing breeze. Their -sword-bayonets were fixed on their rifles, as the regiment formed -three sides of a hollow square, and the broad blades of these -reflected gayly the sheen of the morning sun. - -On the vacant side of the square stood an upright post, firmly placed -in the earth, with a stout rope dangling from it. At this object the -eyes of the soldiers looked grimly but sternly from time to time. -The officers leaned on their swords, and yawned wearily in the early -morning air. Since the field of Aspromonte they had grown tired of -the perilous work of brigand-hunting, and looked forward with -something of dismay to the rustication of dull quarters in the -mountain city of Oppido, while knowing that at Reggio there were the -great cathedral, with its aisles of paintings, where people may flirt -if they do not pray, the theatre, the opera, and the promenade of the -Porto Nuovo, where girls handle their fans as girls only do in Spain -and Italy. Even the yearly fair would be lost to the Bersaglieri. -It was all a profound bore! - -While such empty regrets occupied the minds of many, the heart of -Raphael Velda was a prey to a grief and horror all its own. He and -all the regiment thought that he should have been spared a scene so -horrible as the execution of his own father! He had proffered this -request personally, and through the captain of his company, but in -vain. The conte was inexorable. He only gave one of his sinister -smiles, and shrugged his shoulders in token of refusal. So, pale as -a spectre, and trembling in every fibre, Raphael stood under arms in -his usual place. - -Agostino Velda, though an old soldier of the corps, who had, as we -have said, fought loyally on the field of Goïto, in Lombardy, and -that of Novara, in Piedmont, was viewed now only as a disgrace, a -brigand and Garibaldino; so, although all sympathized with his son, -and deprecated his presence on an occasion so awful, they cared -little otherwise about the impending execution. But how little could -they foresee the terrible _triple_ tragedy which was to ensue on that -bright and sunny morning parade! - -From the lower end of the ravine was seen the gleam of approaching -bayonets, and the prisoner appeared with fetters on his hands, -walking slowly between a file of Bersaglieri, and by the side of the -chaplain--a very reverend-looking old man, who wore the garb of a -Franciscan--and who had been praying with him all night in the vault -of the old castle, which served as a dungeon. And now poor Raphael -felt an icy shudder pass over his whole frame as his father drew near. - -He had already that day at dawn taken a passionate and affectionate -farewell of him, and they were to meet no more on earth; but yet the -dark and haggard eyes of Agostino Velda wandered restlessly and -yearningly along the ranks, as if in search of a beloved face. - -He was a splendid-looking man, in the prime of life. His stature was -great, and his bearing lofty and commanding. The pallor of his face -contrasted strangely with the raven blackness of his voluminous beard -and hair; the latter seemed to start up in sprouts from his forehead -and temples, and fell backward like the mane of a lion. His eyes -were dark--dark as the doom that awaited him; and their usual -expression was fierce, defiant, and lowering. - -He was bareheaded, and muffled in an old regimental great-coat, which -was intended to be his shroud. - -"I have repented of all my faults and crimes," said he, in a firm -voice, and with a collected manner. "I see now, old comrades, the -folly, the wickedness, of my past life, and am ready to die for it!" - -The proceedings of the court-martial were then read over by the -adjutant, and they closed with the sentence-- - -"_That he--the said Agostino Velda, lately a Bersagliere of the 3rd -Regiment, and now a brigand--was to be tied to a post and shot to -death by any three soldiers whose doubtful character might lead the -colonel to select them for that duty as a species of punishment!_" - -The hand of Manfredi seemed to tighten on his bridle-rein as he heard -this, and there passed a grim smile over his face as he handed a -pencilled memorandum to the sergeant-major, who changed colour as he -read it, and in his utter confusion actually forgot to salute his -officer, under whose glance most of the Bersaglieri cowered, for he -was supposed to possess that terror of the Italians, an evil-eye. He -paused for a moment irresolutely, and then turned to obey, for -discipline and obedience become a second nature to a soldier. - -While the pioneers bound the passive prisoner to the stake, the -perplexed sergeant-major summoned from the ranks two soldiers who had -been punished repeatedly for breaches of discipline, and twice for -robbery, as their names had been given to him by the colonel. Then, -pausing slowly before the company in the ranks of which Raphael Velda -stood, pale as a sheet, and supporting himself on his rifle, he -summoned him to step forth, as the _third_ fire, to complete the -firing-party. - -A thrill of horror and dismay seemed to pervade the whole regiment on -witnessing this, and now Raphael rushed to the front. - -"_Signore Illustrissimo--oh, colonello mio!_" he exclaimed, in a -piercing voice, while gesticulating with all the fervour of a true -Calabrian; "_Dio buono!_ you cannot mean this! It is too cruel--too -terrible. The king will resent it--General Cialdini will never -permit it," he added, wildly and incoherently, while his tongue -seemed to cleave to the roof of his mouth. - -In a paroxysm of grief he knelt before the conte, entreating him to -alter the terrible selection--to forego this subtle scheme for -vengeance, while the pale prisoner, who saw and understood the whole -situation, uttered a cry of grief, and, dropping the crucifix which -the chaplain had placed in his hands, covered his face with them. - -"What can be the meaning of this?" was whispered round the ranks. - -Raphael alone could have told; but he was sworn to secrecy--secrecy -by God's name and the soul of Francesca. - -In vain did the major--a gallant old soldier, who possessed great -influence in the corps--urge the conte to change his plan; in vain -did the venerable chaplain supplicate on one hand and threaten on the -other; and in vain also did Raphael Velda, whose voice had now left -him, stretch his hands towards the conte in mute entreaty. - -Vincenzo Manfredi was inexorable! - -"I do not command the son to shoot the father, but the loyal -Bersagliere to slay the convicted felon," said he; and then, with a -voice and bearing that forbade all hope of his revoking an order -which filled the regiment with indignation and bewilderment--for the -character of Raphael was unimpeachable, and even were it not so, the -selection was alike cruel and unnatural--he ordered the firing-party -to fall in at fifty yards' distance from the criminal, and to load -and cap their rifles. Then the remainder of the obnoxious task was -to be performed by the sergeant-major. - -"_Sono allo desperazione!_--I am in despair--oh, Francesca!--oh, my -father!" moaned Raphael, as he loaded mechanically, and knew that -even if he fired in the air he would throughout all his future life -be branded as a parricide--as the executioner of his own father! - -A blindness--a horror, like a great darkness--seemed to come over -him, and for a few moments he was beside himself with excess of -emotion. For a second or so the idea of shooting Manfredi at the -head of the regiment occurred to him, but only to be dismissed, for -that officer was so placed that he could not have been hit without -the risk of killing another; and now, like an automaton, he found -himself kneeling--one of three executioners--before his father, at -fifty yards' distance. - -Though horror blanched his face, Agostino looked proudly and steadily -at the three dark tubes from whence his doom was to come; for at the -word "three" the executioners were to fire. - -"_Uno!_" cried the sergeant-major, in a voice that was quite unlike -his own; "_due!_ TRE!" - -Reverberating with a hundred echoes among the rocks as the sounds -were tossed from peak to peak, _four_ rifles rang sharply in the -clear morning air, and three men fell dead. - -They were Agostino Velda, pierced by two bullets in his head, which -sank heavily forward on his breast; Raphael, who, by an expert use of -his bayonet as a lever, after uttering a prayer to heaven and for -Francesca, had shot himself through the heart; and, lastly, the Conte -Manfredi, who, pierced by a bullet fired from the rocks above, threw -up his hands with a wild scream, and fell lifeless from his horse! - -His fall and the suicide of Raphael Velda were so totally unexpected, -that the Bersaglieri were utterly bewildered and confounded. The -double catastrophe was almost terrifying even to old soldiers; but -the major was the first to recover his presence of mind, and at the -head of a company proceeded to surround and scale those rocks from -whence the mysterious bullet had come. - -No trace of the assassin could be found, save a long and -double-barrelled rifle, which had been recently discharged, and on -the stock of which was carved the name of the noted brigand, -"Giuseppe Rivarola;" so not a doubt remained that by his hand the -conte had perished. - -In vain were the mountains searched, and princely rewards for his -apprehension offered by General Cialdini and the king; for Giuseppe -was never seen afterwards, though he is supposed to be still lurking -among the wilds of the Abruzzi--the Promised Land of the Italian -brigands. - -As a suicide, the hapless Raphael Velda was buried in a solitary -place, and in unconsecrated ground; but yearly, on the anniversary of -his death--the festival of St. Michael and All Angels--there comes a -Benedictine nun, who kneels by the green sod that covers him, and -with beads in hand and head bent low and reverently, says a prayer -for the repose of his soul. - -She then hangs a wreath of fresh flowers on the little cross that -marks his grave, and glides slowly and sadly away. - - - - -LA BELLE TURQUE. - -THE STORY OF THE PRINCESS CÉCILE. - -Of all the wandering claimants to royalty, scions of kings "retired -from business," _soi-disant_ regal pretenders, false or real--whether -like Perkin Warbeck, or the six Demetriuses of Russia, some more -recent pseudo-heirs of the house of Stuart who figured in Austria -after the "Quarterly" drove them out of Scotland, "the Duke of -Normandy" in London, and so forth, who have appeared from time to -time, none have had so marvellous a story to tell as the Princess -Cécile, "La Belle Turque," as she was named, who, announcing herself, -in two volumes octavo, to be a daughter of the deposed sultan Achmet -III., took the heedless world of Paris by surprise, about a hundred -years ago, and whose narrative has frequently been classed with -romances, though it came forth as a veritable history, and with a -title more clearly avowed than that of "Ascanius, or the Adventurer -in Scotland." - -The editor, who guaranteed its truth, was a man of veracity and -credit in his day; and he urged upon the public, that however -extraordinary and romantic her adventures might appear, they were, -nevertheless, strictly fact; and in a letter addressed to the editor -of the "Journal de Paris," in 1787, he added, that in that year the -lady was still alive in the French capital, "and, notwithstanding her -advanced age, in the enjoyment of good health." - -It is singular that her narrative, whether false or true, as given by -herself and "M. Buisson, Littéraire, Hôtel de Mesgrigny, Rue des -Poitevins,"--as it would furnish ample materials for the largest -three-volume novel--escaped the eyes of Alexandre Dumas, or Viscount -d'Arlincourt, as it is full of adventures of the most stirring kind, -and, told briefly, runs thus:-- - -The introductory part of her story, in which the names of persons of -rank are concealed, contains, necessarily the adventures of her -governess, or nurse, by whom she was first abducted from her home, -and brought to France. It would appear that about the year 1700, a -Mademoiselle Emilia (_sic_), daughter of a surgeon in the French -seaport town of Génes, was, with her lover, a young Genoese, named -Salmoni, in a pleasure-boat upon the Mediterranean, a little way from -the coast, when, notwithstanding "la terreur du nom de Louis XIV.," -they were pounced upon by some Turkish corsairs--a common enough -event in those days, and one not unfrequent, even after Lord Exmouth -demolished Algiers. - -This occurred in the dusk; and the voice of Salmoni, who had been -singing, is supposed to have first attracted them. Being armed, the -Italian defended his love and his life with courage, but fell -severely wounded, and was left for dead in the bottom of his boat, -which floated away, the sport of the waves, while Emilia was carried -off, and, in consequence of her great beauty, was ultimately sold, at -Constantinople, under the name of Fatima, for the service and -amusement of Achmet III., who, in consequence of her accomplishments, -made her a species of governess to his children, instead of retaining -her among the odalisques in the seraglio. This must have been -subsequent to 1703, when Achmet began his troublesome reign. - -She was in this situation of trust, when Salmoni, who had never -forgotten her, after a long and unsuccessful search through many -seaport towns in the Levant--a veritable pilgrim of -love--accidentally discovered, by a casual conversation with a -Turkish seaman, where she was, and how occupied; for this man had -been one of the corsair's crew. - -Disguised as a Turk, and giving out that "he was the father of -Fatima, the trusted slave," Salmoni found means to communicate with -her through an _itchcoglan_, one of the slaves or pages attached to -the seraglio, and they were thus enabled to see each other and -converse, their hasty meetings being but stolen moments of tenderness -and joy. - -Emilia was now in attendance upon a little daughter of Achmet III., -born in 1710, and then six months old. Her mother was the Sultana -Aski, formerly a Georgian slave, and then one of the kadines or wives -of the Sultan, ladies whose number rarely exceeds seven. Emilia was -high in favour with both Achmet and this sultana, as she had been -particularly serviceable to the latter at the birth of the child, -through some little skill she had acquired from her father, the -surgeon; thus the confidence they reposed in her, and the authority -she possessed over all the people in and about the seraglio, -facilitated the execution of those plans for an escape, suggested and -urged by Salmoni. - -With a view to this end, she desired the _bastonghi_, or -head-gardener, to make a see-saw, which was in the gardens, so high -that she--and her pupils, probably--might see the whole city from the -lofty wall that girds this place, where still the trees planted are -always green, that the inhabitants of Galata and other places may not -see the ladies at their lonely promenades. Aided by this see-saw, -she dropped over the wall a billet to Salmoni, desiring him to -procure a ladder, "a steel-yard" to fix it to the masonry, to make -arrangements with a ship captain, and, when all was prepared, to wait -her beneath the wall of that terrible Serai Bournous, which no -slave-woman had ever yet left alive. - -Salmoni promptly obeyed her instructions; he discovered a ship for -the Levant, and, by a note tossed over the wall, informed her of the -night, and the very hour of their departure. - -She was in the act of reading this note--probably not for the first -time--when the Sultan Achmet suddenly entered her apartment; and she -had barely time to toss it, unseen, into a porphyry vase; for this -billet, if discovered, might have consigned her to the bowstring of -the _capidgi-bashi_, or the sack of the black _channatoraga_, and its -concealment forms an important feature in the story of the fugitives. - -The hour--almost the moment--for flight had arrived, and Salmoni, she -knew, awaited her below the garden wall; yet, amid all the terror and -anxiety of the time, so strong was Emilia's love for the little -baby-girl of whom she had the chief care, that she resolved to convey -the child away with her, and hoped eventually to rear it as a -Christian. Collecting all her jewels, and those which Achmet had -already lavished on the infant, she took with them the silken -_fetfa_, or record of its birth; and, to be brief, escaped unseen by -means of the steel-yard and ladder. - -As she descended, the latter was held for her by a person in a gray -cloak, whom she believed to be Salmoni, and into whose arms she was, -consequently, about to throw herself, when another man started -forward, and plunged a sword into his breast. He fled, and a cry -escaped Emilia, who fell to the ground; but at that moment the -captain of the vessel, by which Salmoni had arranged they should -escape, rushed up, and, tearing off the mufflings of the fallen man, -merely exclaimed, "It is _not_ he!" and bore her off to the seashore. - -An alarm had been given. There was no time to wait for the absent -Salmoni; she was placed at once on board the vessel, which -immediately sailed and made all speed to leave the Golden Horn -behind. She proved to be a small craft belonging to Bayonne, -commanded by a young captain from Dieppe; who ultimately landed -Emilia and her charge at Génes, where her first care was to have the -little _Turque_ baptized according to the rites of the Catholic -church. - -This, it is recorded, was done by the _curé_ of St. Eulalie de Génes, -who named her Marie Cécile; and in honour of an event so remarkable, -a salute was fired by the cannon of the château and those of the -ramparts of the fort; and three _religeuses_, named respectively, La -Mère St. Agnes, La Mère St. Modeste, and La Mère de l'Humilité, are -mentioned as having taken a deep interest in the escaped fugitive and -her charge, who was kept in ignorance of her origin till her -fifteenth year. - -We know not how many daughters Achmet III. is said to have had; but -in a letter of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, dated from Adrianople, she -writes of his eldest being betrothed in marriage to Behram Bassa, -then the reigning court favourite, and translates a copy of verses he -had addressed to her. - -Cécile was now taken to several European courts, "at -which"--according to the narrative--"she was received with all the -honours due to her illustrious rank." In Russia, she was presented -to the Czar, Peter I., (who died in that year); but in England, she -would seem to have contented herself with a short residence at a -coffee-house (_café_), in Covent Garden! Among other sovereigns, she -was presented to Pope Clement XI., at Rome, where her beauty, which -she inherited from her Georgian mother, especially the profusion of -her exquisite hair, began to surround her with snares and perils. - -In Rome, her guardian, Emilia, had the joy of once more meeting -Salmoni! The man who had been stabbed beneath the seraglio wall had -not been he, but the Turkish corsair, through whom he had first -traced her there, and who had hoped to make profit out of the -intended escape by treacherously revealing it to the sultan; and for -this purpose he had plotted with a female slave attached to the -palace. This woman, through whose hands the important billet passed, -had artfully erased the hour of twelve, fixed by Salmoni, and -substituted _eleven_. Hence, though the sailor had full time to make -the attempt, he failed in the execution of his purpose; so now, after -all their perils, Salmoni and Emilia were married in the Eternal -City, where the love affairs of "La Belle Turque" speedily began to -attract notice. - -First, we are told, that a duke fell in love with her; but she made -him her friend, assuring him that he could never be more to her, as -she had already become inspired by a passion for a handsome young -Knight of Malta, who hoped soon to be absolved from his vow of -celibacy. While waiting for this, the knight's father, old Prince -----, as mischance would have it, became enamoured of her, reckless -that he was a rival of his son; and, to avoid his importunities, she -and the Salmonis set out suddenly for Paris, where, by the knavery of -a banker, she lost much of the proceeds of the jewels brought from -Constantinople; so that her fortune was reduced from sixty thousand -livres yearly, to about ten thousand. - -In a coffee-house at Paris, Cécile chanced to see in the "Gazette de -France," an account of the misfortunes that had overtaken her father, -Achmet III. This was in 1730, when that weak and imbecile -voluptuary, who had viewed with indifference the Hungarian troubles -and the wars of the north, after being involved in a contest with -Russia, by which he lost in succession the cities of Asoph and -Belgrade, and the provinces of Temesvar, Servia and Wallachia, on the -discomfiture of his arms by Persia, had an insurrection among his own -subjects, and was compelled by the Janissaries to abdicate in favour -of his nephew, Mustapha III., who threw him into a prison, where he -passed a life of mortification and shame, "after he had," as Voltaire -has it, "sacrificed his vizier and his principal officers, in vain, -to the resentment of the nation." - -On reading of all these things, Cécile registered a vow that she -would visit Turkey, seek out her father, and endeavour to console him -in his misfortunes; and the death of her guardian, Emilia, about this -time, together with the annoyance she experienced from the old -Prince, who, presuming on her friendless, dubious, and false -position, daily "became more urgent and less respectful," hastened -her departure. - -Alone she set out for Fontainebleau to solicit a passport as a French -subject, and to return thanks for the protection afforded her by the -court of Louis XIV; but in returning to Paris, her carriage was -stopped at night in the forest, which then covered thirty thousand -acres of hill and valley, and there ensued an episode, which, by its -_coincidences_, seems too evidently romance, though truth at times is -stranger than fiction. - -A handsomely-attired chevalier--who proved to be the -Prince--requested her to alight and enter a voiture, which stood -there with six horses, pleading that she would do so, "without -compelling him to use violence." - -On this, she uttered a cry for help; and ere long another _voiture_ -dashed up, and there leaped out a gentleman sword in hand. He proved -to be the young Duke de ----, her Roman admirer, and he had barely -time to recognize Cécile, when her betrothed, the Knight of Malta, -also appeared on the scene, which thus becomes so melo-dramatic as to -throw ridicule on the story. - -"The Duke is about to deprive you of your mistress," said the cunning -old Prince to his son; "let us jointly use our swords against him in -defence of your dearest interests." - -So thereupon the cavalier of Malta ran the poor Duke through the body -in the most approved fashion; bore off the fainting Cécile to Paris, -and placed her in the hotel of his father. There the renewed, but -secret, addresses of the latter so greatly alarmed her, that on one -occasion she had to protect herself by an exhibition of pistols, -after which she escaped with Salmoni and the Knight, who urged that -she should, in fulfilment of her vow, visit her captive father, while -he once more strove, at the feet of Pope Clement's successor, to get -the oath of celibacy absolved. - -In Turkey, some unruly Janissaries slew Salmoni, and were about to -offer some violence to Cécile, despite her French passport, when she -displayed before them the _fetfa_! This, we are told, was a piece of -yellow silk on which was embroidered, in golden letters, the names of -the Sultan, of her mother Aski, and herself, with the day and hour of -her birth, together with certain passages from the Koran: "The -children of the Sultans are bound with the _fetfa_ immediately after -birth; and this document is deemed a sacred proof of their royal -descent; and at the sight of it every Mohammedan must bow himself to -the ground, and defend with his life the wearer of it." - -By this time her cousin Mustapha III. was dead, and his successor, -her kinsman, Mohammed V., on hearing of her story, and, more than -all, of her beauty, conceived a passion for her, and sent his chief -friend and confident, the Beglerbeg of Natolia, to inform her of the -honour that awaited her. Being informed that it was the fame of her -wonderful hair that had first excited the curiosity and admiration of -the Sultan, she cut it entirely off, and, tossing it to the -messenger-- - -"Go," said she, "and give your master this--the object of his -love--and tell him, that a woman capable of such a sacrifice, knows -no master but Heaven and her own heart!" - -Had chignons been then in fashion, much trouble might have been saved -the fair Cécile; who, finding that a hasty departure from Turkey -alone could save her, demanded, but in vain, a passport from the -Bashaw of Smyrna or Izmir. Urged by her father Achmet, she quitted -secretly by sea, and was landed by a French frigate at Toulon, where -she learned from the lieutenant of a Maltese galley that her lover -had perished in a duel. - -Her journey to Turkey had greatly impoverished her, and now she found -herself in France almost without a friend, with only five hundred -ducats and a diamond, the gift of her father Achmet III. Choosing to -conceal her fallen fortune from every eye, she selected an humble -dwelling in an obscure part of the city, where, long years after, her -editor first discovered her, and where, at a distance from royal -thrones, from human wealth and grandeur, she had sought to pass the -evening of her days in peace and obscurity. "God has blessed my -fortitude," she concludes. "Born in 1710, I have lived to see the -1st of January, 1786, and must now serenely and tranquilly await that -peace by which death must make amends for all the surprising and -afflicting changes of fortune which I experienced in my passage -through life." - -Cécile--if ever she existed at all--must have been then in her 76th -year. Her narrative is certainly mentioned in the "Journal de -Paris;" but in the tide of events that so rapidly followed the year -in which the financial troubles of France began, the meeting of the -States-General, and the crash of the first Revolution following, we -hear no more of "La belle Turque," the _soi-disant_ daughter of the -dethroned Achmet III. - - - - -THE MARQUIS DE FRATTEAUX, - -CAPTAIN OF FRENCH HORSE. - -Few events made a greater sensation in England generally, and more -particularly in London, in March, 1752, than the mysterious -disappearance or abduction--it was called for a time the murder--of -the unfortunate Marquis de Fratteaux, who was actually dragged by -force from the heart of the English metropolis, and immured in the -Bastile, to gratify the strange and unnatural hatred of his own -father. - -This noble, whose name was Louis Mathieu Bertin, Marquis de -Fratteaux, Chevalier of the Order of St. Louis, and a distinguished -young captain of French cavalry, was the eldest son of M. Jean Bertin -de St. Geyran (Honorary Master of Requests and Counsellor to the -Parliament of Bordeaux) and of his wife Lucretia de St. Chamant, both -of whose families were deemed, by character and descent, most -honourable among the Bordelais. In the Blazon ou Art Héraldique,* -Bertin is represented as bearing an escutcheon argent, charged with a -saltire (simple) dentelé. - - -* French Encyclopaedie, 1789. - - -From his birth, the Marquis Louis Mathieu was an object of aversion -to his father, who, on the other hand, doted even to absurdity on his -youngest son, on whom he lavished all his love and his livres, and on -whom he bestowed the estate of Bourdeille. M. Bertin would seem, -almost, from the birth of his second boy, to have determined, by -every scheme he could devise, to deprive the eldest of his -birthright; and this object he followed with singular rancour nearly -to the end of his life. - -It has never been hinted that M. Bertin suspected the paternity of -his heir. Through life the conduct of Madame Bertin was -irreproachable and above all suspicion. - -In the infancy and boyhood of Louis, his father strove by systematic -oppression, and by cutting neglect, to degrade, mortify, and break -the spirit of the poor little fellow: on all occasions giving the -place of honour, and the whole of his affection, to his second son. -As his manhood approached, his father proposed to him the profession -of the law, but as he, weary of his unhappy home, displayed an -inclination for the army, open war was at once declared by his father -against him. To more than one abbé did the young man in his misery -appeal for intercession with his tyrannical parent; but such appeals -only made matters worse, and the Counsellor became so furious in his -wrath, that he made preparations to seclude Louis in some strong -vault or cellar of his mansion. - -The Marquis having discovered the residence of a young woman who was -the mistress of his father, paid her a secret visit, told her the -story of his unhappy life and domestic persecution; and, as his own -mother seemed powerless in the matter, on his knees sought _her_ -interest in his behalf. She would seem to have been touched by the -appeal; and rated the Counsellor soundly for his unnatural conduct, -threatening him with the loss of her affection "if M. Louis were not -left to his own inclination in the choice of a profession." - -In the hope, perhaps, that some English or Prussian bullet might rid -him of a son whom he hated so cordially, Bertin permitted the Marquis -to join the Regiment de Noailles (or 54th Cavalry of the Line, -commanded by the Comte d'Ayen, nephew of Marshal Noailles) as a cadet -or volunteer; but, according to the system then pursued in the French -service, he could receive no pay or emolument, even while campaigning -in Flanders and Germany. After fourteen months of this probation, -however, he was gazetted to a cornetcy in the Regiment de Maine, and -at sixteen years of age became captain of a troop in the 40th -Cavalry, or Dragoons of St. Jal, commanded by Brigadier the Comte de -St. Jal;* his boyish spirit and bravery (not to mention his rank) -having even then attracted the attention of Comte d'Argenson, who was -prime minister of France from 1743 to 1757. The Count prevailed upon -Louis the Fifteenth to make the Marquis a Chevalier of the Royal -Order, and bestow upon him a special pension, in lieu of the wretched -pittance allowed him by his father. - - -* Liste Historique de toutes les troupe au Service de France. - - -This early success in camp and at court seemed to inflame the -resentment of the Counsellor, who now began to affirm that the -Marquis was not his son, but a changeling, or impostor, substituted -by the nurse for his first child, who, he declared, had died while -under her charge; but, as this story could be in no way sustained, M. -Bertin changed his tactics, and resolved to get rid of his eldest son -by--poison! - -A fever with which Fratteaux was seized about this time, favoured the -infamous idea; and his father, who visited him with an air of -concern, contrived to give him, in his medicine, a dose of some -deadly drug which he called an infusion of bark. It nearly proved -fatal, and would inevitably have done so, but for the prompt arrival -of the apothecary who had furnished it, and who, suspecting foul play -when summoned by the Marquis, brought with him a powerful antidote. - -The Counsellor, who was immensely rich, now suborned some worthless -fellows, among whom was an Italian (name unknown), to swear that -Fratteaux meditated a parricidal design against _his_ life; "that the -Marquis, having a quarrel with his father, drew his sword, and would -have killed him but for the interposition of the father of the -Italian, who received the thrust, and died of it." - -This deposition enabled Bertin to purchase a lettre de cachet, by -virtue of which he had his son arrested, and thrust into a monastery -near Bordeaux, where he was treated as a prisoner. Though for the -crime of attempted parricide he might have been broken alive on the -wheel by the then existing laws of France. - -Through the great influence of Bertin as a Counsellor of Parliament, -all his son's entreaties for release, or for a public trial, were -rendered vain, and he lost his commission in the Regiment of St. Jal. -Some of his friends, however, having discovered where he was -confined, and fearing that he might be secretly put to death, broke -into the monastery one night, and assisted him to escape. Through -Gascony and Bearn he fled to Spain, where, without so much as a -change of clothes, without money or letters of introduction, he -arrived, in a famished and destitute condition, at the house of the -Comte de Marcillac (a relation of his mother), who derived his title -from the little town of that name, nine miles north of Bordeaux. - -The Counsellor soon discovered the place of his son's retreat, and, -assisted by a liberal donation of gold, soon procured from the French -ambassador at Madrid a warrant for the arrest of the fugitive, based -upon the powers afforded by that infamous instrument of tyranny, the -lettre de cachet. Once more the unhappy son had to fly; the Comte de -Marcillac supplied him with money; and, embarking at the nearest -port, he sailed for London, where he arrived in 1749. There, under -the name of Monsieur de St. Etienne, he took a humble lodging in -Paddington, then a country village with green fields all round it, -from Marybone Farm to Kensington. His landlord was a market gardener. - -His friends in France and Spain sent him remittances and letters of -introduction to several persons of rank in London. To these, the -pleasant manners, gentle bearing, and handsome person of the young -Marquis speedily recommended him, and ere long he was enabled to -remove nearer town, where he boarded with a Mrs. Giles, in -Marybone--or, as another account has it, "with one Mrs. Bacon, a -widow gentlewoman of much good nature and understanding." But even -in this "land of liberty" he was not safe from the rancour of the -indefatigable Counsellor, with his lettre de cachet. - -The English friends of the Marquis having urged that he should lay -the story of his wrongs before Louis the Fifteenth in the form of a -memorial, the preparation of it was confided to an amanuensis, a -Frenchman named Dages de Souchard. This fellow (though only the son -of an obscure lawyer at Libourne, then a very small town of Provence) -assumed, in London, the title of Baron. A deep-witted, crafty, and -insinuating rascal, he contrived to propitiate many unsuspecting -persons, and claimed to be a strict French Protestant, though he had, -in early life, been a Franciscan monk, or friar minor, in a monastery -at Nerac, in the west of France, and came of a family of rigid -Catholics. Nay, while in the monastery, he seduced a young girl -named Du Taux, whose mother was the lavandière of the establishment, -and they had come together to London, where they gave themselves out -as persecuted French Protestants. Having been born within twenty -miles of Bordeaux, this Souchard knew the story of the Marquis de -Fratteaux, and conceived the idea of turning it to his own profit -before it should reach the ears of Louis the Fifteenth. For this -purpose, delaying the preparation of the memorial, he wrote secretly -to the Counsellor, stating that he knew where his son was, and -offering to make terms to secure and deliver him up! The Counsellor -entered cordially into the scheme, and, after remitting him some -money on account, agreed to settle upon him for life a pension of six -hundred livres, and to pay him two thousand English guineas down, -with two hundred more, for the reward of any assistants or -accomplices he might deem necessary. - -Dages de Souchard immediately set about his treachery, and employed a -man of most unscrupulous character, one Alexander Blasdale, a -Marshal's Court officer who resided in St. Martin's Lane, and whose -follower or colleague, by a strange coincidence, was the very Italian -who had been accessory to the incarceration of the Marquis in the -monastery near Bordeaux. - -On the night of the 25th of March, 1752, they repaired to the -lodgings of the Marquis: who immediately became deadly pale on seeing -the Italian, and exclaimed, in alarm and distress: - -"I am a dead man!" - -Blasdale summoned him to surrender in the king's name. Knowing that -he owed no man anything, Fratteaux was disposed to resist. His -landlady sent for M. Robart, French clergyman, to whom Blasdale, with -cool effrontery, showed a writ to arrest the Marquis for a pretended -debt. The latter was persuaded to yield and to accompany the officer -to his house in St. Martin's Lane, whither he was immediately driven -in a hackney-coach, and there placed in a secure chamber. - -Five gentlemen, "one of them a person of the first fashion," on -hearing of the arrest, repaired to the bailiff, and in strong -language warned him to beware of using the least violence towards his -prisoner, lest he should be called to a severe account; and they -added, that sufficient bail would be found for him in the morning. -One gentleman, named M. Dubois, remained with the Marquis as his -friend, resolved to see the end of the affair, and to protect him; -but about midnight the Italian came in, saying that some one wished -to speak with this gentleman below. On descending to the street, -Dubois found only the bailiff Blasdale, who roughly told him "to be -gone," and thrusting him out of the house, shut him out, and secured -the door. On this gentleman returning with the French clergyman and -others next morning, they were told by a servant-girl "that the -Marquis was gone, in company with several gentlemen." They then -demanded to see her master, but were curtly told that "he was out of -town." In short, neither he nor his victim was ever beheld in -England again! - -Fears of foul play being immediately excited, the whole party -repaired to Justice Fielding, by whom a warrant to apprehend Blasdale -was issued, on suspicion of murder. Application was made to the Lord -Chief Justice, and also to the secretary of state, Robert Earl of -Holderness, for a habeas corpus to prevent the Marquis from being -taken out of the kingdom dead or alive; but all was of no avail, and -the fate of Fratteaux remained for some time a dark mystery. - -It would appear that on finding himself alone, after the rough -expulsion of his friend Dubois, the Marquis became furious with rage; -on which Blasdale swore that as he made so much noise in the house he -would convey him at once to jail. Fratteaux, who feared he might be -assassinated where he was, readily consented to go to jail, and a -hackney-coach was called. In it, he, the bailiff, and the nameless -Italian, drove through various obscure streets and by-lanes. It was -now about five in the morning. - -The marquis again and again implored aid from the coach window in -broken English, but received none; to the watch his keepers said that -he was "only a French fellow they had arrested for debt;" to others -they said he had been made furious by the bite of a mad dog, and they -were going to dip him in salt water at Gravesend. Thus his -entreaties were abortive, and at about sunrise he found himself at a -lonely place by the side of the river Thames. A cocked pistol was -put to his ear, and resistance was vain; he was thrust on board a -small vessel, which had been waiting for him in the river, and which, -after he was secured below, dropped down with the ebb tide. So well -did Souchard, Blasdale, and the Italian take all their measures, that -on the night of the 29th the two last-named worthies landed the -Marquis at Calais, the gates of which town were opened to admit them -long after the usual hour of closing. He was then delivered over as -a prisoner of state to the town authorities, who had all been duly -communicated with, and probably well fee'd, and by whom he was sent, -chained by the neck, in a post-chaise, to his father's house in -Paris. The Counsellor, in virtue of his lettre de cachet, now sent -his son the Marquis to be immured in the Bastile for life. - -"This is the first narrative of the kind which has stained the annals -of England," says a print of the time; "and if it be not the last, -highly as we boast of giving laws to all Europe, we shall be little -better, in fact, than a pitiful colony exposed to the mercy of every -insolent neighbour." Great indignation was excited in London, where -a subscription was raised for the purpose of punishing all concerned -in this flagrant violation of British law; but nothing was achieved -in the end,* though in January, 1754--one year and eight months after -the outrage at St. Martin's Lane--our ambassador at the court of -Versailles, General the Earl of Albemarle, demanded that both the -Marquis and his infamous trepanner, Alexander Blasdale, at that time -in Paris, should be delivered up and sent back to London. His -request was never complied with, and for fourteen years the luckless -Marquis was allowed to languish in the Bastile. - - -* "We are told that a foreign nobleman is already in custody of a -messenger for this offence, and no person is permitted to have access -to him, neither is he allowed the use of pen, ink, or -paper."--_Gentleman's Magazine_, 1752. Very probably this "foreign -nobleman" was the _Baron_ Dages de Souchard. - - -He and his story were soon forgotten, and nothing more was heard of -him, until some of the London papers of July 14, 1764, contained the -following paragraph: "The Marquis de Fratteaux, that French gentleman -who was some years ago forcibly carried off from England to France -and confined in the Bastile, is now at liberty on his estate at -Fratteaux; for when his brother, M. Bertin de Bourdeille, was made -Intendant of Lyons, he obtained his liberty, on giving his word of -honour to remain on his estate at Fratteaux, and never to go above -six miles from it without leave from his father, with whom he had -been at great variance, which was the occasion of his leaving France. -Two months after his arrival at Fratteaux his father went to see him, -and he had permission to return the visit at Bourdeille. He has kept -his word of honour strictly, and lives at present in cordiality with -the whole family." - -Broken in health and spirit by all he had undergone, this unfortunate -victim of a family feud and an unnatural hatred, died soon -afterwards, and thus the wishes of his father were accomplished. - - - - -SOCIVISCA: - -THE STORY OF A GREEK OUTLAW. - -In the year 1688, that district of Western Turkey named -Montenegro--the ancient Illyria--placed itself under the protection -of the Venetian republic, which was then governed by the doge -Francisco Morosini, a famous soldier, who took the castle of the -Dardanelles from the Turks, together with Lepanto and several other -places. - -For a time after this, its inhabitants, those half-Greek and -half-Slavonian mountaineers, with the people of Bosnia, enjoyed -comparative peace; but by the treaty concluded at Passarowitz in -July, 1718, between Charles VI. (last Count of Hapsburg) and the -Porte, they were surrendered to the tender mercies of the Turks, and -became subject to all the exactions of those grasping, ignorant, and -impracticable conquerors. - -However, the hardy warriors of the mountains were scarcely content, -like their countrymen in the eastern portions of Greece, to live on -despised and unmolested for the payment of tribute; the worst and -most humiliating feature of which was the number of children they -were compelled to present yearly to the sultan for service in the -seraglio, or in the ranks of the janissaries, where their identity -soon became lost; and where in the end they realized what Voltaire -termed "a great proof of the force of education and of the strange -constitution of human affairs, that the most of those proud -oppressors of Christianity should thus be born of _Christian -parents_." - -Socivisca, the subject of the following sketch, was born at Simiova -in 1725, of Grecian parents, who reared and educated him in the -profession and faith of the Greek church. He was strong, hardy, and -athletic in form, and of a haughty and resentful spirit, that would -ill brook the circumstances in which he found himself as he grew to -manhood. - -His father occupied a small sheep farm on the slope of those -mountains whose forests of dark pine give a name to the people and -the province. But the proprietors were Turks, who treated the -family, which consisted of the old man and his four sons, with great -severity, subjecting them to constant exactions, insults, and -oppressions. - -They were thus reduced to such extreme poverty that Socivisca, with -all his industry, aided by that of his three brothers, Nicholas, -Giurgius, and Adrian, found himself quite unable to marry a beautiful -Greek girl, of whom he became enamoured in youth. His father, being -of a peaceful and gentle nature, and being perhaps aware of the -hopelessness of resistance, on perceiving that his sons writhed under -their afflictions, besought them to submit with patience to the will -of God; but the four young men, being alike of a fiery and haughty -spirit, and, moreover, being trained to the use of those arms which -the Montenegrin shepherds constantly wear (like the Scots Highlanders -in the last century), they received his advice in reluctant silence, -and not the less resolved to have a trial of strength some day with -their Mahommedan oppressors. - -Native hardihood and warlike spirit were in this instance added to -national animosity and religious rancour; thus Socivisca, like Rob -Roy, vowed that ere long those should tremble "on hearing of his -vengeance, that would not listen to the story of his wrongs." - -The Montenegrins, like most other mountaineers, are eminently -patriotic, and the solemn and melancholy aspect of those dark hills -of Illyria that look down on the Adriatic, to their eyes must seem -well to harmonize with the fallen state of Greece:-- - - "And yet how lovely in thine age of woe, - Land of lost gods and god-like men, art thou! - Thy vales of evergreen, thy hills of snow, - Proclaim thee nature's varied favourite now." - -Though not pure Greeks, but Zernagorzii, of half-Slavonian blood, the -Montenegrins have the most extravagant ideas of independence and the -past glories of their country. Inspired by its scenery, by the real -and imaginary stories of its departed greatness and present -degradation, Socivisca and his brothers registered at the altar a vow -of vengeance on their oppressive Overlords! and as if _fatality_ had -a hand in the matter, it chanced soon after that the haughty Turk, -the proprietor of their sheep farm, accompanied by two of his -brothers, came, either by choice or necessity, to lodge at the farm. -This was in 1744, when Socivisca was in his nineteenth year. - -"We are four to three," said he, "so look to your pistols and -yataghans, after these dogs have had their food and coffee." - -Notwithstanding their vow, it is said that he wavered for a time -before performing the terrible deed; but when he saw his father's -face, sharpened more by want and privation than by age--when he -looked on the rags and sheepskins that clad them all--they the true -lords of the soil--and saw in contrast the rich flowing garments of -fine silk and velvet, laced with gold, and the jewelled weapons of -the three Mahommedans, in whose presence every wooden crucifix or -gaudy little picture of a Greek saint had to be hidden--and perhaps -when the youth thought of his bride, and all that might be if the -land they trod on was indeed their own, every scruple gave way, and, -inciting his brothers to the deadly work, they fell on the three -Turks, as they lounged over their long pipes, and slew them by their -pistols and yataghans, after a very brief resistance. - -In their mails were found eighteen thousand sequins--an unexpected -but most seasonable accession of fortune. The brothers quickly -buried the bodies and all their habiliments. Save the gold, which -was carefully concealed, there remained no trace of the terrible -deed, and as it occurred unknown to all save themselves, in that -solitary little farm amid the savage mountain solitude, no suspicion -of the circumstance fell on them. - -Thus, instead of taking to flight, the Greeks remained quietly where -they were. The Pacha of Bosnia made every inquiry after the three -missing Turks, who were his friends. Suspicions somehow fell on -other parties, who were dragged to Traunick, and executed with great -barbarity, while Socivisca wedded the girl he loved, and lived with -his father and brothers in comparative ease and comfort. - -About a year after the triple assassination, some imprudence of -Socivisca, in displaying the latent pride and ferocity of his -character, together with the unusual amount of money the family were -enabled to spend, excited the surprise and then the ready suspicions -of the pastoral people around them. - -Some whisper of these suspicions reached Socivisca; so by his advice -the whole family abandoned the farm in the night, and, taking with -them only their gold and their arms, departed from the mountains -towards the Venetian territory. - -The weather was severe, the roads were rough, and the elder -Socivisca, unable to sustain privations so unwonted at his time of -life, expired of toil by the wayside, and was hastily buried by his -four sons in a wild and solitary place. - -Entering the territories of the republic, where they were in safety, -in the year 1745, they took up their habitation in the town of -Imoski, which is now in what is termed Austrian Dalmatia, and on the -borders of Bosnia; but in those days the old fortress on the -hill--the site of the ancient Novanium--bore the flag of Venice. - -Here they gave themselves out to be traders, and opened a bazaar, -which they stored with rich merchandise; they built a large house, -and soon became almost wealthy; but the easy life of a merchant by no -means suited the temperament of Socivisca and his brethren,--for the -warrior shepherds pined for their mountain home and the forests of -the Illyrian shore. - -They sold their house, the bazaar, and its goods, and attended by -stout fellows, whose spirit was something like their own, they -returned again to Montenegro, and commenced a series of those forays -and surprises (against the pacha) in which the Black Mountaineers -delight, and in the conduct of which they peculiarly excel; and -during the ensuing summer they contrived to massacre, in various -ways, about forty Turks, as it was against them, and them only, that -all the hatred of Socivisca was directed. - -The habits to which he had been accustomed from infancy pre-eminently -fitted him for the life of a wandering guerrilla. "A Montenegrin," -says Broniewski, a Russian traveller, "is always armed, and carries -about, during his most peaceful occupation, a rifle, pistols, a -yataghan, and cartouch-box. They spend their leisure from boyhood in -firing at a target. Inured to hardships and privations, they -perform, without fatigue, long and forced marches, climb the steepest -rocks with facility, and bear with patience hunger, thirst, and every -kind of privation. They cut off the heads of those enemies whom they -take with arms in their hands, and spare only those who surrender -_before_ battle." - -Seeking no mercy, they yielded none; and if one of their number was -wounded severely, his comrades cut off his head; and when not tending -their flocks, like the Circassians, they spent their whole time in -forays against the invaders of the Black Mountains. But after a time -Socivisca grew weary of slaughtering and beheading the Turks, and -returned once more to his wife and children at Imoski, where he -remained till 1754, engaged in trade, though now and then he slung -his long rifle on his shoulder, stuck his dagger and pistols in his -girdle, and crossed the Bosnian frontier to indulge in his favourite -pastime of slaying the Turks. - -In all his dealings and adventures, whether as a merchant or -guerrilla robber, it could never be discovered that he wronged in the -least degree any subjects either of the Austrian empire or of the -Venetian republic. - -Meantime, two of his brothers married, and Adrian, the youngest, -joined the Aiducos, a band of Morlachians, who had leagued themselves -together for the express but hazardous purpose of preventing the -Turks from crossing what they considered the frontier of their own -country; in short to defend the wooded passes of the Black Mountains. -Brave, rash, cunning, treacherous, and cruel, these Morlachians are a -mixture of Hungarian, Greek, and Venetian blood, and their religion -is a mere mass of superstition, partly Christian and partly Oriental. - -The youth became the comrade of a Morlachian of the Greek church, and -chose him for his _probatim_. This choice of friendship was always -consecrated by a solemn ceremony at the altar of the nearest church, -before which they knelt, each holding a lighted taper, whilst the -priest sprinkled them with holy water and blessed the compact. - -United thus, the _probatims_ are bound for life to assist each other -in war or peace, in danger or adversity, against all men whatsoever. -The young mountaineer, however, made an unfortunate choice of a -friend, for the probatim lured him to his own house, gave him drugged -wine, and for a sum of money delivered him over, bound hand and foot, -to the Pacha of Traunick, which is one of the six military pachalics -into which Bosnia is divided. - -After exposing the poor youth, who was a model of manly beauty, -stripped and nude before the people, the pacha put him to death, amid -the most exquisite tortures that the Oriental mind can suggest. - -On hearing of this atrocity Socivisca was filled with rage and grief; -but dissembling, he armed himself fully, and travelled without -stopping until he reached the residence of the false probatim, whose -father, a subtle old Morlachian, received him with an air of such -grief and commiseration that he succeeded completely in making our -mountaineer believe that the son was innocent of the crime laid to -his charge by common rumour. The probatim next appeared, and acted -_his part_ so well, and shed so many tears, that Socivisca, -confounded and convinced, gave him his hand, and consented to dine -with the family. Then the young Morlachian said that, "in honour of -such a guest, he would kill the best lamb in his flock;" and he went -forth, but instead of going to his pastures, he rode on the spur -twelve miles to have a conference with the mir-alai who commanded a -body of Turkish horse on the bank of the Danube, and to inform him of -where Socivisca was to be found, receiving from the officer a -handsome sum for his second act of treachery. - -The day wore on, and evening came without either the lamb or the -probatim appearing. The wily host, who knew what was on the _tapis_, -left nothing unsaid to satisfy the doubts of Socivisca, who, after -night-fall, retired to his bedchamber, but not to repose; for strange -and unbidden forebodings of coming evil tormented him. He dared not -sleep, and he seemed to hear the voices of his wife and children -mingling with the wind that shook the woods, and with the tread of -coming enemies. His dogs, also--two of that Molossian breed which is -unsurpassed for strength and ferocity--warned him by their snorts and -restlessness of approaching danger,--for dogs at times are said to -have strange instincts. At last, unable to endure the suspicions of -peril and treachery, he sprang from bed, dressed himself in the dark, -and sought for his arms, but _they had been removed_! - -Musket, pistols, yataghan, and all were gone. He called on his host -repeatedly, but without receiving an answer. Then, inspired by rage -and the conviction that, like his brother, he had been snared to his -doom, with a flint and tinder-box, he lighted a lamp, went forth to -search the house, and soon appeared by the bedside of his host. - -"Wretch!" he exclaimed as he seized him by the beard, "my arms--where -are they? Speak ere it be too late for us both!" - -Every moment expecting to hear his son return with a party of Turks, -the Morlachian attempted to expostulate and to temporize; but -Socivisca's eye fell on a small hatchet that lay near, and snatching -it up, with a terrible malediction, he cleft the old traitor's skull -to the chin. - -On this a female servant, dreading her master's fate, gave Socivisca -his arms, and he fled into the woods close by, where he lurked long -enough to see the probatim arrive with a party of Timariots, who -surrounded the house. On this the fugitive withdrew and retired -towards the mountains, swearing by every saint in his church to have -a terrible revenge! - -Assembling his followers, he descended in the night, and guarding all -the avenues to prevent escape, he set fire to the house of the -probatim, who perished miserably with sixteen of his family, all of -whom were burned alive, save a woman, who was killed by a rifle-shot -when in the act of leaping from a window with an infant in her arms. - -After these affairs the Pacha of Bosnia, a three-tailed dignitary who -resided at Traunick, scoured the country with his Timariots, and made -such incredible efforts to capture Socivisca, that though the latter -multiplied his slaughters, raids, and robberies, he was ultimately -driven, with his brothers, his wife, and two children (a son and -daughter), over the Montenegrin frontier to Karlovitz, a small place -in the Austrian territory, famous only as the scene of Prince -Eugene's victory over the Ottoman troops in the early part of the -last century. The Hungarians being, like the Illyrians, of Slavonian -blood, there he found a comfortable shelter for three years under the -protection of the Emperor Francis I. and the Empress-Queen, and -during that time his conduct and life were alike blameless and -without reproach. One of his brothers, however, having strayed -across the frontier, fell into the hands of the Turks, and would have -died a miserable death, had his escape not been favoured by one who -proved friendly to him, a Timariot named Nouri Othman. - -In October, 1757, Osman III. died, and was succeeded by Mustapha, son -of the deposed Sultan Achmet. Karlovitz is only forty miles from the -Bosnian frontier; so the pacha, who never lost sight of Socivisca, -anxious to please the new sovereign and display his activity, by a -lavish disposal of gold, and by the aid of some person or persons -unknown, had the exile betrayed and made prisoner. He ordered him to -be conveyed at once to Traunick, and to be placed in the same prison -where his younger brother perished so miserably. - -Though elaborately tied and bound, by some of that skill which the -rope-tricksters display in the present day, he contrived, _en route_, -to get free, and, escaping, reached Karlovitz, where he had the -unhappiness to find that, by a singular stroke of misfortune, his -wife and two children had in the interim fallen into the hands of the -pacha, that in his flight he had actually passed them on the road, -and that they were now in the strong prison of Traunick, from which -escape or release seemed alike hopeless. - -By messengers from Karlovitz he strove to negotiate for their -release, but the pacha was inexorable. He then wrote the following -letter, which appeared in a newspaper for March, 1800, where it was -given "as a curious specimen of social feeling operating on a rugged -and ardent disposition;" moreover, it is no bad specimen of the -outlaw's literary power:-- - -"I am informed, O Pacha of Bosnia, that you complain of my escape; -but I put it to yourself, what would you have done in my place? -Would you have suffered yourself to be bound with cords like a -miserable beast, and led away without resistance by men who, as soon -as they arrived at a certain place, would put you to death? - -"Nature impels us to avoid destruction, and I have acted only in -obedience to her laws. - -"Tell me, Pacha, what crime have my wife and little children -committed that, in spite of law and justice, you should retain them -like slaves? Perhaps you hope to render me more submissive; but you -cannot surely expect that I shall return to you and hold forth my -arms to be loaded with fresh bonds. - -"Hear me then, Pacha! You may exhaust on them all your fury without -producing the least advantage. On _my part_, I declare I shall wreak -my vengeance _on all Turks_ who may fall into my hands, and I will -omit no means of injuring you! - -"For the love of God restore to me, I beseech you, my blood! obtain -my pardon from my sovereign, and no longer retain in your memory my -past offences; and I promise that I will _then_ leave your subjects -in tranquillity, and even serve them as a friend when necessary. - -"If you refuse this favour, expect from me all that despair can -prompt! I shall assemble my friends, carry destruction wherever you -reside, pillage your property, plunder your merchants; and from this -moment, if you pay no attention to my entreaties, I swear that I will -massacre every Turk that falls into my hands." - -As Socivisca had been doing this for so many years past, perhaps the -pacha thought compliance would not make much difference; so this -letter, like its preceding messages, he received with contempt, -swearing by the "beard of the sultan to listen neither to the threats -nor entreaties of a common robber." So Socivisca performed to the -full all that he had named and threatened. At the head of a body of -Greeks and Montenegrins he ravaged all the Bosnian frontier, slaying -and decapitating every Mussulman who fell into his hands. Seeking no -quarter and giving none, as before, flames and rapine marked his path -wherever he went. - -Many of his forays were made near the Lake of Scutari, in concert -with the Montenegrins, whom the Russians supplied with arms and -artillery to add to the troubles of the Pacha of Bosnia, whose people -ere long on their knees besought him to yield up the wife and -children of Socivisca, and save them from a scourge so terrible. - -Still the pacha refused; but suddenly the indomitable Socivisca -appeared with his hardy Aiducos before the walls of Traunick, and, by -a wonderful combination of force and stratagem, the gates were -stormed, the guards dispersed, and he carried off his wife, his son, -and daughter to a place of safety beyond the frontier. - -In retiring from Traunick, at a wild place near Razula, his people -captured one of the Turkish Timariots, in the service of the pacha, -and would instantly have put him to death had not the brother of -Socivisca recognized in him the man who had favoured his escape a -short time before,--Nouri Othman. These Timariots were soldiers, who -clothed, armed, and accoutred themselves out of their pay, and were -under the immediate command of the sanjiac or bey, and each -maintained under him a certain number of militiamen, as they were, in -fact, high-class Turkish cavaliers. Those on the Hungarian frontier -had each an income of 6000 aspres, a coin then worth one shilling and -threepence British money. - -In gratitude the mountain warrior permitted Othman to escape; and -while Socivisca was at prayers--a duty which he never omitted before -a meal--the prisoner was set at liberty, a fleet horse was given him, -and from the camp of the outlaws he spurred towards Traunick. -Against this act of generosity the Aiducos of the band exclaimed -loudly; and a nephew of Socivisca went so far as to draw from his -girdle a long brass-butted pistol, with which he struck his uncle on -the face; the latter, infuriated by such an insult from a junior, -shot him through the heart, and was compelled to fly from the troop. - -The nephew was buried as his grandfather had been, in a grave by the -wayside; but this family quarrel and double misfortune affected -Socivisca so much that he returned to Karlovitz, relinquishing alike -his life of war and outrage for a time, but for a time only; for, -fired with enthusiasm on hearing that Stephano Piciola (known as Di -Montenero), so often victorious over the Turks, had made himself -master of all Albania, in 1770, he issued forth again at the head of -his Aiducos, and scoured the Bosnian frontier, shooting down every -Turk whom he met. - -In his fiftieth year, after having led a life of such danger and -strife--after shedding so much blood, and during a period of thirty -years since the slaughter of the three Turkish brothers at his -father's farm, having plundered so much, so freely had he spent his -cash among his friends and followers, that he found his exchequer -reduced to only six hundred sequins. - -To secure these, he entrusted three hundred to the care of a kinsman -and the rest to a friend, both of whom absconded with their trust to -the shelter of the pacha, and left him in abject poverty in the small -town of Grachaez, in the province of Carlstadt, on the military -frontier of Croatia. - -In the year 1775 the Emperor Francis I., when passing through the -province, wished to see the famous predatory warrior of whom he had -heard so much, and visited his humble abode at Grachaez. There he -was so greatly struck with the simple dignity, the resolute but -respectful demeanour of the white-bearded partisan, that he presented -him with a handsome sum of money, and asked him to show his numerous -wounds, and to detail the chief events of his life. - -Socivisca did so, with so much simplicity and modesty that the -Emperor, whom he pleased and amused, and who was looking forward to -the capture of the Bukovine and other districts from the Turks, made -him an offer of service, and assigned him an important military -command upon the Hungarian frontier, opposed to the great pachalics -of Bosnia and Servia. - -In the exercise of this office* he was alive at Grachaez in 1777, -after which year his name can no more be traced in the histories, -papers, or periodicals of the time, so that we are unable to say when -he died. - - -* "Arambassa of Pandonas" it is styled in the English newspapers--a -title we frankly confess ourselves unable to understand. - - -Such was the wild, romantic, and singular story of a mountain robber, -whose life ultimately became productive of public utility; who -enjoyed the favour and protection of Francis I. and Maria Theresa; -and whose career, in his unrelenting animosity to the Turks, presents -a curious mixture of patriotism and ferocity, religious enthusiasm -and the long-engendered rancour of rival and antagonistic races. - - - - -PAQUETTE. - -AN EPISODE OF THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR. - - -CHAPTER I. - -In the spring of the year 1870, when my merry Paquette and I used to -laugh at the cartoons of the _Kladderadatch_, representing King -William lowering a mannikin in regimentals gently, by the spike of -his helmet, into a huge chair, inscribed "Spanien," we little foresaw -the horrors that were to come, or the days when we might tremble at -the warlike news of the official _Staatsanzieger_. - -We had been married a year, and were so happy in our pretty little -house at Blankenese (a short distance from Hamburg), where all the -sloping bank above the Elbe is covered with rich green copsewood, -from amid which peep out the tiny red-tiled cottages of the -fishermen; while over all tower the white-walled villas of those -opulent merchants whose names stood so high in the Neuerwall or the -Admiralitatstrasse, and higher still in the Bourse of the Free -City--free now only in name, as it has become, since the Holstein -war, an integral portion of the Prussian Empire. - -Paquette Champfleurie was my first real love; yet, though still -little more than a girl, she was a widow when we married, and it all -came to pass in this fashion, for we had indeed much sorrow before -our days of joy arrived. When I, Carl Steinmetz--for such is my -name, though no relation to the great Prussian general--was but a lad -in a merchant's office, in the quaint old gable-ended and -timber-built street called the Stubbenhuk, I had learned to love -Paquette, then a boarder in a fashionable school on the beautiful -Alsterdam. Our interviews were stolen; our intercourse most -difficult; for her kinswoman, the Gräfine von Spitzberger--a reduced -lady of rank, with whom she was placed for educational -purposes--watched her with the eyes of a lynx. But what will not -love achieve? - -Paquette, a lively, dark-eyed, and chestnut-haired girl from -Lorraine, with a piquant little face that was not by any means French -in contour or expression, and I, a sharp-witted _burschen_ fresh from -Berlin, soon found means for prosecuting our affair of the heart, -from the time when our eyes first met on a Sunday evening in St. -Michael's Kirche, to that eventful hour when, after many a note -exchanged or concealed in a certain hollow tree near the -Lombardsbrücke, we plighted our troth in the little grove near -Schiller's bronze statue, with no witnesses but the quiet stars -overhead, and the snow-white swans that floated on the blue current -of the Alster. - -But sorrow soon came to rouse us from our dreams; for three weeks -after that happy evening her father took her home, without permitting -us to say farewell, and ere long I learned that she had become the -wife of Baptiste Graindorge, a wealthy merchant of Lorraine! With -these tidings the half of my life seemed to leave me. They cost me -many a secret tear, and much jealous bitterness, though I knew that -French girls have no freedom of choice in matrimony; and I loathed -the odious Graindorge in my heart, while bending resolutely over my -desk, in the dingy and gloomy little office in the noisy -Stubbenhuk--bending also every energy to amass money, though for what -purpose now I scarcely know. But fortune favoured me. - -I became ere long a junior partner in the firm under whom I had -worked as a clerk, and the same year saw Paquette free; for our -horrible Graindorge had died abroad of fever, at the French colony of -Senegal, and she became mine--mine after all! A widow, no scheming -father could interfere with her then. - -In the whole of busy Hamburg there could be no happier couple than we -were--and this was but a year ago. Wedded, we visited every place -where we had been wont to meet by stealth, in terror of the old -Gräfine--the leafy arcades of the Young Maiden's Walk, the Botanical -Gardens, the groves that cover all the old mounds about the Holstein -Wall, and the banks of the Alster, while Michael's Kirche was indeed -a holy place to us, for there we had first met. - -One morning in July of last year--ah, I shall never forget it--we -were at breakfast together in the dining-room of our cottage at -Blankenese, and prior to taking the Sporvei 'bus for the city, I was -skimming over the _Staatsanzieger_, which was then beginning to be -full of threatening news concerning the Spanish succession, and -calling on Prussia to rouse herself, as all France, or Paris, at -least, was shouting "A Berlin!" and "To the Rhine!" The atmosphere -was deliciously warm; the slender iron casements were wide open; the -fragrant roses and jessamine clambered thickly round them, and the -drowsy hum of the bees mingled with the sounds that came, softened by -distance, from the vast shining bosom of the Elbe, where ships, with -the flags of all the world, were gliding, some towards Jonashafen and -the city, others downward to the North Sea; and opposite lay the flat -but green and lovely coast of Hanover, studded with pretty red -villages, church-spires, and windmills whirling in the sunny air. - -My heart felt happy and joyous, and Paquette was looking her -loveliest in a light muslin morning dress; her bright brown hair, her -pure complexion, and her dark, laughing eyes, making her seem a very -Hebe, as she poured out my coffee, buttered the little brown German -rolls, and chirruped about how we should spend the evening, after she -had joined me in the city, and we had dined, as we frequently did, -under the shady verandah of the pleasant Alster Pavilion, surrounded -by swans and pleasure boats. - -"Where shall we go, Carl, darling?" she continued--"to the Circus -Renz?" - -"No, Paquette; I am sick of the horsemanship and the sawdust, and the -same everlasting girl, who, when she is not flying through a hoop, -prances about in the dress of a Uhlan." - -"The Botanical Gardens, then; the band of the 76th Hanoverians play -there to-night, and some ten thousand gay people will be present." - -"Well, darling, it shall be as you wish; and after looking in at the -Stadt Theatre, to see Kathie Lanner's Swedish ballet, a droski will -soon whirl us home from the Damthor-wall." - -"But it was in that theatre, Carl, love, we saw each other last, and -at a distance, on the night----" - -"Before--before----" I began. - -"I was torn from you to become the wife of another, Carl," she -exclaimed, in a low voice, as she took my face between her pretty -hands, and kissed me playfully. - -"Ah, Graindorge!" thought I, with a little bitterness, as I kissed -her in return, and rose to fill my meerschaum prior to setting forth -for the city; but a strange cry from Paquette made me wheel sharply -round on the varnished floor, and to my bewilderment and terror, I -saw her sinking back in her chair, pallid as death, like one -transfixed--her jaw relaxed, her poor little hands clasped, her eyes -expressive only of horror and woe, and bent on something outside the -window. My gaze involuntarily followed hers, as I sprung to her side. - -At the railing before our little flower-garden stood a shabby-looking -man, whose face will ever haunt me. His hat, well worn, tall and -shiny, was pressed knowingly over the right eye. He was looking -steadily at us, and appeared as if he had been doing so for some -time. A diabolical grin, like that of Mephistopheles, was over all -his features--in his carbuncle-like eyes, and in his wide mouth, -where all his teeth seemed to glisten. He had a sallow and -dissipated face, a hooked, sardonic nose, and on his left cheek a -large black mole. A faded green dress-coat, with brass buttons, a -yellow vest, and short inexpressibles of checked stuff, formed his -attire. - -My wife was almost fainting, and seemed on the verge of distraction. - -"Paquette, my love," I began; but she held up her trembling hands as -if deprecatingly between us, and said in a low, broken, and wailing -voice-- - -"Do not speak to me--do not touch me. I am not your wife! Oh, my -poor deluded Carl!--oh, my poor heart! Oh, death, come and end this -horror--this mystery!" - -Her words, her voice, her whole air and expression, made my blood run -cold with a sudden terror, that her reason had become affected. - -"Paquette--dearest Paquette," I said, in a soothing and an imploring -manner, "what do these terrible words mean? That man----" - -"Is Monsieur Baptiste Graindorge, my first husband, come back from -the grave to torment me!" - -"Impossible--girl, you rave!" said I, in deep distress, as I vaulted -over the window and rushed out upon the road; but the scurvy -eavesdropper was gone, and no trace of him remained. In great grief, -and feeling sorely disturbed by the whole affair, I returned to -Paquette, whom I found crouching on the sofa, crushed by agitation -and despair. She gazed at me lovingly, sorrowfully, and yet as if -fearful that I might approach and touch her. - -"Is there not some terrible mistake or misconception in this?" said -I, seeking to gather courage from my own words. - -"None--none," she replied. "I recognized too surely his face--the -mole--the odious smile." - -"But the man died in Africa--it is impossible; and you are my wife, -Paquette, whom none can take from me," I continued, with excited -utterance, as she permitted me to kiss her: but the poor little pet -was cold as marble, and her tremulous hands played almost fatuously, -yet caressingly, with my hair, while she murmured-- - -"Oh, Carl--my poor Carl--what _will_ become of us now?" - -The whole affair seemed too improbable for realization. I besought -her to take courage--to consider the likeness which had startled her -as a mere fancy--an optical delusion; and, aware that my presence was -imperatively necessary at business in the city, I was compelled to -leave her, and did so not without a sorrowful foreboding. - -So strong was the latter emotion, that the closing of the house-door -rang like a knell in my heart. I paused irresolute at the garden -gate, and again on the road; but the jingling bells of the -approaching Sporvei 'bus ended my doubts. I sprang in, and in due -time found myself at my office in the busy Admiralitatstrasse, -opposite the Rath Haus. - -Haunted by the strange episode of the morning, I strove vainly to -become absorbed in bills of lading, and so forth, till one o'clock -should toll from the spires--the time for plunging into the crowd of -noisy speculators at the Bourse--and I was just about to set forth, -when a stranger was announced; I looked up, and was face to face with -the horrible Graindorge! He stood before me just as I had seen him -at the garden-rail, with his tall shiny hat, his shabby coat, his -bloated visage with its black mole and malignant smile. - -"Your business?" I asked curtly. - -"Will be briefly stated, Herr Steinmetz," said he. "So madame fully -recognized me this morning?" - -"Or thought she did," said I, after a short interval of silence. - -"There was no doubt in the matter, but firm conviction. I did _not_ -die in Senegal, the report was false; and so, Herr Steinmetz, I am -here to claim my wife and take her back with me to Lorraine." - -"You are a foul impostor!" cried I furiously, yet with a sinking -heart; "and I shall hand you over to the watch." - -"Pardon me, but you will do nothing of the kind," replied the other, -with the most exasperating composure; "it will not be pleasant to -have your wife--your _supposed_ wife, I mean--made a source of -speculation to all Hamburg, by any public exposé." - -"Oh, my God! my poor Paquette!" I exclaimed involuntarily; "and I -love her so!" - -"Milles diables!" grinned the Frenchman; "it is more than I do." - -"Wretch! what proof have we that you are Baptiste Graindorge, and -not a cheat--a trickster?" - -"The effect produced by my presence--my appearance--on madame, who -dare not deny my identity, which the Gräfine Spitzberger has already -admitted--with great reluctance, I grant you. Well, I am supposed to -be dead. I shall be content to let this supposition remain, and to -quit Hamburg for a consideration." - -"Name it," I asked, thankful for the prospect of being rid of his -horrid presence even for a time, that I might consult some legal -friend; and yet, even while I spoke and thought of purchasing his -silence, I knew that Paquette, my adored wife, would be no wife of -mine! It was a horrible dilemma. Graindorge the Lorrainer was rich; -now he seemed to be poor and needy. I knew not what to think; grief -was uppermost in my soul. After a pause he said slowly-- - -"For six thousand Prussian dollars I shall quit Hamburg." - -With a trembling hand, yet without hesitation, I wrote him a cheque -on my banker, Herr Berger in the Gras-keller, for the sum named, and -the snaky eyes of the Frenchman flashed as he clutched the document. -He inserted it in his tattered pocket-book, and carefully buttoned -his shabby green coat over it; then he placed his hat jauntily on one -side of his head, and tapping the crown with his hand, made me a low -ironical bow, and with a pirouette and a malicious smile quitted the -room, saying-- - -"Adieu, Monsieur Steinmetz--I go; but for _a time_ only." - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -I saw the whole scheme now. The bankrupt--for such I had no doubt he -was--meant to make his power over Paquette and me a source of future -revenue to himself; and I felt sure that when his last dollar was -spent--by to-morrow, perhaps--he would present himself again with a -fresh demand. Like one in a dream I went to the Bourse; but little -or no business was done there that day, for war rumours were hourly -growing more rife. There were riots in its neighbourhood, too. The -tradesmen were "on strike," and the swords of the watch had been -busy, for no less than seven unarmed men were cut down in the -Adolphsplatz. Then, that evening I heard that a spy, supposed to be -a Frenchman, had been hovering about the northern ramparts, near the -Damthor, and had been seen to count the cannon on the -Holstein-wall--a spy who had escaped alike the watch and the guard of -the Seventy-sixth Regiment, and whom I heard described as a shabby -man in a green coat, with a _mole_ on his cheek! - -My heart leaped within me; could this personage and M. Baptiste -Graindorge be one and the same? If so, neither Hamburg nor I was -likely to be troubled by his presence again. - -Before my usual hour, I hastened home--home to my pretty little villa -among the rose-trees at Blankenese; but, alas! to find it desolate, -and our servant, Trüey, a faithful young Vierlander, in tears, and -filled with wonder; for her mistress had packed up some clothes, and -leaving all her jewels, even to her wedding-ring, had departed, after -writing a letter for me. - -I tore it open, and found it to contain but a few words, to confirm -my terror and fill up the cup of my misery. - - -"The Gräfine von Spitzberger has been with me. The man we saw is -indeed my husband, M. Graindorge, the story of whose death has been -all a mistake; and he proved _to her_ his identity, by his knowledge -of all our family affairs. Oh, Carl! oh, my poor darling! the real -husband of my heart and my only love! I must leave you--yes--and by -the time you read this, shall be far on the railroad for France. -Graindorge shall never see me more; my father's house or a convent -must be my shelter now. My last hope is, that you will not attempt -to follow me; my last prayer, that God may bless and comfort you." - - -The lines were written tremulously. I kissed my darling's -wedding-ring, placed it by a ribbon at my neck, and wept bitterly. -Then the room seemed to swim around me; I became senseless, and was -ill in bed for days. Our home was broken now. It was desolate--oh, -so desolate, without my Paquette! She was gone. She had left me for -ever! And every object around seemed to recall her more vividly to -me--her piano, her music, the little ornaments we had bought together -at the Alster Arcade, and the pillow her cheek had rested on. "She -will write to me," thought I; but no letter came. And something of -jealousy began to mingle with the bitterness of my soul. Was she -with Graindorge? - -I think I should have gone mad but for the events that occurred so -quickly now, for one week sufficed to change the whole face of -affairs in Hamburg. France had declared war against Prussia. Trade -stood still; silence reigned in our splendid Bourse, usually the most -noisy and busy scene in the world; the Elbe was empty of shipping, -for its buoys and lights were all destroyed. The Prussians, horse, -foot, and artillery, were pouring towards Travemünde, where a landing -of the French was expected. In one day nearly every horse in Hamburg -was seized for military purposes, and the city was ordered to furnish -eighteen thousand infantry for the Landwehr. - -Of this force I was one. A strip of paper was left at my office one -day, and the next noon saw me in the barracks near the Damthor-wall, -and before the colonel, an officer of Scottish descent, the Graf von -Hamilton. Then, like thousands of others, my plain clothes were -taken from me, and I received in lieu a spiked helmet of glazed -leather, a blue tunic faced with white, a goat-skin knapsack, -great-coat, and camp-kettle, a needle-gun, bayonet, and sword. We -were all accoutred without delay, and within two hours were at drill, -under a burning sun, in the Heilinghaist-feld, between Hamburg and -Altona. My desk, my office, my home, knew me no more; yet I often -mounted guard near the chambers of our firm in the -Admiralitatstrasse. Paquette and my previous existence seemed all a -dream--a dream that had passed away for ever. And though the gay -streets, the tall spires, the sights and sounds in our -pleasure-loving city were all unchanged, I seemed to have lost my -identity. My former life was completely blotted out. - -From the Landwehr, with many others, I was speedily drafted into the -Seventy-sixth Hanoverians, and in three weeks we were ordered to join -the Army of the Rhine. Though I had studied in Berlin, I was not a -Prussian, but a native of the free city of Hamburg. Like many of my -comrades, who were fathers of families, or only sons, torn from their -homes and peaceful occupations, I had no interest in the cruel and -wanton war on which we were about to enter; and more than all, I -loved France, for it was the native land of Paquette Champfleurie. - -In the then horror of my mind, the war was certainly somewhat of a -change or relief, and the excitement around drew me from my own -terrible thoughts. I was going towards Lorraine, where even while -fighting against her poor countrymen, I might see my lost one, my -wife--for such I still deemed her, despite the odious Baptiste -Graindorge; and so I fondly and wildly speculated. The idea of being -killed and buried where Paquette might perhaps pass near my grave, -was even soothing to my now morbid soul, for I knew that she had -loved me long before _that man_ came between us with his wealth of -gold napoleons; so she must love me still--Carl, whose heart had -never wandered from her. - -But there is something great and inspiring in war and its adjuncts, -after all. I remember that on the day we left our beautiful Hamburg, -when I heard the crash of the brass bands and saw the North German -colours waving in the wind, above the long, long column of glazed -helmets and bright bayonets, as our regiment, with the Forty-seventh -Silesians, the Fifty-third Westphalians, and the Eighty-eighth -Nassauers, defiled through the Damthor, and past the Esplanade -towards the Bahnhof, I became infected by the enthusiasm around me, -and found myself joining in the mad shouts of "Hurrah, Germania!" and -in the old Teutonic song which the advanced guard of Uhlans struck -up, brandishing their lances the while-- - - "O Tannebaum, O Tannebaum, wie grün sind deine Blatter!" - -as we marched for the Rhine, towards which we were forwarded fast by -road and rail. - -We were soon face to face with the gallant French, and how fast those -terrible battles followed each other at Weissenburg, Forbach, -Spicheren, and elsewhere, the public prints have already most fully -related. Though I did not seek death any more than others my -comrades, I cared little for life, yet (until one night in October) I -escaped in all three of those bloody conflicts, and many a daily -skirmish, without a wound, though the chassepot balls whistled -thickly round me, and more than once the fire of a mitrailleuse, a -veritable stream of bullets, swept away whole sections by my side. I -have had my uniform riddled with holes, my helmet grazed many times, -and part of my knapsack shot away; yet somehow fate always spared -poor Carl Steinmetz; for he had no enmity in his heart towards the -poor fellows who fell before his needle-gun. At last we rapidly -pushed on, and reduced many fortified places as we advanced to -blockade Metz. Then Lorraine lay around us, and I gazed on the -scenery with emotions peculiarly my own, for I thought of Paquette, -of her animated face and all her pretty ways, and of all she had told -me of her native province, its dense forests where wolves lurked, its -wild mountains, its salt springs and lakes--Lorraine now, as in -centuries long past, a subject for dispute between France and Germany. - -The Seventy-sixth, under the Graf von Hamilton, formed part of the -army which, under Prince Frederick Carl, blockaded Metz with such -cruel success; and we had severe work in the wet nights of October, -while forming the _feld-wacht_ in the advanced rifle-pits. Often -when lying there alone, in the damp hole behind a sand-bag or -sap-roller, waiting for a chance shot in the early dawn at some -unfortunate Frenchman, I thought bitterly and sadly of our once happy -home, of Paquette, my lost wife, and wondered where she was _now_, or -if, when she saw the Prussian columns, with all their bright-polished -barrels and spiked helmets shining in the sun, she could dream that -I, Carl Steinmetz, was a unit in that mighty host. Then I would -marvel in my heart whether I, with the spiked helmet and needle-gun, -loaded with accoutrements and spattered with mud, was the same Carl -Steinmetz who, but a few months before, sat daily at his desk in the -Admiralitatstrasse, and had the sweet smiles of Paquette to welcome -him home and listen to his news from the Bourse. Was this military -transformation madness or witchcraft? It was neither, but stern -reality, as an unexpected shot from a hedge about four hundred yards -distant, tore the brass eagle from my helmet and fully informed me. - -This was just about daybreak on the morning of the 26th October last, -and when I could see all the village quarters, from Mars-la-Tour to -Mazières, lit up, and all the bivouac fires burning redly on our left -and in the rear. - -With a few others I started from the rifle-pits, and we made a dash -at the hedge, which we believed to conceal some of those -Francs-tireurs, whom we had orders to shoot without mercy, though -they were only fighting for home and country. We were on the extreme -flank of the blockading force, and the hedge in question surrounded a -villa which stood somewhat apart from the road to Château Salins. -Led by the Graf's son, a young captain, we rushed forward, and found -it manned by some fifty men of the French line, who had crept out of -Metz intending to desert, for Bazaine permitted them to do so when -provisions began to fail. "A bas les Pru-essiens!" cried their -leader--a tall sub-officer in very tattered uniform--thus -accentuating the word in the excess of his hatred. - -"Vorwarts--für Vaterland--hurrah, Germania!" shouted the young Von -Hamilton. A volley that killed ten of our number tore among us, but -we broke through and fell upon them with the bayonet. Clubbing his -chassepot the French sous-officier, with a yell on his lips, beat -down poor Hamilton; then he rushed upon me, and what was my -emotion--what my astonishment, to find myself face to face with -Graindorge--he who had robbed me of Paquette--the same beer-bloated -and scurvy-looking fellow, with the huge black mole, whom I had last -seen in Hamburg! I charged him with my bayonet breast high, but -agitation so bewildered me that he easily eluded my point, and felled -me to the earth with his clubbed rifle. Now came a sense of -confusion, of light flashing from my eyes, the clash of steel, the -_ping_ of passing balls; then darkness seemed to envelop me, and -death to enter my heart as I became senseless. - -I remained long thus, for the sun was in the west when full -consciousness returned. The thick leather helmet had saved my head -from fracture, but dried blood plastered all my face, and I found my -right arm broken by a bullet. All the French in the rear of the -hedge had been shot down or bayoneted, and they presented a terrible -spectacle. All were dead save one--the sous-officier, who lay near -me, dying of many bayonet wounds. Our wounded had been removed, but -ten of the Seventy-sixth lay near me stiff and cold. What a scene it -was in that pretty garden, amid the rose-trees, the last flowers of -autumn, and the twittering sparrows, to see all those poor fellows, -made in God's fair image, butchered thus--and for WHAT? My wounds -were sore, my heart was sad and heavy; oh, when was it otherwise now? -Staggering up I turned to the Frenchman, whose half-glazing eyes -regarded me with a fiercely defiant expression, for he doubted not -that in this _guerre à la mort_ his last moment had come. I took off -my battered helmet, and then with a thrill of terror he seemed to -recognize me. - -"Carl Steinmetz of Hamburg!" said he, with difficulty. - -"You know me then?" I asked grimly. - -"Oh, yes--in God's name give me water--I am dying!" - -My canteen was empty; but I found some wine in that of a corpse which -lay near. I poured it down his throat and it partially revived him. - -"Yes, fellow," said I, "in me you see that Steinmetz who was so happy -till you came and my wife fled; so we know each other, Monsieur -Baptiste Graindorge." - -"I am _not_ Baptiste--_he_ is lying quiet in his grave on the shore -of the Senegal river." - -"Who, in the name of Heaven, are you?" - -"Achille Graindorge--his cousin. I took advantage of our casual but -strong resemblance to impose upon you--and--and get money--when in -Hamburg--acting----" - -"As a spy--eh?" - -"Yes." - -"Has she--has Paquette seen you since?" - -"No--for she would at once have detected the cheat." - -"And you know not where she is?" - -"As I have Heaven soon to answer--no," he gasped out, and sinking -back, shortly after expired, his last breath seeming to issue from -the wounds in his chest. I had no pity for him, but felt a glow of -joy in my heart, as I turned away, and crept--for I was unable to -stand--towards the door of the villa in search of succour, the agony -of my thirst and wounds being so great that I cared little whether -the inmates aided or killed me. - -However, the coincidences of this day were not yet over. - -The door, on which I struck feebly with my short Prussian sword, was -opened ultimately by an old gentleman, beyond whom I saw a female, -shrinking back in evident terror. I recognized M. de Champfleurie, -my father-in-law; but being now unable to speak, I could only point -to my parched lips and powerless arm, as I sank at his feet and -fainted. - -When I recovered, my uniform was open, my accoutrements were off; I -was lying upon a sofa with my aching head pillowed softly--on -what?--The tender bosom of Paquette, my darling little wife; for she -had recognized me, though disguised alike by dress and blood, and now -her tears were falling on my weather-beaten face. - -It chanced that, flying from place to place in Lorraine, before our -advancing troops, and having failed to reach Metz, they had taken -shelter in that abandoned villa; and thus happily I could reveal the -secret of our separation before the burial party bore away the body -of Achille Graindorge, who had actually been quartered at Senegal -when his cousin Baptiste died there. - -My story is told. On the following day Metz capitulated, and poor M. -Champfleurie danced with rage on learning that Bazaine had -surrendered with two other Marshals of the Empire, 173,000 prisoners -and 20,000 sick, wounded, and starving men. My fighting days were -over now; Paquette was restored to me, and happiness was again before -us. - -For their kindness in succouring me, the Graf von Hamilton gave M. de -Champfleurie and his daughter a pass to the rear, and we speedily -availed ourselves of it, for I was discharged with a shattered arm; -and now I write these lines, again in pleasant Blankenese, our dear -home, with the broad Elbe shining blue beneath our windows, and the -autumn leaves falling fast from the thick woods that cover all its -green and beautiful shore. - - - - -APPARITIONS AND WONDERS. - - - -CHAPTER I. - -LEAVES FROM OLD LONDON LIFE: 1664-1705. - -The Scottish newspaper recorded, not long ago, some instances of -mirages in the Firth of Forth exactly like the freaks of the Fata -Morgana in the Straits of Messina, and on three distinct occasions -the Bass Rock has assumed, to the eyes of the crowds upon the sands -of Dunbar, the form of a giant sugar-loaf crowned by battlements, -while the island of May seemed broken into several portions, which -appeared to be perforated by caverns where none in fact exist. - -Such optical delusions have been common at all times in certain -states of the atmosphere, and science finds a ready solution for -them; but in the days of our forefathers, they were deemed the sure -precursors of dire calamities, invasion, or pestilence. - -The years shortly before and after the beginning of the last century -seem to have been singularly fruitful in the marvellous; and the most -superstitious Celtic peasant in the Scottish glens or the wilds of -Connemara would not have believed in more startling events than those -which are chronicled in the occasional broadsides, and were hawked -about the streets of London by the flying stationers of those days. - -To take a few of these at random: we find that all London was excited -by strange news from Goeree, in Holland, where, on the evening of the -14th of August, 1664, there was seen by many spectators an apparition -of two fleets upon the ocean; these, after seeming to engage in close -battle for one hour and a half (the smoke of the noiseless cannon -rolling from their sides), vanished, as if shown from a -magic-lantern. Then appeared in the air two lions, or the figures -thereof, which fought three times with great fury, till there came a -third of greater size, which destroyed them both. Immediately after -this, there came slowly athwart the sky, as represented in the -woodcut which surmounted this veracious broadsheet, the giant figure -of a crowned king. This form was seen so plainly, that the buttons -on his dress could be distinguished by the awe-stricken crowd -assembled on the sands. Next morning the same apparition was seen -again; and all the ocean was as red as blood. "And this happening at -this juncture of time," concludes the narrator, "begets some strange -apprehensions; for that, about six months before Van Tromp was slain -in war with England, there was seen near the same place an apparition -of ships in the air fighting with each other."* - - -* London: printed by Thomas Leach, Shoe Lane, 1664. - - -Sixteen years later, another broadsheet announced to the metropolis, -that the forms of ships and men also had been seen on the road near -Abington, on the 26th of August, 1680, "of the truth whereof you may -be fully satisfied at the Sarazen's Head Inn, Carter Lane." It would -seem that John Nibb, "a very sober fellow," the carrier of -Cirencester, with five passengers in his waggon, all proceeding to -London about a quarter of an hour after sunrise, were horrified to -perceive at the far horizon, the giant figure of a man in a black -habit, and armed with a broadsword, towering into the sky. Like the -spectre of the Brocken, this faded away; but to add to the -bewilderment of Nibb and his companions, it was replaced by "about a -hundred ships of several bigness and various shapes." Then rose a -great hill covered with little villages, and before it spread a -plain, on which rode thirty horsemen, armed with carbine and pistol. - -The same document records that, on the 12th of the subsequent -September, a naval engagement was seen in the air, near Porsnet, in -Monmouthshire, between two fleets, one of which came from the -northern quarter of the sky, the other from the south. A great ship -fired first, "and after her, the rest discharged their vollies in -order, so that great flashings of fire, and even smoak was visible, -and noises in the ayr as of great guns." Then an army of phantoms -engaged in "a square medow" near Porsnet, closing in with sword and -pistol, and the cries of the wounded and dying were heard. On the -27th of December, Ottery, near Exeter, had a visitation of the same -kind, when at five in the evening two armies fought in the air till -six o'clock. "This was seen by a reverend minister and several -others to their great amazement." On the 2nd of the same month, the -people in Shropshire were, according to another sheet, sorely -perplexed by the sudden appearance of two suns in the firmament, and -it was duly remembered, that "such a sign was seen before the death -of that tempestuous firebrand of Rome here in England, Thomas -Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury, and when Queen Mary began her -bloody reign." - -Then follow the death of the three lions in the Tower, and a vast -enumeration of fiery darts, bullets, storms of hail, and floods, -making up that which the writer hopes will prove "a word in season to -a sinking kingdom."* - - -* London: Printed for J. B., Anno Domini 1680; and P. Brooksly, -Golden Ball, near the Hospital Gate, 1681. - - -Nor were ghosts wanting at this time, of a political nature, too; -for, in the same year, there was hawked in London an account of an -apparition which appeared three several times to Elizabeth Freeman, -thirty-one years of age, on each occasion delivering a message to his -sacred majesty King Charles the Second. As certified before Sir -Joseph Jorden, knight, and Richard Lee, D.D., rector of Hatfield, her -story was as follows, and was, no doubt, a political trick: - -On the night of the 24th of January, 1680, she was sitting at her -mother's fire-side, with a child on her knee, when a solemn voice -behind her said, "Sweetheart!" and, on turning, she was startled to -perceive a veiled woman all in white, whose face was concealed, and -whose hand--a pale and ghastly one--rested on the back of her chair. - -"The 15th day of May is appointed for the royal blood to be -poisoned," said the figure. "Be not afraid, for I am only sent to -tell thee," it added, and straightway vanished. - -On Tuesday, the 25th of January, the same figure met her at the house -door, and asked Elizabeth if she "remembered the message," but the -woman, instead of replying, exclaimed: "In the name of the Father, -Son, and Holy Ghost, what art thou?" Upon this the figure assumed "a -very glorious shape," and saying, "Tell King Charles, from me, not to -remove his parliament, but stand to his council," vanished as before. -Next evening the veiled figure appeared again, when Elizabeth was -with her mother, who, on beholding her daughter's manifest terror, -said: "Dost thou see anything?" She was then warned to retire, after -which the spectre said, sternly: "Do your message." "I shall, if God -enable me," replied Elizabeth. After this the spectre appeared but -once again, and remained silent. "This was taken from the maid's own -mouth by me, Richard Wilkinson, schoolmaster in the said town of -Hatfield."* - - -* London: Printed for J. B., Anno Domini 1680; and P. Brooksly, -Golden Ball, near the Hospital Gate, 1681. - - -In 1683, as a variety, London was treated to an account of a dreadful -earthquake in Oxfordshire, where the houses were rocked like ships or -cradles, while tables, stools, and chests "rowled to and fro with the -violence of the Shog."* - - -* Printed for R. Baldwin, at the Old Bailey. - - -The year 1687 brought "strange and wonderful news from Cornwall, -being an account of a miraculous accident which happened near the -town of Bodmyn, at a place called Park. Printed by J. Wallis, White -Fryars Gate--next Fleet St.--near the Joyners Shop." - -From this it would appear that on Sunday, the 8th of May, Jacob -Mutton, whose relations were of good repute, and who was servant to -William Hicks, rector of Cordingham (at a house he had near the old -parish church of Eglashayle, called Park), heard, on going into his -chamber about eight o'clock in the evening, a hollow voice cry, "So -hoe! so hoe! so hoe!" This drew him to the window of the next room, -from whence, to the terror of a lad who shared his bed, he -disappeared, and could nowhere be found. - -According to his own narrative, he had no sooner laid a hand upon an -iron bar of the window, which was seventeen feet from the ground, -than the whole grating fell into the yard below, all save the bar -which he had grasped. This bar was discovered in his hand next -morning, as he lay asleep in a narrow lane beyond the little town of -Stratton, among the hills, thirty miles distant from Park. There he -was wakened by the earliest goers to Stratton fair, who sent him -home, sorely bewildered, by the way of Camelford. "On Tuesday he -returned to his master's estate, without any hurt, but very -melancholy, saying 'that a tall man bore him company all the journey, -over hedges and brakes, yet without weariness.'" What became of this -mysterious man he knew not, neither had he any memory of how the iron -bar came to be in his hand. "To conclude, the young man who is the -occasion of this wonderful relation, was never before this accident -accounted any ways inclinable to sadness, but, on the contrary, was -esteemed an airy, brisk, and honest young fellow." - -But Mutton's adventure was a joke when compared with that of Mr. -Jacob Seeley, of Exeter, as he related it to the judges on the -western circuit, when, on the 22nd of September, 1690, he was beset -by a veritable crowd of dreadful spectres. He took horse for -Taunton, in Somersetshire, by the Hinton Cliff road, on which he had -to pass a solitary place, known as the Black Down. Prior to this, he -halted at a town called Cleston, where the coach and waggons usually -tarried, and there he had some roast beef, with a tankard of beer and -a noggin of brandy, in company with a stranger, who looked like a -farmer, and who rode by his side for three miles, till they reached -the Black Down, when he suddenly vanished into the earth or air, to -the great perplexity of Mr. Jacob Seeley. This emotion was rather -increased when he found himself surrounded by from one to two hundred -spectres, attired as judges, magistrates, and peasantry, the latter -armed with pikes; but, gathering courage, he hewed at them with his -sword, though they threw over his head something like a fishing-net, -in which they retained him from nine at night till four next morning. -He thrust at the shadows with his rapier, but he felt nothing, till -he saw one "was cut and had four of his fingers hanging by the skin," -and then he found blood upon his sword. After this, ten spectre -funerals passed; then two dead bodies were dragged near him by the -hair of the head; and other horrors succeeded, till the spell broke -at cock-crow. - -It was now remembered that the house wherein Mr. Seeley had his beef, -beer, and brandy had been kept by one of Monmouth's men (the spectre -farmer, probably), who had been hung on his own sign-post, and the -piece of ground where the net confined the traveller, was a place -where maay of the hapless duke's adherents had been executed and -interred. Hence it was named the Black Down, according to the sheet -before us, which was "Printed for T. M., London, 2nd Oct., 1690." - -A sheet circulated at the close of the preceding year warns "all -hypocrites and atheists to beware in time," as there had been a -dreadful tempest of thunder and lightning in Hants, at Alton, where -the atmosphere became so obscure that the electric flashes alone -lighted the church during the service, in which two balls of fire -passed through its eastern wall, another tore the steeple to pieces, -broke the clock to shreds, and bore away the weathercock. The -narrator adds, that all Friesland was under water, and that a flood -in the Tiber had swept away a portion of the Castle of St. Angelo. - -As another warning, London was visited, in 1689, by a tempest, which -uprooted sixty-five trees in St. James's Park and Moorfields, blew -down the vane of St. Michael's Church in Cornhill, and innumerable -chimneys, and injured many well-built houses, and part of the -Armourers' Hall in Coleman Street. Several persons were killed in -Gravel Lane and Shoreditch; sixty empty boats were dashed to pieces -against the bridge; three Gravesend barges full of people were cast -away, and the Crown man-of-war was stranded at Woolwich.* - - -* Printed for W. F., Bishopgate Without. - - -But the warning seems to have been in vain, for London, in 1692, was -treated to an earthquake, which--as another sheet records--spread -terror and astonishment about the Royal Exchange, all along Cornhill, -in Lothbury, and elsewhere, on the 8th of September. All things on -shelves were cast down, and furniture was tossed from wall to wall; -the Spitalfields weavers had to seek shelter in flight, and all their -looms were destroyed; these and other calamities were, it was -alleged, "occasioned by the sins of the nation," and to avert such -prodigies, the prayers of all good men were invoked.* - - -* J. Gerard, Cornhill, 1692. - - -Two years later saw another marvel, when "the dumb maid of Wapping," -Sarah Bowers, recovered her power of speech through the prayers of -Messrs. Russell and Veil, "two pious divines," who exorcised and -expelled the evil spirit which possessed her; and in 1696 the -metropolis was treated to the "detection of a popish cheat" -concerning two boys who conversed with the devil, though none seemed -to doubt the Protestant miracle. - -The close of the century 1700 saw "the dark and hellish powers of -witchcraft exercised upon the Reverend Mr. Wood, minister of Bodmyn," -on whom a spell was cast by a mysterious paper, or written document, -which was given to him by a man and woman on horseback (the latter -probably seated on a pillion), after which he became strangely -disordered, and wandered about in fields, meadows, woods, and lonely -places, drenched the while with copious perspirations; however, "the -spell was ultimately found in his doublet, and on the burning -thereof, Mr. Wood was perfectly restored," and wrote to his uncle an -account of the affair, which appeared in a broadsheet published at -Exeter, by Darker and Farley, 1700. - -Rosemary Lane was the scene of another wonder, when a notorious witch -was found in a garret there, and carried before Justice Bateman, in -Well Close, on the 23rd July, 1704, and committed to Clerkenwell -Prison. Her neighbour's children, through her alleged diabolical -power, vomited pins, and were terrified by apparitions of enormous -cats; by uttering one word she turned the entire contents of a large -shop topsy-turvy. She was judicially tossed into the river from a -ducking-stool, "but, like a bladder when put under water, she popped -up again, for this witch swam like a cork." This was an indisputable -sign of guilt; and in her rage or terror she smote a young man on the -arm, where the mark of her hand remained "as black as coal;" he died -soon after in agony, and was buried in St. Sepulchre's churchyard.* -Of the woman's ultimate fate we know nothing. - - -* H. Hills, in the Blackfriars, near the waterside. - - -In 1705, London was excited by a new affair: "The female ghost and -wonderful discovery of an iron chest of money;" a rare example of the -gullibility of people in the days of the good Queen Anne. - -A certain Madam Maybel, who had several houses in Rosemary Lane, lost -them by unlucky suits and unjust decrees of the law: for a time they -were tenantless and fell to decay and ruin. For several weeks, nay -months past (continues the broadsheet), a strange apparition appeared -nightly to a Mrs. Harvey and her sister, near relations of the late -Madam Maybel, announcing that an iron chest filled with treasure lay -in a certain part of one of the old houses in the lane. On their -neglecting to heed the vision, the ghost became more importunate, and -proceeded to threaten Mrs. Harvey, "that if she did not cause it to -be digged up in a certain time (naming it) she should be torn to -pieces." On this the terrified gentlewoman sought the counsel of a -minister, who advised her to "demand in the name of the Holy Trinity -how the said treasure should be disposed of." - -Next night she questioned the spectre, and it replied: - -"Fear nothing; but take the whole four thousand pounds into your own -possession, and when you have paid twenty pounds of it to one Sarah -Goodwin, of Tower Hill, the rest is your own; and be sure you dig it -up on the night of Thursday, the 7th December!" - -Accordingly men were set to work, and certainly a great iron chest -"was found under an old wall in the very place which the spirit had -described." - -One of the diggers, John Fishpool, a private of the Guards, "has been -under examination about it, and 'tis thought that the gentleman who -owns the ground will claim the treasure as his right, and 'tis -thought there will be a suit of law commenced on it." Many persons -crowded to see the hole from whence the chest had been exhumed in -Rosemary Lane, and, by a date upon the lid, it would seem to have -been made or concealed in the ninth year of the reign of Henry the -Eighth.* - - -* London: printed for John Green, near the Exchange, 1705. - - -The dreadful effects of going to conjurers next occupied the mind of -the public. - -Mr. Rowland Rushway, a gentleman of good reputation, having lost -money and plate to a considerable amount, Hester, his wife, took God -to witness, "that if all the cunning men in London could tell, she -should discover the thief, though it cost her ten pounds!" - -With this view she repaired to the house of a judicial astrologer in -Moorfields, about noon, when the day was one of great serenity and -beauty. After some preliminary mummery or trickery, the wizard -placed before her a large mirror, wherein she saw gradually appear -certain indistinct things, which ultimately assumed "the full -proportion of one man and two women." - -"These are the persons who stole your property," said the astrologer; -"do you know them?" - -"No," she replied. - -"Then," quoth he, "you will never have your goods again." - -She paid him and retired, but had not gone three roods from the house -when the air became darkened, the serene sky was suddenly overcast, -and there swept through the streets a dreadful tempest of wind and -rain, done, as she alleged, "by this cunning man, Satan's agent, with -diabolical black art," forcing her to take shelter in an ale-house to -escape its fury. Many chairmen and market folks were all cognizant -of this storm, which was confined to the vicinity of the ale-house, -and a portion of the adjacent river, where many boats were cast away; -and the skirt of it would seem to have visited Gray's Inn Walk, where -three stately trees were uprooted. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -THE WILD BEAST OF GEVAUDAN. - -In the year 1765, the French, Dutch, and Brussels papers teemed with -marvellous accounts of a monstrous creature, called "The Wild Beast -of Gévaudan," whose ravages for a time spread terror and even despair -among the peasantry of Provence and Languedoc, especially in those -districts of the ancient Narbonne Gaul which were mountainous, woody, -and cold, and where communication was rendered difficult by the want -of good roads and navigable rivers. - -In the April of that year a drawing of this animal was sent to the -Intendant of Alençon, entitled "_Figure de la beste_ (sic) _feroce -l'ou nomme l'hyene qui a devoré plus que_ 80 _personnes dans le -Gévaudan_." An engraving of this is now before us, and certainly its -circulation must have added to the confusion of the nature of the -original. This print represents the beast with a huge head, large -eyes, a long tongue, a double row of sharp fangs, small and erect -ears like those of a cat, the paws and body of a lion, with the tail -of a cow, which trails on the ground with a bushy tuft at the end.* - - -* The History of France records that there appeared a wild beast in -the Forest of Fontainebleau in 1653, which devoured _one hundred and -forty_ persons, before it was killed by twelve mousquetaires of the -Royal Guards! - - -In December, 1764, it first made its appearance at St. Flour, in -Provence, and on the 20th it devoured a little girl who was herding -cattle near Mende. A detachment of light dragoons, sent in search of -it, hunted in vain for six weeks the wild and mountainous parts of -Languedoc. Though a thousand crowns were offered by the province of -Mende to any person who would slay it, and public prayers were put up -in all the churches for deliverance from this singular scourge, which -soon became so great a terror to those districts, as ever the dragon -was of which we read in the "_Seven Champions of Christendom_." - -No two accounts tallied as to the appearance of this animal, and some -of these, doubtless the offspring of the terror and superstition of -the peasantry, added greatly to the dread it inspired. French -hyperbole was not wanting, and the gazettes were filled with the most -singular exaggerations and gasconades. - -The groves of olive and mulberry trees, and the vineyards, were -neglected, the wood-cutters abandoned the forests, and hence fuel -became provokingly dear, even in Paris. - -In the month of January we are told that it devoured a great many -persons, chiefly children and young girls. It was said by those who -escaped to be larger than a wolf, but that previous to springing on -its victim, by crouching on the ground, it seemed no longer than a -fox. "At the distance of one or two fathoms it rises on its hind -legs, and leaps upon its prey, which it seizes by the neck or throat, -but is afraid of horned cattle, from which it runs away." - -It was alleged by some to be the cub of a tiger and lioness; by -others, of a panther and hyena, which had escaped from a private -menagerie belonging to Victor Amadeus, duke of Savoy. A peasant of -Marvejols, who wounded it by a musket shot, found a handful of its -hair, "which stank very much;" he averred it to "be the bigness of a -year-old calf, the head a foot in length, the chest large as that of -a horse, his howling in the night resembled the braying of an ass." -According to collated statements, the beast was seen within the same -hour at different places, in one instance twenty-four miles apart; -hence many persons naturally maintained that there were _two_. - -On the 27th December, 1764, a young woman, in her nineteenth year, -was torn to pieces by it at Bounesal, near Mende. Next day it -appeared in the wood of St. Martin de Born, and was about to spring -upon a girl of twelve years, when her father rushed to her -protection. The woodman, a bold and hardy fellow, rendered desperate -by the danger of his child, kept it at bay for a quarter of an hour, -"the beast all the while endeavouring to fly at the girl, and they -would both inevitably have become its prey if some horned cattle -which the father kept in the wood had not fortunately come up, on -which the beast was terrified and ran away." - -This account was attested on oath by the woodman, before the mayor -and other civil authorities of Mende, an episcopal city in Languedoc. - -On the 9th of January an entire troop of the 10th Light Horse (the -Volontaires Etrangers de Clermont-Prince), then stationed at St. -Chely, was despatched under Captain Duhamel in quest of the animal, -which had just torn and disembowelled a man midway between their -quarters and La Garge. On this occasion the Bishop of Mende said a -solemn mass, and the consecrated Host was elevated in the cathedral, -which was thronged by the devout for the entire day; but the beast -still defied all efforts for his capture or destruction, and soon -after, "in the wood of St. Colme, four leagues from Rhodez, it -devoured a shepherdess of eighteen years of age, celebrated for her -beauty." - -The English papers began to treat the affair of "the wild beast" as a -jest or allegory invented by the Jesuits to render the Protestants -odious and absurd, as it was said to have escaped from the Duke of -Savoy's collection; and "this circumstance is designed," says one -journal, "to point out the Protestants who are supposed to derive -their principles from the ancient Waldensee, who inhabited the -valleys of Piedmont, and were the earliest promoters of the -Reformation." - -A writer in a Scottish newspaper of the period goes still farther, -and announces his firm belief that this tormentor of the Gévaudanois -was nothing more or less than the wild beast prophesied in the -Apocalypse of St. John, whereon the scarlet lady was mounted. -Another asserts that it was typical of the whole Romish clergy, and -that its voracious appetite answered to another part of Scripture, -"conceived in the words _eating up my people as they eat -bread_,"--his favourite food being generally little boys and girls of -Protestant parentage.* - - -* _Edinburgh Advertiser_, 1764. - - -After a long and fruitless chase, Captain Duhamel, before returning -to quarters at St. Chely, resolved to make a vigorous attempt to -destroy this mysterious scourge of Languedoc; but his extreme ardour -caused his plans to miscarry. - -Posting his volontaires, some on horseback, and some on foot, at all -the avenues of a wood to which it had been traced, it was soon roused -from its lair by the explosion of pistols and sound of trumpets. -There was a cry raised of "_Voilà! Gardez la-Bête!_" and Duhamel, an -officer of great courage, who had dismounted, rushed forward to -assail it sword in hand, but had the mortification to see it, with a -terrible roar, spring past the very place he had just quitted. - -Two of his dragoons fired their pistols, but both missed. They then -pursued it on the spur for nearly a league, and though seldom more -than four or five paces from it, they were unable to cut it down, and -ultimately it escaped, by leaping a high stone wall which their -horses were unable to surmount; and after crossing a marsh which lay -on the other side, it leisurely retired to a wild forest beyond. - -The baffled dragoons reported that it "was as big as the largest park -dog, very shaggy, of a brown colour, a yellow belly, a very large -head, and had two very long tusks, ears short and erect, and a -branched tail, which it sets up very much when running." Fear had no -share in this strange description, for the officers of Clermont's -regiment asserted that the two dragoons were as brave men as any in -the corps; but some declared that it was a bear, and others a wild -boar! - -On the 12th of January it attacked seven children (five boys and two -girls) who were at play near the Mountain of Marguerite. It tore the -entire cheek off one boy, and gobbled it up before him; but the other -four, led by a boy named Portefaix, having stakes shod with iron, -drove the beast into a marsh, where it sunk up to the belly, and then -disappeared. That night a boy's body was found half devoured in the -neighbourhood of St. Marcel; on the 21st it severely lacerated a -girl, and (according to the _Paris Gazette_) "next day attacked a -woman, and _bit off her head_!" - -The four brave boys who put it to flight received a handsome gratuity -from the Bishop of Mende, and by the king's order were educated for -the army; the _Gazette_ adds that the king gave the young Portefaix a -gift of four hundred livres, and three hundred to each of his -companions. - -As females and little ones seemed the favourite food of the beast, -Captain Duhamel now ordered several of his dragoons to dress -themselves as women, and with their pistols and fusils concealed, to -accompany the children who watched the cattle; and the King of France -now offered from his privy purse two thousand crowns, in addition to -the one thousand offered by the province of Mende, for the head of -this terrible animal. - -Inspired by a hope of winning the proffered reward, a stout and hardy -peasant of Languedoc, armed with a good musket, set out in search of -it; but on beholding the beast suddenly near him, surrounded by all -the real and imaginary terrors it inspired, he forgot alike his -musket and his resolution; he shrieked with terror and fled, and soon -after "the creature devoured a woman of the village of Jullange, at -the foot of the Mountain of Marguerite." - -As the terror was increasing in Gévaudan and the Vivarez, the offered -rewards were again increased to no less than ten thousand livres; by -the diocese of Mende, two thousand; by the province of Languedoc, two -thousand; by the king, six thousand; and the following placard was -posted up in all the towns and cities of the adjacent provinces:-- - -"By order of the King, and the Intendant of the Province of Languedoc: - -"Notice is given to all persons, that his Majesty, being deeply -affected by the situation of his subjects, now exposed to the ravages -of the wild beast which for four months past has infested Vivarez and -Gévaudan, and being desirous to stop the progress of such a calamity, -has determined to promise a reward of six thousand livres to any -person or persons who shall kill the animal. Such as are willing to -undertake the pursuit of him, may previously apply to the Sieur de la -Font, sub-deputy to the Intendant of Mende, who will give them the -necessary instructions, agreeable to what has been prescribed by the -ministry on the part of his Majesty." - -Still the ubiquitous beast remained untaken; and a letter from Paris -of the 13th February relates the terror it occasioned to a party -consisting of M. le Tivre, a councillor, and two young ladies, who -were on their way to visit M. de Sante, the curé of Vaisour. - -They were travelling in a berlingo, drawn by four post-horses, with -two postilions, and accompanied by a footman, who rode a -saddle-horse, and was armed with a sabre. The first night, on -approaching the dreaded district, they halted at Guimpe, and next -morning at nine o'clock set forth, intending to lunch at Roteaux, a -village situated in a bleak and mountainous place. The bailiff of -Guimpe deemed it his duty to warn them, as strangers, "that the wild -beast had been often seen lurking about the Chaussée that week, and -that it would be proper to take an escort of armed men for their -protection." - -M. le Tivre and the councillor, being foolhardy, declined, and took -the young ladies under their own protection; but they had scarcely -proceeded two leagues when they perceived a post-chaise, attended by -an outrider, coming down the rugged road that traversed the hill of -Credi, at a frightful pace, and pursued by the wild beast! - -The leading horse fell, on which the terrible pursuer made a spring -towards it; but M. le Tivre's footman interposed with his drawn -sabre, on which the beast pricked up its ears, stood erect, and -showed its fangs and mouth full of froth, whisked round, and gave the -terrified valet a blow with its tail, covering all his face with -blood. The rest of the narrative is ridiculously incredible, for it -states, that, on perceiving a gentleman levelling a blunderbuss -(which flashed in the pan), the beast darted right through the chaise -of M. le Tivre, smashing the side glasses and escaped to the wood. -"The stench left in the shattered chaise was past description, and no -burning of frankincense, or other method, removed it, so that it was -sold for two louis, and though burned to ashes, the cinders were -obliged, by order of the commissary, to be buried without the town -walls!" (_Advertiser_, 1765). - -Eluding the many armed hunters who were now in pursuit of it, in the -early part of February the wild beast was seen hovering in -well-frequented places, on the skirts of the forests adjoining the -fields and vineyards, in the hamlets, and on the highways. In -Janols, the capital of Gévaudanois, it sprang upon a child, whose -cries brought his father to his aid, but ere a rescue could be -effected, the poor little creature was rent asunder. - -Three days afterwards, on the Feast of the Purification, five -peasants, going to mass at Reintort de Randon, suddenly perceived it -on the highway before them. It was crouching, and about to spring, -when their shouts, and the pointed staves with which they were armed, -put it to flight. On Sunday, the 3rd February, it was heard howling -in the little village of St. Aman's during the celebration of high -mass. All the inhabitants were in church, "but as they had taken the -precaution to shut up the children in their houses, it retired -without doing any mischief." On the 8th it was perceived within a -hundred yards of the town of Aumont. A general chase through the -snow was made by the armed huntsmen; but night came on before they -came within range of the dreaded fugitive. - -In February and March we find it still continuing its ravages through -all the pleasant valleys of the Aisne. At Soissons it worried a -woman to death and partly devoured her. Two girls were brought to -the Hospital of St. Flour in a dying state from wounds it had -inflicted: - -"Catherine Boyer, aged twenty years, who was attacked on the 15th of -January at Bastide-de-Montfort; all that part of the head on which -the hair grew is torn away, with a part of the os coronæ, and the -whole pericranium with the upper part of the ear is lost. The -occipital bone is likewise laid bare. The other girl belongs to St. -Just; the left side of her head and neck is carried away, with part -of her nose and upper lip." - -On the 1st of March, a man boldly charged it on horseback, but was -thrown, and leaving his nag to its mercy, scrambled away and found -refuge in a mill, where it besieged him for some time, till a lad of -seventeen appeared, whom it lacerated with teeth and claws and left -expiring outside the door. On the road near Bazoches, it tore to -pieces a woman who attempted to save a girl on which it was about to -spring; and four men of that place, armed with loaded guns, watched -all night, near the mangled body, in the hope that it might return; -but the animal was several miles distant, and after biting several -sheep and cows in a farm-yard, was at last severely wounded by -Antoine Savanelle, an old soldier, who assailed it with a pitchfork, -which he thrust into its throat, and he was vain enough to declare -that the wound was mortal and that he must have killed it. - -This boast, however, was premature, for it soon reappeared, biting, -tearing, and devouring, and though a man of Malzieu wounded it by a -musket shot, making it roll over with a hideous cry, it was able on -the 9th to drag a child for two hundred yards from a cottage door. -It dropped its prey unhurt; but on the same evening, we are told that -it partly devoured a young woman near the village of Miolonettes, and -committed other ravages, the mere enumeration of which would weary -rather than astonish, though it was stated that not less "than twenty -thousand men" (a sad exaggeration surely), noblesse, hunters, -woodmen, and soldiers, were in pursuit of it, under the Count de -Morangies, an old maréchal de camp, who passed a whole night near the -body of the half-devoured girl, in the vain hope that the monster -would return within range of his musket. - -Great astonishment and ridicule were excited in England by these -continued details, and under date of 13th March, a pretended letter -from Paris, headed "Wonderful Intelligence!" went the round of the -press. - -"The wild beast that makes such a noise all over Europe, and after -whom there are at least thirty thousand regular forces and seventy -thousand militia and armed peasants, proves to be a descendant on the -mother's side from the famous Dragon of Wantley, and on the father's -side from a Scotch Highland Laird. He eats a house as an alderman -eats a custard, and with the wag of his tail he throws down a church. -He was attacked on the night of the 8th instant, in his den, by a -detachment of fourteen thousand men, under the command of Duc de -Valliant; but the platoon firing, and even the artillery, had only -the effect of making him sneeze; at last he gave a slash with his -tail by which we lost seven thousand men; then making a jump over the -left wing, made his escape." - -Elsewhere we find:--"Yesterday, about ten in the morning, a courier -arrived (in London) from France, with the melancholy news that the -wild beast had, on the 25th instant, been attacked by the _whole_ -French army, consisting of one hundred and twenty thousand men, whom -he totally defeated in the twinkling of an eye, swallowing the whole -train of artillery and devouring twenty-five thousand men." - -But still in Languedoc, lovers who had lost their brides, brothers -their sisters, and parents their children, armed with guns and -spears, beat the mountain sides and wild thickets for this animal, -the existence of which was considered nearly or quite fabulous in -London. - -It would seem to have been deemed so in Holland, too, for the -_Utrecht Gazette_, after detailing how bravely a poor woman of La -Bessiere, name Jane Chaston, defended her little children against the -beast, which appeared in her garden and tore one with its teeth, -states that whatever scoffers might say, its existence was no longer -doubtful, adding, "that unless we believe in the accounts of it which -come from France, we must reject the greatest part of the events to -which we give credit, as being of much less authority." - -Louis XV gave a handsome gratuity to Jane Chaston for her courage and -tenderness in defending her children, but we are not informed how or -with what she was armed. - -The Duc de Praslin received a report from the Comte de Montargis, who -commanded the troops in the neighbourhood of La Bessiere, to the -effect that, three days after the adventure of Jane Chaston, a party -of eighty dragoons, _en route_ to join their regiment, fell in with -the beast, and rode at full speed towards it. When first discovered -it was one hundred and fifty yards distant, and fled into a hollow -place, which was environed by marshes and water, and then they -endeavoured to hunt it forth by dogs. They opened a fire upon it -with their carbines; but as the rain was falling in torrents, all -these flashed in the pan, save _one_, which went off without effect. -"The rain," continues the report, which is not very flattering to M. -le Comte's cavalry, "not only hindered aid from coming to the -troopers (the explosion of the carbine and their incessant cries of -'the beast! the beast!' having alarmed the whole neighbourhood), but -by filling up the hollows with water, made them unable any longer." - -Three-quarters of an hour after this the beast appeared in a field -where tiles were made, at the base of Mount Mimat, where there is a -hermitage dedicated to St. Privat, partly hewn out of the rock. This -was then inhabited by an aged recluse and an officer of artillery, a -reformed _roué_, who had dwelt with him for eighteen months, by way -of penance. From the window they could plainly see the beast -gambolling playfully on the grass, and climbing up the trees like a -squirrel; but being without arms, they shut and made fast the door of -the grotto, near which it remained watching for half an hour. This -time the officer employed in making a sketch of it, which next day he -sent to the Bishop of Mende; and here, perhaps, we have the startling -engraving which was produced by the Intendant of Alençon. - -The Comte de Montargis forwarded this sketch to the Duc de Praslin, -to whose office the people flocked in multitudes to behold it; but -public opinion was divided as to whether the animal was a lynx or a -bear; "but I am certain," adds the writer of the news, "that if it -was brought to the fair of St. Germain, it would draw more spectators -than the famous Indian bird." - -This celebrated fair was then held in a large meadow contiguous to -the ancient Abbey of St. Germain-des-Prés, and was the grand -rendezvous of all the dissipated society of Paris, to whom its -gaming-tables, booths, theatres, cafes, cabarets, formed a -never-ending source of attraction. - -In April the beast devoured a young woman of twenty, who was watching -some cattle. After that event the country became quite deserted; -though its preference for the fair sex seemed very decided, no men -would work in the fields, herd the flocks, or go abroad, save in -armed bands. - -The _Brussels Gazette_ of May records a new phase in the history of -the beast. Of eighteen persons whom it had bitten, thirteen are -stated to have died raving mad. One patient began to howl like a -dog, on which he was bled copiously, and chained hand and foot. -Endued with terrible strength, he burst his bonds, and raved about in -wild frenzy, destroying everything that came in his way, until he was -shot down by an officer with a double-barrelled gun, when attempting, -with a crowbar, to break into a country-house near Broine, where -thirty persons had taken refuge from him. - -About six in the evening of the 1st of May, the Sieur Martel de la -Chaumette, whose château was at St. Alban's, in the bishopric of -Mende, perceived, from a window, an animal which he was certain could -be no other than the wild beast of Gévaudan. It was in a grass -meadow, seated on its hind legs, and was gazing steadfastly at a lad, -about fifteen years of age, who was herding some horned cattle, and -was all unaware of its vicinity and ulterior views. The Sieur de la -Chaumette summoned his two brothers, and armed with guns they issued -forth in pursuit of the animal, which fled at their approach. - -The youngest overtook it in the forest, and put a ball into it at -sixty-seven paces; it rolled over three times, which enabled the -elder Chaumette to put in another ball at fifty-two paces, on which -it fled, and escaped, losing blood in great quantities. Night came -on, and the pursuit was abandoned; but next day the Chaumettes were -joined by the Sieurs d'Ennival, father and son, and a band of -hunters. Its trail and traces of blood were found, and followed for -a great distance, but they tracked it in vain. - -The Sieur de la Chaumette, who had slain a great many wolves, -declared that the animal he had seen in the meadow was _not_ one; but -his description of its appearance coincided exactly with that given -by the Sieur Duhamel of the 10th Light Horse, and with the sketch -made by the military hermit of St. Privat. The Chaumettes were in -great hopes that the two bullets had slain the monster; but on the -day following, at five in the evening, at a spot five leagues distant -from the château, it devoured a girl fourteen years of age, and the -terror of the people increased, as the beast seemed to have a charmed -life, and to be almost bullet-proof. - -The picked marksmen of fifty parishes now joined in the chase. Two -remarkably fine dogs of the Sieur d'Ennival were so eager in the -pursuit, that they left the hunt far behind, and, as they were never -seen again, were supposed to have been killed and eaten. The society -of the knights of St. Hubert, in the city of Puy, composed of forty -men, joined in the crusade against this denizen of the wilds of -Languedoc; but it was not until the end of September, 1765, that it -was ultimately vanquished and slain by a game-keeper and the Sieur -Antoine de Bauterne, a gentleman of Paris, who set out for Gévaudan -on purpose to encounter it. - -After a long, arduous, and exciting chase, through forest and over -fell, on bringing it to bay at fifty yards, he shot it in the eye. -Mad with pain and fury, it was crouching prior to springing upon him, -when his companion, M. Rheinchard, gamekeeper to Louis, Duke of -Orleans (son of Philip, so long regent of France), by a single -bullet, in a vital spot, shot it dead. - -It was then measured, and found to be five feet seven inches long, -thirty-two inches high, and only one hundred and thirty pounds in -weight. On the 4th of October, the Sieur de Bauterne, who was -extolled as if he had been the victor of another Steenkirk or -Fontenoy, arrived triumphantly in Paris, and had the honour to -present it to the king; and then great was the astonishment and the -disappointment of all who saw this animal--the terrible wild beast of -Gévaudan, whose sanguinary career had for so many months excited such -dismay there and wonder elsewhere--and found that it was only a wolf -after all, and not a very large one! Horace Walpole, fourth Earl of -Orford--the brilliant and witty Walpole of Strawberry Hill--saw the -carcass as it lay in the queen's antechamber at Versailles, and -asserts that it was simply a common wolf. Its nature accounted for -some of the peculiarities it exhibited during its ravages, as the -wolf, according to Weissenborn, destroys every other creature it can -master, and, on a moderate calculation, consumes during the year -about _thirty times_ its own weight of animal substance; and to -increase the list of its crimes, it has, he adds, in many instances, -communicated hydrophobia to man. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -"THERE WERE GIANTS IN THOSE DAYS." - -Among many other strange things, our unlettered ancestors believed in -the past existence of those tall fellows, giants (individually, or -even collectively as nations), quite as implicitly as they, worthy -folks, did in the pranks and appearances of contemporary witches and -ghosts; but even among the learned a more than tacit belief in a -defunct class of beings, whose bulk and stature far exceeded those of -common humanity, found full sway until the beginning of the present -century. - -A love of the marvellous is strong; and even Buffon, the eminent -naturalist, fell into the old and vague delusion that "there were -giants in those days," and he made the bones of an elephant to figure -as the remains of a man of vast stature. - -With Scripture for a basis to their assertions, it was difficult, no -doubt, for the over-learned, and still more for the unlearned, of -past times to subdue their belief in the existence of such foes as -were encountered by our old friend Jack of gallant memory--veritable -giants, tall as steeples, to whom such men as Big Sam of the Black -Watch, O'Brien the Irish giant (whose skeleton is in the museum of -the College of Surgeons), even the King of Prussia's famous -grenadiers, and the girl fifteen years old and more than seven feet -high, "who was presented to their majesties at Dresden,"* were all as -pigmies and Liliputians by comparison. - - -* _Gentleman's Magazine_, 1753. - - -The Bible gives us four distinct races of giants, the chief of whom -were the Anakims, or sons of Anak, the people of the chosen land, to -which Moses was to lead the children of Israel, who were unto them -but as grasshoppers in size. Og, the king of this tall race and of -Bashan, however, if judged by the measurement of the present day, was -not taller than eight feet six inches, as his brazen bedstead -measured just nine Jewish cubits; but the Rabbis maintain that the -bed described was only his _cradle_ when an infant. The Anakims are -referred to in the fifth chapter of the Koran, which speaks of -Jericho as a city inhabited by giants. The father of Og is also -asserted to have been of stature so great, that he escaped the Flood -by--_wading_! - -When told (as we are) in 1 Samuel that Goliath was in height six -cubits and a span, that his coat of mail weighed five thousand -shekels of brass, that the staff of his spear was as a weaver's beam, -and that its head weighed six hundred shekels of iron, it was -difficult for the simple people of past days, when, in some remote -cavern or river's bed, or fallen chalk cliff, the monster bones of -the elephant, the mastodon, or the rhinoceros came unexpectedly to -light, not to believe that there might have been many Goliaths in the -world once. - -Josephus records that in _his_ time there were to be seen in Gaza, -Gath, and Azoth the tombs of those mighty men of old, the sons of -Anak, who had been slain when Joshua marched into the land of Canaan, -and slew the people of Hebron and Dabir. - -According to the Moslems, even Joshua was a man of prodigious -stature; and the highest mountain on the shores of the Bosphorus is -at this hour called by the Turks the Grave of Joshua,--_Juscha -Taghi_,--or the Giant's Mountain.* - - -* The grave is fifty feet long, and has been called the tomb of -Amycus and of Hercules. - - -Tradition ascribes the origin of the name of Antwerp to a giant whose -abode was in the woody swamps through which the Scheldt then wandered -to the German Sea, and who used to cut off the hands and feet of -those who displeased him; "and to prove this" (vide _Atlas -Geographus_, 1711) "they show there a tooth, which they pretend to be -his. It is a hand's-breadth long, and weighs six ounces. Moreover, -the city has hands cut off as part of its arms." - -Giants figure largely among the earlier fables of Wales, Scotland, -and Ireland, the two latter contending still for the nationality of -the famous - - "Finn MacCoul, - Wha dung the deil, and gart him yowl," - -and who, by the famous causeway of his own construction, could cross -the Irish Channel to Britain whenever he chose. - -Fiannam is probably the same personage. He is said to have lived in -the time of Ewen II. of Scotland, a potentate who, according to -Buchanan, "reigned in the year before Christ 77, and was a good and -civil king;" and local story connects with his name the Giant's -Chair, a rock above the river Dullan, in the parish of Mortlach. - -England, too, is not without traces of some interest in the sons of -Anak. We have the Giant's Grave, a long and grassy ridge in the -beautiful Fairy Glen at Hawkstone, in Salop; another place so named -on the coast of Bristol, and a third at Penrith, where two stone -pillars in the churchyard, standing fifteen feet asunder at the -opposite ends of a grave, and covered with runes or unintelligible -carving, mark the size and tomb of Owen Cæsarius. Near these pillars -is a third stone, called the Giant's Thumb. - -Two miles below Brougham Castle, on the steep banks of the Eamont, -are two excavations in the rock, having traces of a door and window, -and of a strong column indented with iron; and these caves are -assigned by tradition to a giant, who bore the classic name of Isis. - -The vast stature of the Patagonians was long the subject of implicit -belief, until it passed into a proverb. Antonio Pagifeta, who -accompanied the adventurous Ferdinand Magellan on his famous voyage -in 1519, records that on the coast of Brazil they found wild and -gigantic cannibals so nimble of foot, that no man could overtake -them. Bearing on thence to south latitude 49°, the land seemed all -desolate and uninhabited, for they could see no living creature. At -last a giant came singing and dancing towards them, and threw dust on -his head. He was so tall, that the head of a Spaniard reached only -to his waist. His apparel was the skin of a monstrous beast. All -the inhabitants were men of the same kind, wherefore "the admiral -called them Patagons." - -This absurd story was corroborated a hundred years later by Jacob le -Maire, in a voyage to the same region, and by the Dutch navigator -Schouten, when they relate that at Port Desire they found graves -containing human skeletons from eleven to twelve feet long. However, -the Spanish officers of Cordova's squadron, by accurate measurements, -reduced the utmost stature of the real Patagonian to seven feet one -and a half inches, and their common height to six feet. - -Premising that, of course, the great bones about to be referred to -were those of the mammoth, the mastodon and other antediluvian -animals, perhaps the most amusing instance of the credulity and -gullibility even of the learned in such matters was a _mémoire_, read -seriously to the Royal Academy of Sciences at Rouen, in the middle of -the last century, by a savan named M. le Cat. - -Therein he asserted and affected to give proof that Ferragas, who was -slain by Orlando, the nephew of Charlemagne, was eighteen feet in -height; that Isoret, whose tomb lay near the chapel of St. Pierre, in -the suburbs of Paris, had been twenty feet high; and that in the city -of Rouen, when digging near the convent of the Jacobins in 1509, -during the reign of Louis XII., there was found in a tomb of stone a -skeleton, the skull of which would hold a bushel (thirty-eight pounds -weight) of corn. The shin-bones were entire, and measured four feet -long. On this astounding tomb was a plate of copper, bearing the -epitaph, "In this grave lies the noble and puissant Lord Riccon de -Valmont and his bones." He then proceeds to tell us that Valence in -Dauphiné possesses the bones of the giant Buccart, tyrant of the -Vivarais, whom his vassal, the Count de Cabillon, slew by a barbed -arrow, the iron head of which was found in his tomb when it--with all -his bones intact--was discovered in 1705, at the base of the mountain -of Crussol, whereon the giant dwelt, and whence he used to come daily -to drink of the river Merderet. The skeleton when measured was -twenty-two feet six inches long.* - - -* "In the Dominican Church there's the picture of a giant called -Buard, who they pretend, by his bones dug up in their monastery, was -fifteen cubits high and seven broad."--_Atlas Geographus_, 1711, 4to. - - -"Father Crozart assured me," continued the veracious M. le Cat, "that -the physicians who were in the train of the princes who passed -through Valence all acknowledged the bones to be human, and offered -twenty-two pistoles for them." He farther appends a copy of the -epitaph of this personage, forwarded to him by the same Father Crozat -in 1746, and beginning, "Hæc est effigiis gigantis Baardi Vivariensis -tiranni in Montis Cressoli Stantis," &c. - -This tall personage, a second whose bones were exposed by the waters -of the Rhone in 1456, and a third whose skeleton, nineteen feet long, -was found near Lucerne in 1577, were all jokes and swindle when -compared with others that were found in later years, particularly the -remains of Teutobochus, king of the Teutones, which were discovered -near the ruined castle of Chaumont in Dauphine, in the year 1613, by -some masons who were digging a well. At the depth of eighteen feet, -in light sandy soil, they came upon a tomb built of brick; above it -was a stone inscribed, "Teutobochus Rex." Five years afterwards -Mazurier, a surgeon, published his _Histoire Véritable du Géant -Teutobochus_, which excited keen controversy, and brought all -Paris--the Paris of Louis the Just and of Richelieu--rushing in -crowds to see the bones of the mastodon, or whatever it was, whose -tomb bore a royal inscription. - -This king of the Teutones, who is said to have been vanquished and -slain in battle a few miles from Valence, and to have been buried -with all honour by Marius, his conqueror, was carefully measured, and -found to be twenty-five feet six inches long, ten feet across the -shoulders, and five from breast to back-bone. His teeth were each -the size of an ox's foot. All France heard of this with wonder, and -a belief which the anatomist Riolan sought in vain to ridicule and -expose. - -Sicily was peculiarly the favourite abode of giants. - -At Mazarino, a town near Girgenti, there were found in 1516 the bones -of a giant whose skull was like a sugar-hogshead, with teeth each -five ounces in weight; and in the Val di Mazzara, thirty years after, -the alleged remains of another were found, whose stature was the same! - -Patrick Brydone, in his _Tour to Sicily and Malta_, in 1773, mentions -some of these marvellous discoveries. - -"In the mountain above it (_il Mar Dolce_) they show you a cavern -where a gigantic skeleton is said to have been found; however, it -fell to dust when they attempted to remove it. Fazzello says its -teeth were the only part that resisted the impression of the air; -that he procured two of them, and that they weighed near two ounces. -There are many such stories to be met with in the Sicilian legends, -as it seems to be a universal belief that this island (Sicily) was -once inhabited by giants; but, although we have made diligent -inquiry, we have never yet been able to procure a sight of any of -those gigantic bones which are said to be still preserved in many -parts of the island. Had there been any foundation for this, I think -it is probable they must have found their way into some of the -museums. But this is not the case; nor indeed have we met with any -person of sense and credibility that could say they have seen them. -We had been assured at Naples that an entire skeleton, upwards of ten -feet high, was preserved in the museum at Palermo; but there is no -such thing there, nor I believe anywhere else in the island." - -This Palermitan giant is gravely referred to in the _mémoire_ of M. -le Cat, as well as "another thirty-three feet high, found in 1550." - -According to Plutarch, Serbonius had the grave of Antæus (the Libyan -giant and antagonist of Hercules) opened in the city of Tungis, and, -finding his body to be "sixty cubits long, was infinitely -astonished," as well he might be, and gave orders for the tomb to be -closed, but added new honours to his memory. The bones of a giant, -forty-six cubits in length, were laid bare by an earthquake in Crete, -as Pliny states with implicit faith; and it was disputed whether they -were those of Otus, son of Neptune, who built a city in his ninth -year, or of the equally fabulous Orion. But all that we have noted -are overtopped by the giant found at Thessalonica in 1691, who was -ninety-six feet high (as certified by M. Quoinet, consul for France), -and by another found at Trepani, in Sicily--the ancient _Drepanum_. -The latter, Boccaccio states the learned of his time to have taken -for the skeleton of Polyphemus, the son of Neptune and Thoosa--the -one-eyed Cyclop of the _Odyssey_. - - "A form enormous! far unlike the race - Of human birth, in stature and in face;" - -and on being measured, the bones proved to be exactly _three hundred -feet_ long! - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -BURIED HEARTS. - -It is natural enough that the human heart--deemed by poets and -philosophers to be the seat of our affections and passions, of our -understanding and will, courage and conscience, by some men looked -upon as the root of life itself--should have been considered by many -of the dying in past times as a votive gift peculiarly sacred. And -this feeling has been the cause in many instances of the burial of -the heart apart from the place where the ashes of the body might -repose. - -Among the earliest instances of the separate mode of heart-burial is -that of Henry the Second of England. After this luckless monarch -expired in a passion of grief, before the altar of the church of -Chinon, in 1189, his heart was interred at Fontevrault, but his body, -from the nostrils of which tradition alleges blood to have dropped on -the approach of his rebellious son Richard, was laid in a separate -vault. From Fontevrault his heart, according to a statement in a -public print, was brought a few years ago to Edinburgh, by Bishop -Gillis, of that city. If so, where is it now? - -When Richard Cœur de Lion fell beneath Gourdon's arrow at the -siege of Chaluz, the gallant heart, which, in its greatness and -mercy, inspired him to forgive, and even to reward the luckless -archer, was, after his death, preserved in a casket in the treasury -of that splendid cathedral which William the Conqueror built at -Rouen; for Richard, by a last will, directed that his body should be -interred in Fontevrault, "at the feet of his father, to testify his -sorrow for the many uneasinesses he had created him during his -lifetime." His bowels he bequeathed to Poictou (Grafton has it -Carlisle), and his heart to Normandy, out of his great love for the -people thereof. Above the relic at Rouen there was erected an -elaborate little shrine, which was demolished in 1738, but exactly a -hundred years later the heart was found in its old place, and -reinterred. It was again exhumed, however, cased in glass, and -exhibited in the Musée des Antiquités of the city; but December, -1869, saw it once more replaced in the cathedral, with a leaden plate -on the cover, bearing the inscription: - - "Hie jacet cor Ricardi Regis Anglorum." - -So there finally lies the heart of him who, in chivalry, was the -rival of Saladin and Philip Augustus, the hero of the historian, and -the novelist, and who was the idol of the English people for many a -generation. - -When this great crusader's nephew, Richard, Earl of Cornwall, and -King of the Romans, died, after a stirring life--during which he -formed a conspiracy against the king his father, then, like all the -wild, pious, and bankrupt lords of those days, took a turn of service -in the Holy Land, and next drew his sword in the battle fought at -Lewes between Henry the Third and the confederate barons--his body -was interred at Hayles, in Gloucestershire, but his heart was -deposited at Rewley Abbey, near Oxford, while the heart of his son, -who died before him, and for whose tragical fate he died of grief, -was laid in Westminster Abbey in 1271. - -Two successive holders of the see of Durham made votive offerings of -their hearts to two different churches. The first of these was -Richard Poore, previously Dean of Salisbury, Bishop of Chichester, -and then of Durham, from 1228 to 1237. He was buried in the -cathedral of his diocese, but his heart was sent to Tarrant, in -Dorsetshire. A successor in the episcopate, Robert de Stitchell, who -had formerly been Prior of Finchale, dying on his way home from the -Council of Lyons, in 1274, was buried in Durham, but, at his own -request, his heart was left behind, as a gift to the Benedictine -convent near Arbepellis, in France. At Henley, in Yorkshire, in the -old burial vault of the noble family of Bolton, there lies the leaden -coffin of a female member of the house, who had died in France, and -been brought from thence embalmed, and cased in lead. On the top of -the coffin is deposited her heart in a kind of urn. The heart of -Agnes Sorel was interred in the abbey of Jumieges. - -In Scotland there have been several instances of the separate burial -of the human heart. The earliest known is that connected with the -founding and erection of Newabbey, or the abbey of Dulce Cor, in the -stewartry of Kirkcudbright, by Derorgilla, daughter of Alan the -Celtic Lord of Galloway, and wife of John Baliol, of Barnard Castle, -father of the unpopular competitor for the Scottish crown. Baliol, -to whom she was deeply attached, died an exile in France in 1269; but -Derorgilla had his heart embalmed, and as the Scotichronicon records, -"lokyt and bunden with sylver brycht;" and this relic so sad and grim -she always carried about with her. In 1289, as death approached, -when she was in her eightieth year, she directed that "this silent -and daily companion in life for twenty years should be laid upon her -bosom when she was buried in the abbey she had founded;" the -beautiful old church, the secluded ruins of which now moulder by the -bank of the Nith. For five centuries and more, in memory of her -untiring affection, the place has been named locally the Abbey of -Sweet-heart. - -History and song have alike made us familiar with the last wish of -Robert Bruce, the heroic King of Scotland, when, after two years of -peace and contemplation, he died in the north, at Cardross. He -desired that in part fulfilment of a vow he had made to march to -Jerusalem, a purpose which the incessant war with England baffled, -his heart should be laid in the church of the Holy Sepulchre, and on -his death-bed he besought his old friend and faithful brother -soldier, the good Sir James Douglas, to undertake that which was then -a most arduous journey, and be the bearer of the relic. "And it is -my command," he added, to quote Froissart, "that you do use that -royal state and maintenance in your journey, both for yourself and -your companions, that into whatever lands or cities you may come, all -may know that ye have in charge, to bear beyond the seas, the heart -of King Robert of Scotland." - -Then all who stood around his bed began to weep, and Douglas replied: - -"Assuredly, my liege, I do promise, by the faith which I owe to God -and to the order of knighthood." - -"Now praise be to God," said the king, "I shall die in peace." - -It is a matter of history how Douglas departed on this errand with a -train of knights, and, choosing to land on the Spanish coast, heard -that Alphonso of Leon and Castile was at war with Osman, the Moorish -king of Granada. In the true spirit of the age, he could not resist -the temptation of striking a blow for the Christian faith, and so -joined the Spaniards. He led their van upon the plain of Theba, near -the Andalusian frontier. In a silver casket at his neck he bore the -heart of Bruce, which rashly and repeatedly he cast before him amid -the Moors, crying: - -"Now pass on as ye were wont, and Douglas, as of old, will follow -thee or die." - -And there he fell, together with Sir William Sinclair, of Roslin, Sir -Robert and Walter Logan, of Restalrig, and others. Bruce's heart, -instead of being taken to Jerusalem, was brought home by Sir Simon of -Lee, and deposited in Melrose Abbey. Douglas was laid among his -kindred in Liddesdale, and from thenceforward "the bloody heart," -surmounted by a crown, became the cognizance of all the Douglasses in -Scotland. Bruce was interred at Dunfermline; and when his skeleton -was discovered in 1818, the breast-bone was found to have been sawn -across to permit the removal of the heart, in accordance with the -terms of his last will. - -But of all the treasured hearts of the heroic or illustrious dead, -none perhaps ever underwent so many marvellous adventures as that of -James, Marquis of Montrose, who was executed by the Scottish Puritans -in 1650. - -On his body being interred among those of common criminals, by the -side of a road leading southward from Edinburgh, his niece, the Lady -Napier, whose castle of Merchiston still stands near the place, had -the deal box in which the trunk of the corpse lay (the head and limbs -had been sent to different towns in Scotland) opened in the night, -and his heart, "which he had always promised at his death to leave -her, as a mark of the affection she had ever felt towards him," was -taken forth. It was secretly embalmed and enclosed in a little case -of steel, made from the blade of that sword which Montrose had drawn -for King Charles at the battles of Auldearn, Tippermuir, and -Kilsythe. This case she placed in a gold filigree box that had been -presented by the Doge of Venice to John Napier, of Merchiston, and -she enclosed the whole in a silver urn which had been given to her -husband by the great cavalier marquis before the Civil War. She sent -this carefully guarded relic to the second marquis, afterwards first -Duke of Montrose, who was then in exile with her husband; but it -never reached either of them, being unfortunately lost by the bearer -on the journey. - -Years after all these actors in the drama of life had passed away, a -gentleman of Gueldres, a friend of Francis, fifth Lord Napier (who -died in 1773), recognized, in the collection of a Flemish virtuoso, -by the coat-armorial and other engravings upon it, the identical gold -filigree box belonging to the Napiers of Merchiston. The steel case -was within it; but the silver urn was gone. The former "was the size -and shape of an egg. It was opened by pressing down a little knob, -as is done in opening a watch-case. Inside was a little parcel -containing all that remained of Montrose's heart, wrapped in a piece -of coarse cloth, and done over with a substance like glue." Restored -by this friend to the Napiers, it was presented to Miss Hester -Napier, by her father, Lord Francis, when his speculations in the -Caledonian Canal and elsewhere led him to fear the sale of his -patrimonial castle of Merchiston, and that he would lose all, even to -this relic, on which he set so much store. Miss Napier took it with -her on her marriage with Johnstone of Carnsalloch, and it accompanied -her when she sailed for India with her husband. Off the Cape de Verd -Isles their ship was attacked by Admiral de Suffrien, who was also -bound for the East with five French sail of the line. In the -engagement which ensued, Mrs. Johnstone, who refused to quit her -husband's side on the quarter-deck, was wounded by a splinter in the -arm, while carrying in her hand a reticule in which she had placed -all her most valuable trinkets, and, among these, the heart of -Montrose, as it was feared that the Indiaman would be taken by -boarding; Suffrien, however, was beaten off. - -At Madura, in India, she had an urn made like the old one to contain -the heart, and on it was engraved, in Tamil and Telegu, a legend -telling what it held. Her constant anxiety concerning its safety -naturally caused a story to be spread concerning it among the -Madrassees, who deemed it a powerful talisman. Thus it was stolen, -and became the property of a chief; so the loyal heart that had beat -proudly in so many Scottish battles, hung as an amulet at the neck of -a Hindoo warrior. The latter, however, on hearing what it really -was, generously restored it to its owner, and it was brought to -Europe by the Johnstones on their return in 1792. In that year they -were in France, when an edict of the revolutionary government -required all persons to surrender their plate and ornaments for the -service of the sovereign people. Mrs. Johnstone intrusted the heart -of Montrose to one of her English attendants named Knowles, that it -might be secretly and safely conveyed to England; but the custodian -died by the way; the relic was again lost, and heard of no more. - -In the wall of an aisle of the old ruined church of Culross, there -was found, not long ago, enclosed in a silver case of oval form, -chased and engraved, the heart of Edward Bruce, second Lord Kinloss -(ancestor of the Earls of Elgin), in his day a fiery and gallant -young noble, who fought the famous duel with a kindred spirit, Sir -Edward Sackville, afterwards Earl of Dorset, a conflict which is -detailed at such length, and so quaintly, in No. 133 of the -_Guardian_. Bruce was the challenger, and after a long and careful -pre-arrangement, attended by their seconds and surgeons, they -encountered each other, with the sword, minus their doublets, and in -their shirtsleeves, under the walls of Antwerp, in August, 1613. -Sackville had a finger hewn off, and received three thrusts in his -body, yet he contrived to pass his rapier twice, mortally, through -the breast of his Scottish antagonist, who fell on his back, dying -and choking with blood. - -"I re-demanded of him," wrote Sir Edward, "if he would request his -life; but it seemed he prized it not at so dear a rate to be beholden -for it, bravely replying that 'he scorned it,' which answer of his -was so noble and worthy, as I protest I could not find in my heart to -offer him any more violence." - -As Sackville was borne away fainting, he escaped, as he relates, "a -great danger. Lord Bruce's surgeon, when nobody dreamt of it, came -full at me with his lordship's sword, and had not mine, with my -sword, interposed, I had been slain, although my Lord Bruce, -weltering in his blood, and past all expectation of life, conformable -to all his former carriage, which was undoubtedly noble, cried out, -'Rascal, hold thy hand!'" - -Sackville was borne to a neighbouring monastery to be cured, and died -in 1652 of sorrow, it was alleged, for the death of Charles the -First. Kinloss died on the ground where the duel was fought, and was -buried in Antwerp; but his heart was sent home to the family vault, -in the old abbey church, which lies so pleasantly half hidden among -ancient trees, by the margin of the Forth; and a brass plate in the -wall, with a detail of the catastrophe engraved upon it, still -indicates its locality to the visitor. - -Still more recently there was supposed to be found in the vault of -the Maitlands, at St. Mary's Church, in Haddington, an urn containing -the heart of the great but terrible duke, John of Lauderdale, the -scourge of the Covenanters, a truculent peer, who, for his services -to the powers that were, was created Baron Petersham and Earl of -Guildford, and who died at Tunbridge Wells in 1682. He was buried in -the family aisle, amid the execrations of the peasantry, to whom his -character rendered him odious, and his coffin on tressels was long an -object of grotesque terror to the truant urchin who peeped through -the narrow slit that lighted the vault where the lords of Thirlstane -lie. The heart of the unhappy king, James the Second of England, -which was taken from his body, and interred separately in an urn, in -the church of Sainte Marie de Chaillot, near Paris, was lost at the -Revolution, in 1792, while the heart of his queen, Mary d'Este, of -Modena, and that of their faithful friend and adherent, Mary Gordon, -daughter of Lewis, Marquis of Huntley, and wife of James, Duke of -Perth (whilom Lord Justice-General, and High Chancellor of Scotland), -were long kept where the ashes of the latter still repose, in the -pretty little chapel of the Scottish College, at Paris, in the Rue -des Fosses St. Victoire, one of the oldest portions of the city. - -When the body of the Emperor Napoleon was prepared for interment at -St. Helena, in May, 1821, the heart was removed by a medical officer, -to be soldered up in a separate case. Madame Bertrand, in her grief -and enthusiasm, had made some vow, or expressed a vehement desire, to -obtain possession of this as a precious relic, and the doctor, -fearing that some trick might be played him, and his commission be -thereby imperilled, kept it all night in his own room, and under his -own eye, in a wine-glass. The noise of crystal breaking roused him, -if not from sleep, at least from a waking doze, and he started -forward, only in time to rescue the heart of the emperor from a huge -brown rat, which was dragging it across the floor to its hole. It -was rescued by the doctor, soldered up in a silver urn, filled with -spirits, by Sergeant Abraham Millington, of the St. Helena Artillery, -and placed in the coffin. - -During the repair of Christ's Church, at Cork, in 1829, a human -heart, in a leaden case, was found embedded among the masonry; but to -whom it had belonged, what was its story, the piety or love its owner -wished to commemorate, no legend or inscription remained to tell. - -In 1774, Sir Francis Dashwood, Lord Le Despenser, seems to have -received the singular bequest of a human heart, as the obituaries of -that year record, that when "Paul Whitehead, Esq., a gentleman much -admired by the literati for his publications, died at his apartments -in Henrietta-street, Covent Garden, among other whimsical legacies -was his heart, which, with fifty pounds, he bequeathed to his -lordship." But of all the relics on record, perhaps the most -singular, if the story be true, is that related in the second volume -of the memoirs of the Empress Josephine, published in 1829, when the -Duc de Lauragnois had not only the heart of his wife, to whom he was -tenderly devoted, but her entire body, "by some chemical process -reduced to a sort of small stone, which was set in a ring, that the -duke always wore on his finger." After this, who will say that the -eighteenth century was not a romantic age? - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -PHANTASMAGORIA. - -On the 29th of January, 1719, a Scottish gentleman, named Alexander -Jaffray, Laird of Kingswells, was riding across a piece of wide and -waste moorland to the westward of Aberdeen, when, about eight o'clock -in the morning, he beheld--to his great alarm and bewilderment, as he -states in a letter to his friend, Sir Archibald Grant of Monymusk -(printed by the Spalding Club)--a body of about seven thousand -soldiers drawn up in front of him, all under arms, with colours -uncased and waving, and the drums slung on the drummers' backs. A -clear morning sun was shining, so he saw them distinctly, and also a -commander who rode along the line, mounted on a white charger. - -Dubious whether to advance or retire, and sorely perplexed as to what -mysterious army this was, the worthy Laird of Kingswells and a -companion, an old Scottish soldier, who had served in Low Country -wars, reined in their horses, and continued to gaze on this -unexpected array for nearly two hours; till suddenly the troops broke -into marching order, and departed towards Aberdeen, near which, he -adds, "the hill called the Stockett tooke them out of sight." - -Nothing more was heard or seen of this phantom force until the 21st -of the ensuing October, when upon the same ground--the then open and -desolate White-myres--on a fine clear afternoon, when some hundred -persons were returning home from the yearly fair at Old Aberdeen, -about two thousand infantry, clad in blue uniforms faced with white, -and with all their arms shining in the evening sun, were distinctly -visible; and after a space, the same commander on the same white -charger rode slowly along the shadowy line. Then a long "wreath of -smoak apiered, as if they had fired, but no noise" followed. - -To add to the marvel of this scene, the spectators, who, we have -said, were numerous, saw many of their friends, who were coming from -the fair, pass _through_ this line of impalpable shadows, of which -they could see nothing until they came to a certain point upon the -moor and looked back to the sloping ground. Then, precisely as -before, those phantoms in foreign uniform broke into marching order, -and moved towards the Bridge of the Dee. They remained visible, -however, for three hours, and only seemed to fade out or melt -gradually away as the sun set behind the mountains. "This will -puzzle thy philosophy," adds the laird at the close of his letter to -the baronet of Monymusk; "but thou needst not doubt of the certainty -of either." - -Scottish tradition, and even Scottish history, especially after the -Reformation, record many such instances of optical phenomena, which -were a source of great terror and amazement to the simple folks of -those days; and England was not without her full share of them -either; but science finds a ready solution for all such delusions -now. They are chiefly peculiar to mountainous districts, and may -appear in many shapes and in many numbers, or singly, like the giant -of the Brocken, the spectator's own shadow cast on the opposite -clouds, and girt with rings of concentric light--or like the wondrous -fog-bow, so recently seen from the Matterhorn. - -Almost on the same ground where the Laird of Kingswells saw the -second army of phantoms, and doubtless resulting from the same -natural and atmospheric causes, a similar appearance had been visible -on the 12th of February, 1643, when a great body of horse and foot -appeared as if under arms on the Brimman Hill. Accoutred with -matchlock, pike, and morion, they looked ghost-like and misty as they -skimmed through the gray vapour about eight o'clock in the morning; -but on the sun breaking forth from a bank of cloud, they vanished, -and the green hill-slopes were left bare, or occupied by sheep alone. -Much about the same time, another army was seen to hover in the air -over the Moor of Forfar. "Quhilkis visons," adds the Commissary -Spalding, "the people thocht to be prodigious tokens, and it fell out -owre trew, as may be seen hereafter." - -Many such omens are gravely recorded as preceding and accompanying -the long struggle of the Covenant, and the fatal war in which the -three kingdoms were plunged by Charles I. and his evil advisers. - -Indigestion, heavy dinners, and heavier drinking had doubtless much -to do in creating some of the spectral delusions of those days; and -inborn superstition, together with a heated fancy, were often not -wanting as additional accessories. But in the gloomy and stormy -autumn that preceded the march of the Scottish Covenanters into -England, omens of all kinds teemed to a wonderful extent in the land. -When Alaster Macdonnel, son of Coll the Devastator, as the Whigs -named him, landed from Ireland, at the Rhu of Ardnamurchan, in -Morven, to join the Scottish cavaliers under the Marquis of Montrose, -then in arms for the king, it was alleged that the _hum_ of -cannon-shot was heard in the air, passing all over Scotland from the -Atlantic to the German Sea; that many strange lights appeared in the -firmament; and that, on a gloomy night in the winter of 1650, a -spectre drummer, beating in succession the Scottish and English -marches, summoned to a ghostly conference, at the castle-gate of -Edinburgh, Colonel Dundas of that Ilk, a corrupt officer, who, on -being bribed by gold, afterwards surrendered to Cromwell the -fortress, together with some sixty pieces of cannon. - -All the private diaries and quaint chronicles, of late years -published by the various literary clubs in England and Scotland, teem -with such marvels, but the latter country was more particularly -afflicted by them; omens, warnings, and predictions of coming peril -rendering it, by their number and character, extremely doubtful -whether Heaven or the _other place_ was most interested in Scottish -affairs. - -In 1638, fairy drums were heard beating on the hills of Dun Echt, in -Aberdeenshire, according to the narrative of the parson of Rothiemay; -in 1643, we hear of the noise of drums "and apparitions of armyes" at -Bankafoir in the same county. "The wraith of General Leslie in his -buff-coat and on horseback, carrying his own banner with its bend -_azure_ and three buckles _or_, appeared on the summit of a tower at -St. Johnstown. Science now explains such visions as the aerial -Morgana, produced by the reflection of real objects on a peculiar -atmospheric arrangement; but then they were a source of unlimited -terror." Law, in his _Memorials_, records that, in 1676, a wondrous -star blazed at noon on the hill of Gargunnock, and a great army of -spectres was seen to glide along the hills near Aberdeen. - -A folio of _Apparitions and Wonders_, preserved in the British -Museum, records that, at Durham, on the 27th September, 1703, when -the evening sky was serene and full of stars, a strange and -prodigious light spread over its north-western quarter, as if the sun -itself was shining; then came streamers which turned to armed men -ranked on horseback. J. Edmonson, the writer of the broadsheet, -adds: "It was thought they would see the apparition better in -Scotland, because it appeared a great way north; the same," he -continues gravely, "was seen in the latter end of March, 1704," and -the battle of Hochstadt followed it. This must refer to the second -battle fought there, which we call Blenheim, when Marshal Tallard was -defeated and taken prisoner by Marlborough. But this wonderful light -which turned to armed men at Durham was outdone by a marvel at -Churchill, Oxfordshire, where (in the same collection) we find that, -on the 9th January, 1705, _four suns_ were all visible in the air at -once, "sent for signs unto mankind," adds the publisher, Mr. Tookey -of St. Christopher's Court, "and having their significations of the -Lord, like the hand-writing unto his servant Daniel." - -In 1744, a man named D. Stricket, when servant to Mr. Lancaster of -Blakehills, saw one evening, about seven o'clock, a troop of horse -riding leisurely along Souter Fell in Cumberland. They were in close -ranks, and ere long quickened their pace. As this man had been -sharply ridiculed as the solitary beholder of a spectre horseman in -the same place in the preceding year, he watched these strange -troopers for some time ere he summoned his master from the house to -look too. But ere Stricket spoke of what was to be seen, "Mr. -Lancaster discovered the aerial troopers," whose appearance was as -plainly visible to him as to his servant. "These visionary horsemen -_seemed_ to come from the lowest part of Souter Fell, and became -visible at a place named Knott; they moved in successive troops (or -squadrons) along the side of the Fell till they came opposite to -Blakehills, where they went over the mountain. They thus described a -kind of curvilinear path, their first and last appearances being -bounded by the mountain." They were two hours in sight; and "this -phenomenon was seen by _every person_ (twenty-six in number) in every -cottage within the distance of a mile," according to the statement -attested before a magistrate by Lancaster and Stricket, on the 21st -of July, 1745. - -During the middle of the last century, a toll-keeper in Perthshire -affirmed on oath, before certain justices of the peace, that an -entire regiment passed through his toll-gate at midnight; but as no -such force had left any town in the neighbourhood, or arrived at any -other, or, in fact, were ever seen anywhere but at his particular -turnpike, the whole story was naturally treated as a delusion; though -the Highlanders sought in some way to connect the vision with the -unquiet spirits of those who fought at Culloden, for there, the -peasantry aver, that "in the soft twilight of the summer evening, -solitary wayfarers, when passing near the burial mounds, have -suddenly found themselves amid the smoke and hurly-burly of a battle, -and could recognize the various clans engaged by their tartans and -badges. On those occasions, a certain Laird of Culduthil was always -seen amid the fray on a white horse, and the people believe that once -again a great battle will be fought there by the clans; but with -whom, or about what, no seer has ventured to predict." - -Shadowy figures of armed men were seen in Stockton Forest, Yorkshire, -prior to the war with France, as the _Leeds Mercury_ and local prints -record; and so lately as 1812, much curiosity and no small ridicule -were excited by the alleged appearance of a phantom army in the -vicinity of hard-working prosaic Leeds, and all the newspapers and -magazines of the time show how much the story amused the sceptical, -and occupied the attention of the scientific. - -It would appear that between seven and eight o'clock on the evening -of Sunday, the 28th October, Mr. Anthony Jackson, a farmer, in his -forty-fifth year, and a lad of fifteen, named Turner, were -overlooking their cattle, which were at grass in Havarah Park, near -Ripley, the seat of Sir John Ingilby, when the lad suddenly -exclaimed: "Look, Anthony; what a number of beasts!" "Beasts? Lord -bless us!" replied the farmer with fear and wonder, "they are _men_!" -And, as he spoke, there immediately became visible "an army of -soldiers dressed in white uniforms, and in the centre a personage of -commanding aspect clad in scarlet." These phantoms (according to the -_Leeds Mercury_ and _Edinburgh Annual Register_) were four deep, -extended over thirty acres, and performed many evolutions. Other -bodies in dark uniforms now appeared, and smoke, as if from -artillery, rolled over the grass of the park. On this, Jackson and -Turner, thinking they had seen quite enough, turned and fled. - -Like the spells of the Fairy Morgana, which were alleged to create -such beautiful effects in the Bay of Reggio, and which Fra Antonio -Minasi saw thrice in 1773, and "deemed to exceed by far the most -beautiful theatrical exhibition in the world," science has explained -away, or fully discovered the true source of all such spectral -phenomena. The northern aurora was deemed by the superstitious, from -the days of Plutarch even to those of the sage Sir Richard Baker, as -portentous of dire events; and the fancies of the timid saw only war -and battle in the shining streamers; but those supposed spectral -armies whose appearance we have noted, were something more, in most -instances, than mere _deceptio visus_, being actually the shadows of -_realities_--the airy reproductions of events, bodily passing in -other parts of the country, reflected in the clouds, and imaged again -on the mountain slopes or elsewhere, by a peculiar operation of the -sun's rays. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -A STRING OF GHOST STORIES. - -A belief in the ghost of vulgar superstition is as much exploded in -England now as are the opinions advanced by King James in his -"Demonologie." Yet the learned Bacon admitted that such things might -be. Luther, Pascal, Guy Patin, Milton, Dr. Johnson, and even -Southey, believed in the existence of such mediums with the unseen -world. "My serious belief amounts to this," wrote the latter: "that -preternatural impressions are sometimes communicated to us for wise -purposes; and that departed spirits are sometimes permitted to -manifest themselves." And had Pope not entertained some similar -idea, he had not written: - - "'Tis true, 'tis certain, man, though dead, retains - Part of himself; the immortal mind remains: - The _form_ subsists without the _body's_ aid, - Aerial semblance and an empty shade." - -Upon the truth or falsehood, the theories or rather hypotheses, of -such alleged appearances, we mean not to dwell; but merely to relate -a few little anecdotes connected with them, and drawn--save in Lord -Brougham's instance--from sources remote and scarce. - -In the memoirs of the celebrated Agrippa d'Aubigné, grandfather of -Madame de Maintenon, the wife of Louis XIV., a man famous for his -zeal in Calvinism and disbelief in the spiritual world, and one whose -integrity was deemed alike rigid and inflexible, we read the -following of a spectre like that of a nursery tale: - -"I was," he wrote, "in my bed, and entirely awake, when I heard some -one enter my apartment; and perceived at my bedside a woman, -remarkably pale, whose clothes rustled against my curtains as she -passed. Withdrawing the latter, she stooped towards me, and giving -me a kiss that was cold as ice, vanished in a moment!" - -D'Aubigné started from bed, and was almost immediately after informed -of the sudden death, of his mother, to whom he was tenderly attached. - -In a letter of Philip, second Earl of Chesterfield, we find a curious -story of a double apparition occurring at the same moment, and which, -though it somewhat illustrates Ennemoser's theory of polarity, is -beyond the pale of modern philosophy. - -In the gray daylight of an early morning in 1652, the earl saw a -figure in white, "like a standing sheet," appear within a yard of his -bedside. He attempted to grasp it; but, eluding him, the figure slid -towards the foot of the bed, and melted away. He felt a strange -anxiety; but his thoughts immediately turned to the Countess (Lady -Anne Percy), who was then at Networth with her father, the Earl of -Northumberland, and thither he immediately repaired. On his arrival -a footman met him on the staircase, with a packet directed to him -from his lady; whom he found with her sister, the Countess of Essex, -and a Mrs. Ramsay. He was asked why he had come so suddenly. He -told his motive, his alarm and anxiety; and, on perusing the letter -in the sealed packet, he found that the countess had written to him, -requesting his return; "as she had seen a thing in white, with a -black face, by her bedside." These apparitions were identically the -same in appearance, and were seen by the earl and countess _at the -same moment_, though they were in two places forty miles apart. No -catastrophe followed. The earl, however, survived his lady, and -lived till the year 1713. - -In the _St. James's Chronicle_ for 1762 we find a strange story of an -apparition being the means of revealing a murder, and bringing the -guilty parties to the fatal tree at Tyburn. The narrative was said -to have been found among the legal papers of a counsellor of the -Middle Temple, then recently deceased. - -"In the year 1668 a young gentleman of the West Country, named -Stobbine, came to London, and soon after, as ill luck would have it, -he wedded a wife of Wapping, the youngest daughter of a Mrs. Alceald; -and in the space of fifteen months the providence of God sent them a -daughter, which (_sic_) was left under the care of the grandmother, -the husband and his wife retiring to their house in the country." - -In 1676, when the daughter was six years old, Mrs. Alceald died, and -the child was sent home, and remained there till 1679, when a Mrs. -Myltstre, her maternal aunt, "having greatly increased her means, -forsook the canaille and low habitations of Wapping, came into a -polite part of the town, took a house among people of quality, and -set up for a woman of fashion," and thither did she invite the -Stobbines and their daughter to spend the winter with her. Among her -visitors were her husband's brother, who had the title or rank of -captain, and who seems to have been a bully and gamester--a "blood," -in a flowing wig and laced coat--and there was another relation, who -practised as an apothecary. - -All these five persons dined together on the birthday of the little -girl Stobbine, when a terrible catastrophe ensued. In a spirit of -play, it was presumed, she took up a sword that was in the room, and -pointing it at Mr. Stobbine, cried, "Stick him, stick him!" - -"What!" said he, "would you stab your father?" - -"You are not my father; but Captain Myltstre is." - -Her father, upon this, boxed her ears, and was instantly run through -the body by the captain. "Down he dropped," we are told, and then -his wife, her sister, the captain, and the apothecary, all trampled -upon him till he was quite dead, and interring him secretly, gave out -that he had returned to the West Country. Time passed on, and though -inquiries were made, and messengers sent after the missing Stobbine, -he was heard of no more for a time. His daughter was sent to a -distant school, and her mother, "who pretended to go distracted, was -sent to a village a few miles out of town, where the captain had a -pretty little box for his convenience." - -A memory of the terrible scene she had witnessed haunted the -daughter, she had nightly horrible dreams and frights, to the terror -of a young lady who slept with her; and she always alleged that a -spectre haunted her, a spectre visible to her only, and on these -occasions she would exclaim, with every manifestation of horror, - -"There is a spirit in the room! It is Mr. Stobbine's spirit. Oh, -how terrible it looks!" - -These appearances and her paroxysms led to an inquiry before a -justice of the peace; and without any warning given, the whole of the -guilty parties were apprehended and committed to the Gate-house, -tried at the Old Bailey, "and condemned, to the entire satisfaction -of the county, the court, and all present." - -After this, Stobbine's troubled spirit appeared no more. Mrs. -Myltstre was hanged, and her body was thrown into the gully-hole near -her old house in Wapping; Mrs. Stobbine was strangled and burned. -The captain and the apothecary were hanged at Tyburn, and the latter -was anatomized; and so ended this tragedy. - -Another remarkable detection of murder through the alleged appearance -of a ghost, occurred in 1724. - -A farmer, returning homeward from Southam market in Warwickshire, -disappeared by the way. Next day a man presented himself at the -farmhouse, and asked of the wife if her husband had come back. - -"No," she replied; "and I am under the utmost anxiety and terror." - -"Your terror," said he, "cannot surpass mine; for last night as I lay -in bed, quite awake, the apparition of your poor husband appeared to -me. He showed me several ghastly stabs in his body, which is now -lying in a marl-pit." - -The pit was searched, the corpse was found, and the stabs, in number -and position, answered in every way to the description given by the -ghost-seer, to whom the spectre had named a certain man as the -culprit; and this person was committed to prison and brought to trial -at Warwick for the crime, before a jury and the Lord Chief Justice, -Sir Robert (afterwards Lord) Raymond, who was succeeded in 1733 by -Sir Philip Yorke. The jury would speedily have brought in a verdict -of guilty; but he checked them by saying, - -"Gentlemen, you lay more stress on the allegations of this apparition -than they will bear. I cannot give credit to these kind of stories. -We are now in a court of law, and must determine according to it; and -I know not of any law which will admit of the testimony of an -apparition; nor yet if it did, doth the ghost appear to give -evidence. Crier," he added, "call the ghost." - -The farmer's spirit being thrice summoned in vain, Sir Robert again -addressed the jury on the hitherto unblemished character of the man -accused, and stoutly asserted a belief in his perfect innocence; -adding, "I do strongly suspect that the gentleman who saw the -apparition was himself the murderer, and knew all about the stabs and -the marl-pit without any supernatural assistance; hence I deem myself -justified in committing him to close custody till further inquiries -are made." - -The result of these was, that on searching his house sufficient -proofs of his guilt were found; he confessed his crime, and was -executed at the next assize. - -In the list of the officers of the 33rd Regiment, when serving under -Lord Cornwallis in America, and then called the 1st West York, will -be found the names of Captain (afterwards Sir John Coape) Sherbrooke -and Lieutenant George Wynward. The former had recently joined the -33rd from the 4th, or King's Own Regiment. These young men, being -similar in tastes and very attached friends, spent much of their time -in each other's society, and when off duty were seldom apart. One -evening Sherbrooke was in Wynward's quarters. The room in which they -were seated had two doors, one that led into the common passage of -the officers' barrack, the other into Wynward's bedroom, from which -there was no other mode of egress. - -Both officers were engaged in study, till Sherbrooke, on raising his -eyes from a book, suddenly saw a young man about twenty years of age -open the entrance door and advance into the room. The lad looked -pale, ghastly, and thin, as if in the last stage of a mortal malady. -Startled and alarmed, Captain Sherbrooke called Wynward's attention -to their noiseless visitor; and the moment the lieutenant saw him he -became ashy white and incapable of speech, and, ere he could recover, -the figure passed them both and entered the bedroom. - -"Good God--my poor brother!" exclaimed Wynward. - -"Your brother!" repeated Sherbrooke in great perplexity. "There must -be some mistake in all this. Follow me." - -They entered the little bedroom--it was tenantless; and Sherbrooke's -agitation was certainly not soothed by Wynward expressing his -conviction that from the first he believed they had seen a spectre; -and they mutually took note of the day and hour at which this -inexplicable affair occurred. Wynward at times tried to persuade -himself that they might have been duped by the practical joke of some -brother officer; yet his mind was evidently so harassed by it, that -when he related what had occurred, all had the good taste to withhold -comments, and to await with interest the then slow arrival of the -English mails. When the latter came, there were missives for every -officer in the regiment except Wynward, whose hopes began to rise; -but there was one solitary letter for Sherbrooke, which he had no -sooner read than he changed colour and left the mess table. Ere long -he returned and said, - -"Wynward's younger brother is actually no more!" The whole contents -of his note were as follows: "Dear John, break to your friend Wynward -the death of his favourite brother." - -He had died at the very moment the apparition had appeared in that -remote Canadian barrack. Strange though the story, the veracity of -the witnesses was unimpeachable; and Arch-deacon Wrangham alludes to -it in his edition of Plutarch, who, like Pliny the younger, believed -in spectres. Of Wynward, we only know that he was out of the -regiment soon after his brother's death; and of Sherbrooke, that he -lived to see the three days of Waterloo, became Colonel of the 33rd, -Commander of the Forces in North America, and died a General and -G.C.B. - -Prior to accompanying his regiment, the 92nd Highlanders, in the -Waterloo campaign, the famous Colonel John Cameron, of Fassifern, a -grandson of the Lochiel of the "Forty-five," dined with -Lieutenant-colonel Simon Macdonell, of Morar, who had formerly been -in the corps when it was embodied at Aberdeen as the old 100th, or -Gordon Highlanders. On the occasion of this farewell dinner there -were present other officers of the regiment, some of whom died very -recently, and it occurred in the house of Morar, at Arasaig, a wild -part of Ardnamurchan, on the western coast of Inverness-shire. - -As the guests were passing from the drawing-room towards the -dining-room, old Colonel Macdonell courteously paused to usher in -Cameron before him, and in doing so he was observed to stagger and -become pale, while placing his hands before his face, as if to hide -something that terrified him. Cameron saw nothing of this, though -others did; and all were aware that subsequently, during dinner, -their host seemed disconcerted and "out of sorts." - -Those unbidden visions known as the _taisch_, or second-sight, were -alleged to be hereditary in the family of Morar; and hence when -Cameron fell at Quatre Bras a few weeks afterwards, the old Colonel -asserted solemnly, that at the moment when Cameron passed before him -he saw his figure suddenly become enveloped in a dark shroud, which -had blood-gouts upon it about the region of the heart; but no shroud -enveloped the gallant Cameron when his foster-brother buried him in -the _allée verte_ of Brussels, where his body lay for six months, -till it was brought home to Kilmalie, and buried under a monument on -which is an inscription penned by Scott. - -One of the latest testimonies of the existence of a spiritual world -is that given in the _Life and Times of Henry Lord Brougham_, written -by himself. - -In volume first, he tells us that after he left the High School of -Edinburgh to attend the University, one of his most intimate friends -there was a Mr. G----, with whom, in their solitary walks in the -neighbourhood of the city, he frequently discussed and speculated on -the immortality of the soul, the possibility of ghosts walking -abroad, and of the dead appearing to the living; and they actually -committed the folly of drawing up an agreement, written mutually -_with their blood_, to the effect, "that whichever died first should -appear to the other, and thus solve any doubts entertained of the -life after death." - -G---- went to India, and after the lapse of a few years Brougham had -almost forgotten his existence, when one day in winter--the 19th of -December--as he was indulging in the half sleepy luxury of a warm -bath, he turned to the chair on which he had deposited his clothes, -and thereon sat his old college-chum G----, looking him coolly, -quietly, and sadly in the face. Lord Brougham adds that he swooned, -and found himself lying on the floor. He noted the circumstance, -believing it to be all a dream, and yet, when remembering the -compact, he could not discharge from his mind a dread that G---- must -have died, and that his appearance even in a dream, was to be -received as a proof of a future state. Sixty-three years afterwards -the veteran statesman and lawyer appends the following note to this -story of the apparition: - -"Brougham, Oct. 16, 1862.--I have just been copying out from my -journal the account of this strange dream, _certissima mortis imago_. -Soon after my return there arrived a letter from India announcing -G----'s death, and stating that he died on the 19th of December! -Singular coincidence! Yet when one reflects on the vast number of -dreams which night after night pass through our brains, the number of -coincidences between the vision and the event are perhaps fewer and -less remarkable than a fair calculation of chances would warrant us -to expect." - - - -THE END. - - - -BILLING, PRINTER, GUILDFORD, SURREY. - - - - - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE QUEEN'S CADET AND OTHER -TALES *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Queen's cadet and other tales</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: James Grant</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: December 7, 2022 [eBook #69500]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Al Haines</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE QUEEN'S CADET AND OTHER TALES ***</div> - -<h1> -<br><br> - THE QUEEN'S CADET<br> -</h1> - -<p class="t3b"> - And other Tales<br> -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="t2"> - BY JAMES GRANT<br> -</p> - -<p class="t4"> - AUTHOR OF<br> - "THE ROMANCE OF WAR," "FIRST LOVE AND LAST LOVE,"<br> - "THE WHITE COCKADE," ETC., ETC.<br> -</p> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<p class="t3"> - LONDON<br> - GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS<br> - THE BROADWAY, LUDGATE<br> - NEW YORK: 416 BROOME STREET<br> - 1874<br> -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p class="t3b"> -CONTENTS. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#chap01">THE QUEEN'S CADET</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#chap02">THE SPECTRE HAND</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#chap03">THE BOMBARDIER'S STORY</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#chap04">KOTAH: A TALE OF THE INDIAN MUTINY</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#chap05">THE STORY OF RAPHAEL VELDA</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#chap06">LA BELLE TURQUE: THE STORY OF THE PRINCESS CECILE</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#chap07">THE MARQUIS DE FRATTEAUX, CAPTAIN OF FRENCH HORSE</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#chap08">SOCIVISCA: THE STORY OF A GREEK OUTLAW</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#chap09">PAQUETTE: AN EPISODE OF THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -APPARITIONS AND WONDERS: -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - <a href="#chap1001">LEAVES FROM OLD LONDON LIFE; 1664-1705</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - <a href="#chap1002">THE WILD BEAST OF GÉVAUDAN</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - <a href="#chap1003">"THERE WERE GIANTS IN THOSE DAYS"</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - <a href="#chap1004">BURIED HEARTS</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - <a href="#chap1005">PHANTASMAGORIA</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - <a href="#chap1006">A STRING OF GHOST STORIES</a> -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap01"></a></p> - -<h3> -THE QUEEN'S CADET. -</h3> - -<p> -"I have been forced to believe in the existence -and influence of an unseen world, of something -which is described in that line of Dryden's, -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "'With silent steps I follow you all day.'<br> -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -"I have felt the influence of the spiritual and -invisible on the senses, though I know nothing of -the complications, the deceptions and alleged -perils, forming a portion of that which is now -termed spiritualism; and which affirms that the -unseen world cannot become manifest, save in -obedience to certain occult laws which regulate -the phenomena of nature." -</p> - -<p> -What rigmarole was this? -</p> - -<p> -Could the speaker—this man with the melancholy -tone and saddened eye—actually be the -same handsome Jack Arkley, my old college -chum at Sandhurst, who was always rather -sceptical even in religious matters, who was one of -the merriest fellows there, who had been once -nearly rusticated for breaking the lamps and -dismounting the guns to spite the adjutant, but who, -as a Queen's cadet, had more marks of excellence -than any of us; who was afterwards the -beau-ideal of a fine young English officer—a prime -bat and bowler, who pulled a good stroke oar, -had such a firm seat in his saddle, and who was -the best hand for organizing a picnic, a ball, or -a scratch company, for amateur theatricals; and -who in the late expedition against the Looshais, -had won the reputation of being a regular -fire-eater—a fellow who would face the devil in his -shirt sleeves! -</p> - -<p> -Could the champagne of "the Rag" have -affected him, thought I, as he continued earnestly -and sadly, and while manipulating a cigar -selected from the silver stand on the table: -</p> - -<p> -"I have somewhere read that very few persons -in this world have been unfortunate enough to -have seen those things that are invisible to others." -</p> - -<p> -"By Jove! Do you mean a—ghost?" -</p> - -<p> -"Not exactly the vulgar ghost of the nursery," -said he, his pale face colouring slightly. -</p> - -<p> -"But we have all met with those who knew -some one else who had seen something weird, -unearthly, unexplainable." -</p> - -<p> -"Precisely; but I shall speak from personal -experience—so now for a little narrative of my -own." -</p> - -<p> -We had dined that evening at the club, where -D—— of the Greys had given a few fellows a -dinner, in honour of being gazetted to his troop, -and to "wet" the new commission; and though -it seemed to me that, like the rest of us, Jack -Arkley had done justice to all the good things -set before him, from the soup to the coffee and -curaçao, he had been, during dinner, remarkably -<i>triste</i> or abstracted, and took but little interest -in the subjects discussed by the guests, who were -mostly all upon short leave from Aldershot, and, -the Spring drills being over, were thankful to -exchange the white dust of the Long Valley, for -the Row or Regent Street. -</p> - -<p> -We were alone now, and lingering over some -iced brandy-pawnee (as we called it in India) in -the cool bay-window of his room in Piccadilly, -where it overlooked the pleasant Green Park -and where the clock of Westminster was shining -above the trees, like a red harvest moon. So I -prepared to listen to him with more curiosity -than belief, while he related the following singular -story, which he would never have ventured to -relate to the circle of heedless fellows whom we -had just left. -</p> - -<p> -"My parents died when I was little more than -an infant, leaving me to the care of two uncles, a -maternal one, named Beverley, a man of considerable -wealth, who in consequence of a quarrel -with my father, whose marriage with his sister he -resented, totally ignored my existence, and was -ever a kind of myth to me; the other a paternal -one, a bachelor curate in North Wales, poor old -Morgan Apreece Arkley, than whom there was -no better or more kind-hearted man in all the -principality. -</p> - -<p> -"His means were most limited; but to share -the little he possessed he made me freely and -tenderly welcome, all the more so that to two -appeals he had made to the generosity of my -Uncle Beverley, no response was ever returned—a -cutting coldness and rudeness, bitterly resented -by my hot-tempered but warm-hearted old -Welsh kinsman. -</p> - -<p> -"A career was necessarily chosen for me. -</p> - -<p> -"The death of my father on duty at Benares, -enabled me to be borne on the strength of the -Military College at Sandhurst as one of the -twenty Queen's cadets; and to that seminary I -repaired, a few months after you did, when in -my sixteenth year, leaving with sincere sorrow -the lonely white-haired man who had been as a -parent to me, and whose secluded parsonage by -the margin of Llyn Ogwen, and under the shadow -of Carneydd Davydd, had been the only home -I could remember. There for years he had been -my earnest and anxious tutor, mingling with the -classics a store of quaint old Welsh legends and -ancient songs, for he was an excellent and -enthusiastic harper, and had come of a long line of -harpers. -</p> - -<p> -"Prior to this change in my life, I encountered -an adventure which has had considerable -influence in my after career. -</p> - -<p> -"From childhood I had been familiar with the -mountains that overhang Llyn Ogwen. I knew -every track and rock and fissure of Carneydd -Davydd, of 'the Black Ladders' of Carneydd -Llewellyn, and the brows of the greater giant of -the three, cloud-capped Snowdon. For miles -upon miles among them I had been wont to -wander with my gun, and at times to aid the -shepherds in tracking out lost sheep or goats, by -places where we looked down upon the gray mist -and vapour that floated below us, and where the -mountain peaks seemed to start out of it like -isles amid a sea. In the heart of such solitudes -as these I found food for much reflective thought, -and was wont to give full swing to my boyish -fancies. -</p> - -<p> -"Under every variety of season and weather -I was wont to wander among these mountains; -sometimes when their sides seemed to vibrate -under the hot rays of a cloudless summer sun; -at others when the glistening snow lay deep in -the passes and valleys, or when height and -hollow were alike shrouded in thick and impenetrable -mist; but my favourite spot was ever Llyn -Idwal, the wildest and most savage of all our -Welsh lakes. It fills the crater of an ancient -volcano, and is the traditional scene of the -murder of Idwal, a prince of Wales, who was -flung over its precipice—a place which for -gloomy grandeur has no equal, as the bare rocks -that start out of it, sheer as a wall, darken by -their shadows its depth to the most intense -blackness; and the peasants aver that no fish -can swim in it, and no bird fly over it and -live. -</p> - -<p> -"Lying upon the mountain tops, amid the -purple heather or the scented thyme-grass, I -was wont to watch the distant waters of the -Channel, stretching far away beyond the Puffin -Isle and Great Orme's Head, ever changing in -hue as the masses of cloud skimmed over them; -and from thence I followed, with eager eyes, the -white sails of the ships, or the long smoky -pennants of the steamers that were bound -for—ah! where were they bound for?—and so, far from -the solitary parsonage of the good old man who -loved me so well, I was ungrateful enough to -follow to distant isles and shores these vanishing -specks, in the spirit. -</p> - -<p> -"I see that you are impatient to know what -all this preamble has to do with Sandhurst and -the melancholy which now oppresses me; but -nevertheless, I am fast coming to the matter—to -'that keystone of the soul which must exist -in every nature.' -</p> - -<p> -"One day I was up a wild part of the mountains, -far above Llyn Ogwen, a long and narrow -sheet of water which occupies the whole pass -between Braich-ddu and the shoulder of -Carneydd Davydd. My sole companion was my -dog Cidwm—in English, 'Wolf'—which lay -beside me on the sunny grass, when from one of -my day-dreams I was suddenly roused by voices, -and found three persons close beside me. -</p> - -<p> -"Mounted on sturdy Welsh ponies, two of -these were a gentleman in the prime of life, and -a very young lady, apparently his daughter, -attended by David Lloyd, one of the guides for -the district, who knew me well. He led the -bridle of the girl's pony with one hand, and -grasped his alpenstock with the other. This -group paused near me, and some conversation -ensued. Lloyd had evidently mistaken the -path, and was loath to admit the fact, or to -suggest that they should retrace their steps, and -yet he knew enough of the mountains to be well -aware that to advance would be to court danger. -During the colloquy that ensued between him -and his employer, a haughty and imperious-looking -man, I was earnestly gazing in the half-averted -face of the girl, who was watching an -eagle in full flight. -</p> - -<p> -"She was marvellously beautiful. Her features—save -in profile—were perhaps far from correct, -yet there was a divine delicacy, a charming purity -of complexion, and brightness of expression over -them all; and her minute face seemed to nestle -amid the masses of her fair rippling hair. She -turned towards me, and her eyes met mine. -They were dark violet blue, and shaded by -brown lashes, so long that they imparted much -of softness to their dove-like expression, and she -smiled, for no doubt the little maid saw that -there was something of unequivocal admiration -to be read in my ardent gaze; and so absorbed -was I, that, for a few seconds, I was not aware -that the guide was addressing me, and inquiring -how far the path was traversable in this -particular direction. Ere I could reply, -</p> - -<p> -"'How should this mere lad know, if you -don't?' asked the male tourist, haughtily and -sharply. -</p> - -<p> -"'Few here can know better, sir,' replied -Lloyd. 'I have seen him climb where the -eagles alone can go.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Shall we proceed, then?' he asked me, -sharply. -</p> - -<p> -"'I think not, sir,' said I; 'Moel Hebog was -covered with mist this morning, and——' -</p> - -<p> -"'But Moel Hebog is clear enough now,' said -David Lloyd, with irritation—the mountain so -named being deemed an unerring barometer, -as regards the chances of mist upon its greater -brethren—'so I think we may proceed,' he added, -touching his hat to his employer. 'I don't -require, sir, to be taught my trade by a mere -lad, a gentleman tho you be, Master Arkley.' -</p> - -<p> -"'<i>Arkley!</i>' repeated the stranger, starting and -eyeing me keenly, and yet with a lowering -expression of face. -</p> - -<p> -"I warned them of the danger of farther -progression, but the avaricious guide derided me; -and I heard his employer, as they passed on, -asking him some questions, amid which—but it -might be fancy—I thought my own name occurred. -I gazed after them with interest, and with much -of anxiety, for their path was perilous, and the -sweet soft beauty of the girl had impressed me -deeply; and, as she disappeared, with all her -wealth of golden hair, the brightness seemed to -have departed from the mountain side. -</p> - -<p> -"What was the magic this creature, whom I -had only seen for a few minutes, possessed for -me? She was scarcely a woman, yet past childhood; -and her features remained as distinctly -impressed upon my memory as if they were -before me still. Do not infer from this strange -interest that 'love at first sight,' as the novels -used to have it, was an ingredient of this -emotion. No; it was something deeper—a -subtle magnetism—something that I know not -how to define or to express; and with a repining -sigh, I thought of my lonely life, and longed to -go forth on the career that awaited me beyond -those green mountains that were bounded by -the sea. -</p> - -<p> -"Had I ever seen that fair little face before, -or dreamed of it by night or by day, that already -it seemed to haunt me so? -</p> - -<p> -"The little group had not disappeared above -five minutes, when a sound like a cry was borne -past me on the mountain breeze. I started up, -my heart beating wildly; and with undefined -apprehension, hastened in the direction of the -sound, while Wolf careered in front of me. There -now came the sound of hoofs, and with bridle -trailing, saddle reversed, and nostrils distended, -the pony on which I had so recently seen the -young girl, came tearing over the crest of the -hill, and galloped madly past me towards Llyn -Idwal. -</p> - -<p> -"Quicker beat my heart, and my breath came -thick and fast. Something dreadful had taken -place! True to his instincts as ever was the -faithful Gelert of the Welsh tradition, Wolf sped -in haste to the edge of what I knew to be a -frightful ravine. There the hoof marks were -fresh in the turf, the edge of which was broken; -the grass too, was crushed and torn, as if -something had fallen over it. The dog now paused, -lifted up his nose, and howled ominously. I -peered over; and far down below, on a ledge -of green turf, but perilously overhanging a -chasm in the mountain side, lay that which -appeared at first to be a mere bundle of clothes, -but which I knew to be the little maiden dead— -doubtlessly dead—and a wail of sorrow escaped -me. -</p> - -<p> -"Her father and the guide had disappeared. -</p> - -<p> -"Partly sliding, partly descending as if by a -natural ladder, finding footing and grasp where -many might have found neither, mechanically, -and as one in a dream, I reached her in about -ten minutes; and, as I had a naturally boyish -dread of facing death, with joy I saw her move, -and then took her in my arms tenderly and -caressingly; while she opened her eyes and -sighed deeply, for the fall had stunned and -shaken her severely. Otherwise she was, -happily, uninjured; but I had reached her just in -time, for, if left to herself, she must have tottered -and fallen into the terrible profundity below. -</p> - -<p> -"'Papa! oh, where is my papa? I was thrown -suddenly from my pony—a bird scared it—and -remember no more;' then a passion of tears and -terror came over her, with the consciousness of -the peril she had escaped and that which still -menaced her, for to ascend was quite impracticable, -and to descend seemed nearly equally so. -Above us the mountain side seemed to rise like -a wall of rock; on the other hand, at the bottom -of the ravine, where the shadows of evening were -dark and blue, though sunset still tipped Snowdon's -peaks with fire, and clouds of crimson and -gold were floating above us, I could see a rivulet, -a tributary of the Ogwen, glittering like a silver -thread far down, perhaps a thousand feet below. -</p> - -<p> -"'Courage,' said I, while for a time my heart -died within me; 'I shall soon conduct you to a -place of safety.' -</p> - -<p> -"'But papa, he will die of fright. Where is -my papa?' she exclaimed, piteously. -</p> - -<p> -"'Gone round some other way,' I suggested. -And subsequently this proved to be the case. -Placing an arm round her for aid, we now began -to descend, but slowly, the face of the hill, which -was there so steep and shelved so abruptly, that -to lose one step might have precipitated us to -the bottom with a speed that would have insured -destruction. From rock to rock, from bush to -bush, and from cleft to cleft, I guided and often -lifted her, sometimes with her eyes closed; and -gazed the while with boyish rapture on the -beautiful girl, as her head drooped upon my -shoulder. She had lost her hat, and the -unbound masses of her golden hair, blown by the -wind, came in silken ripples across my face; and -delight, mingled with alarm, bewildered me. -</p> - -<p> -"Till that hour no sorrow could have affected -a spirit so pure as hers; and certainly love could -not have agitated it—she was so young. But -when we drew nearer the base of the hill, and -reached a place of perfect safety, the soft colour -came back to her face, and the enchantment of -her smile was as indescribable as the clear violet -blue of her eye, which filled with wonder and -terror as she gazed upward to the giddy verge -from which she had partly fallen; and then a -little shudder came over her. -</p> - -<p> -"With a boy's ready ardour, I was already -beginning to dream of being beloved by her, -when excited voices came on the wind; and -round an angle of the ravine into which we had -descended came Lloyd, the guide, several -peasants, and her father, who had partially -witnessed our progress, and whose joy in finding -her alive and well, when he might have found -her dashed perhaps out of the very semblance of -humanity, was too great for words. The poor -man wept like a very woman, as he embraced -her again and again, and muttered in broken -accents his gratitude to me, and praise of my -courage. Suddenly he exclaimed to the guide, -</p> - -<p> -"'You said his name was—Arkley, I think?' -</p> - -<p> -"'Yes, sir,' replied Lloyd. -</p> - -<p> -"'John Beverley Arkley, nephew of the curate -at the foot of the mountain yonder?' he added, -turning to me. -</p> - -<p> -"'The same, sir.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Good heavens! I am your Uncle Beverley!' -said he, colouring deeply, and taking my hand -again in his. 'The girl you have saved is your -own cousin—my darling Eve. I owe you some -reparation for past neglect, so come with me to -the parsonage at once.' -</p> - -<p> -"Here was a discovery that quite took away -my breath. So this dazzling little Hebe was my -cousin! How fondly I cherished and thought -over this mysterious tie of blood—near almost -as a sister, and yet no sister. It was very sweet -to ponder over and to nurse the thoughts of -affection, and all that yet might be. -</p> - -<p> -"What a happy, happy night was that in the -ancient parsonage! The good old curate forgave -Uncle Beverley all the short-comings in the -years that were past, and seemed never to weary -of caressing the wonderful hair and the tiny -hands of Evelyn Beverley, for such was her -name, though familiarly known as Eve. -</p> - -<p> -"'It is quite a romance, this,' said kind Uncle -Arkley to his brother-in-law; 'the young folks -will be falling in love!' -</p> - -<p> -"Eve grew quite pale, and cast down her eyes; -while I blushed furiously. -</p> - -<p> -"'Stuff!' said Uncle Beverley, somewhat -sharply. 'She has barely cut her primers and -pinafores, and Jack has Sandhurst before him -yet.' -</p> - -<p> -"He presented me with his gold repeater, and -departed by the first convenient train, taking my -newly-discovered relation with him. I had a -warm invitation to visit them for a few weeks -before entering at Sandhurst; and, to add to my -joy and impatience, I found that Beverley Lodge -was in Berkshire, and within a mile of the -College: and so, but for the presence of the golden -gift, and the memory of a kind and grateful kiss -from a beautiful lip—a kiss that made every -nerve thrill—I might have imagined that the -whole adventure on the slopes of Carneydd -Davydd was but a dream. -</p> - -<p> -"Naturally avaricious, cold, and hard in heart, -Mr. Beverley had warmed to me for a time, but -a time only; yet I revered and almost loved -him. He was the only brother of my dead -mother, whom I had never known. <i>She</i>—this -golden-haired girl—was of her blood, and had -her name; so my whole soul clung to her with -an amount of youthful ardour, such as I cannot -portray to you—for I was always much of an -enthusiast—and I was again alone, to indulge in -the old tenor of my ways amid the voiceless -mountain solitudes. -</p> - -<p> -"Again and again in my lonely wanderings -had my mind been full of vague longings and -boyish aspirations after glory, pleasure, and love: -and now the memory of Eve's minute and perfect -face—so pure and English in its beauty—by -its reality filled up all that had been a blank -before; and I was ever in fancied communion -with her, while lying on the hill-slopes and -looking to the sea that sparkled at the far horizon, -into the black ravines through which the mountain -brooks went foaming to the rocky shore, or -where our deep Welsh <i>llyns</i> were gleaming in the -sunshine like gold and turquoise blue—amid the -monotony of the silent woods; and so the time -passed on, and the day came when I was to start -for Beverley Lodge, and thence to Sandhurst; -while love and ambition rendered me selfishly -oblivious of poor old Uncle Morgan, and the -fervent wishes and blessings with which he -followed my departing steps. -</p> - -<p> -"A month's visit to Beverley Lodge, amid the -fertility of Berkshire, many a ride and ramble in -the Vale of the White Horse, many an hour -spent by us together in the shady woods, the -luxurious garden, in the beautiful conservatory, -and in the deep leafy lanes where we wandered -at will, confirmed the love my cousin and I bore -each other. A boy and a girl, it came easily -about; while many were our regrets and much -was our marvelling that we had not known each -other earlier. -</p> - -<p> -"No two men make a declaration of love, -perhaps, in precisely the same way, though it all -comes to the same thing in the end; but it might -be interesting to know in what precise terms, -and having so little choice, Father Adam -declared his passion for Mother Eve, and in what -fashion she responded. -</p> - -<p> -"I know not now how my love for <i>my</i> little -Eve was expressed; but told it was, and I -departed for college the happiest student there, -every hour I could spare from study and drill -being spent in or about Beverley Lodge. -</p> - -<p> -"With an income of forty pounds per annum -till gazetted, I almost thought myself rich; and -I had three years before me—it seemed an -eternity of joy—to look forward to. At Sandhurst -I was, as you know, entered as a Queen's cadet -<i>free</i>, and a candidate for the infantry. I had thus -to master algebra, the three first books of Euclid, -French, German, and 'Higher Fortification;' -but in the pages of Straith, amid the ravelins of -Vauban and the casemates of Coehorn, I seemed -to see only the name and the tender eyes of -Eve. The daily drills, in which I was at first an -enthusiast, became dull and prosaic, and hourly -I made terrible mistakes, for Eve's voice was -ever in my ear, and her delicate beauty haunted -me; for wondrously delicate it became, as -consumption—which she fatally inherited from her -mother—shed over it a medium that was alike -soft and alluring. -</p> - -<p> -"Since then I have met girls of all kinds -everywhere. Though only a sub, I have been -dressed for, played for, sung for; but never have -I had the delight of those remembered days that -were passed with Eve Beverley in our dream of -cousinly love; however, a rude waking was at -hand! -</p> - -<p> -"When she was eighteen, and I a year older, -she told me one day that her father had been -insisting upon her marrying an old friend of his, -a retired Sudder judge, who had proposed in -form; but she had laughed at the idea. -</p> - -<p> -"'Absurd! It is so funny of papa to have a -husband ready cut and dry for me; is it not, -Jack?' said she. -</p> - -<p> -"I did not think so; but my heart beat painfully -as I leaned caressingly over her, and played -with her beautiful hair. -</p> - -<p> -"'I don't thank him for selecting a husband -for me, Jack, dear,' she continued, pouting; 'do -you?'" -</p> - -<p> -"'Certainly not, Eve.' -</p> - -<p> -"'But I must prepare my mind for the awful -event,' said she, looking up at me with a bright, -waggish smile. -</p> - -<p> -"The time was fast approaching, however, -when neither of us could see anything 'funny' -in the prospect; for 'the awful event' became -alarmingly palpable, when one day she met me -with tears, and threw herself on my breast, -saying: -</p> - -<p> -"'Save me, dearest Jack—save me!' -</p> - -<p> -"'From whom?" -</p> - -<p> -"'Papa and his odious old Sudder judge, -Jack, love. You know that I must marry you, -and you only!' -</p> - -<p> -"'The devil he does!' said a voice, sharply; -and there, grim as Ajax, stood Uncle Beverley, -with hands clenched and brows knit. 'My sister -married his father, a beggar, with only his pay; -and now, minx, you dare to love their son, by -heavens, with no pay at all! Leave this house, -sir—begone instantly!' he added, furiously, to -me. 'I would rather that she had broken her -neck on the mountains than treated me to a scene -like this.' -</p> - -<p> -"The gates of Beverley Lodge closed behind -me, and our dream was over. -</p> - -<p> -"Half my life seemed to have left me. After -three years of such delightful intercourse I could -not adopt the conviction that I should never see -her again; and in a very unenviable state of -mind I entered the college, where you may -remember meeting me under the Doric portico, -and saying: -</p> - -<p> -"'What's up, Jack? But let me congratulate -you.' -</p> - -<p> -"'On what?' I asked sulkily. -</p> - -<p> -"'Your appointment to the Buffs. The -<i>Gazette</i> has just come from town. They are -stationed at Jubbulpore.' -</p> - -<p> -"And so it proved that the very day I lost her -saw me in the service, with India, and a far and -final separation before us. Necessity compelled -us to prepare for an almost instant departure; -short leave was given me by the adjutant-general; -and I had to join the Candahar transport -going with drafts from Chatham for the East, on -a certain day. -</p> - -<p> -"Rumours reached me of Eve being seriously -ill. She was secluded from me, and there was -every chance that I should see her no more. A -letter came from her imploring me to meet her -for the last time at a spot known to us both—a -green lane that led to a churchyard stile—the -scene of many a tender tryst and blissful hour, -as it was a place where overhanging trees, with -the golden apple, the purple damson, and the -plum, formed a very bower, and where few or -none ever came, save on Sunday; and there we -met for the last time! -</p> - -<p> -"There once again her head lay on my shoulder, -my circling arm was round her, and her hot, -tremulous hand was clasped in mine. I was -shocked by the change I perceived in her. Painful -was her pallor to look upon; there were circles -dark as her lashes under her sad, melancholy -eyes; her nostrils and lips were unnaturally -pink; she had a short, dry cough; and blood -appeared more than once upon her handkerchief. -</p> - -<p> -"Consumption on one hand, and parental -tyranny on the other, were fast doing their fatal -work. -</p> - -<p> -"Her father was pitiless and inexorable—wonderfully, -infamously so, as he was so rich that -mere money was no object, and as she was his -only child, and one so tender, and so fragile. -His studied system of deliberate 'worry' had -wrung a consent from her; she was to marry the -old judge; and in more ways than one I felt that -too surely I was losing her for ever. She could -not go out with me. I felt desperate, and in -silence folded her again and again to my breast. -At last the ting-tong of the old church clock -announced the hour when we must part, never to -meet again, and the fatal sound struck us like a -shock of electricity. -</p> - -<p> -"'Jack, my dearest—my dearest,' she whispered -wildly; 'I don't think I shall live very -long now. I may—nay, I must, die very soon; -but the spirit is imperishable, and I shall always -be with you, wherever you may be, wherever you -may go, hovering near you, I hope, <i>like a -guardian angel</i>!' -</p> - -<p> -"Her words struck me as strange and wild; I -did not attach much importance to them then, -but they have had a strange and terrible -significance since. -</p> - -<p> -"'Would you welcome me?' she asked, with -a mournful smile. -</p> - -<p> -"'Dead or living shall I welcome you!' I -replied, with mournful ardour. -</p> - -<p> -"'Then kiss me once again, dear Jack; and -now we part—in this world, at least!' -</p> - -<p> -"Another wild, passionate embrace, and all -was over. In a minute later I was galloping far -from the villa to reach the railway. I saw her -beloved face no more; but voice and face, eye -and kiss, were all with me still. Would a time -ever come when I might forgot them? -</p> - -<p> -"Adverse winds detained us long in the -Channel, but we cleared it at last; and the last -<i>Times</i> that came on board announced the -marriage of this unhappy girl. -</p> - -<p> -"Six months subsequent found me in cantonments -at Neemuch, with a small detachment of -ours, and in hourly expectation of the mutiny -which had broken out at Meerut and Delhi, with -such horrors, being imitated there, though we -had sworn the sepoys to be 'true to their salt,' -the Mahometans on the Koran, the Hindoos on -the waters of the Ganges, and the other darkies -on whatever was most sacred to them; and if -they revolted, all Europeans were to seek instant -shelter in the fort. -</p> - -<p> -"It was the night of <i>the 3rd June</i>—one of the -loveliest I ever saw in India—the moonlight -was radiant as midday, and not a cloud was -visible throughout the blue expanse of heaven. -I was lying in my bungalow, with sword and -revolver beside me, as we could not count upon -the events of an hour, for all Hindostan seemed -to be going to chaos in blood and outrage. -</p> - -<p> -"The cantonment ghurries had clanged midnight; -my eyes were closing heavily; and when -just about to sleep I thought that my name was -uttered by some one near me, very softly, very -tenderly, and with an accent that thrilled my -heart's core. Starting, I looked up, and there—oh, -my God!—there, in the slanting light of the -moon, like a glorified spirit, with a brightness -all about her, was the figure of Eve Beverley -bending over me, with all her golden hair -unbound, and a garment like a shroud or robe -about her. -</p> - -<p> -"Entranced, enchained by love as much as by -mortal terror, I could not move or speak, while -nearer she bent to kiss my brow; but I felt not -the pressure of her lips, though reading in her -starry, violet eyes a divine intensity of -expression—a mournful, unspeakable tenderness, when, -pointing in the direction of <i>the fort</i>, she -disappeared. -</p> - -<p> -"'It is a dread—a dreadful dream!' said I, -starting to my feet preternaturally awake, to -hear the sound of artillery, the rattle of -musketry, the yells of 'Deen! deen!' and the shrieks -of those who were perishing; for the mutineers -had risen, and the 1st Cavalry, the 72nd N. I., -and Walker's artillery, had commenced the work -of massacre. I rushed forth, and at the moment -I left my bungalow on one side it was set in -flames and fired through from the other. I fled -to the fort, which, thanks to my dream—for such -I supposed it to be—I reached in safety, while -many perished, for all the station was sheeted -now with flame. -</p> - -<p> -"Once again I had that dream, so wild and -strange, when a deadly peril threatened me. I -was hiding in the jungle, alone and in great -misery, near Jehaz-ghur, a fugitive. The time -was noon, and I had dropped asleep under the -deep, cool shadow of a thicket, when that weird -vision of Eve came before me, soft and sad, tender -and intense, with her loving eyes and flowing -hair, as, with hands outstretched, she beckoned -me to follow her. A cry escaped me, and I -awoke. -</p> - -<p> -"'Was my Eve indeed dead?' I asked of -myself; 'and was it her intellectual spirit, her -pure essence, that imperishable something -engendered in us all from a higher source, that -followed me as a guardian angel?' I -remembered her parting words. The idea suggested -was sadly sweet and terrible; and so, as a sense -of her perpetual presence as a <i>spirit-wife</i> hovered -at all times about me, controlling all my actions, -rendered me unfit for society, till at Calcutta, a -crisis was put to all this. -</p> - -<p> -"With some of the 72nd, and other Europeans -who had escaped from Neemuch, or had 'distinguished -themselves,' as the 'Hurkaru' had it, -I once went to be photographed at the famous -studio near the corner of the Strand. I sat, in -succession, alone and in a group, after being -posed in the usual fashion, with an iron hoop at -the nape of my neck. On examining the first -negative, an expression of perplexity and -astonishment came over the face of the artist. -</p> - -<p> -"'Strange, sir,' said he; 'most unaccountable!' -</p> - -<p> -"'What is strange; what is unaccountable?' -asked several. -</p> - -<p> -"'Another figure that is <i>not</i> in the room -appears at Captain Arkley's back—a woman, -by Jove!' he replied, placing the glass over a -piece of black velvet; and there—there—oh, -there could be no doubt of it—was faintly -indicated the outline of one whose face and form -had been but too vividly impressed on my heart -and brain, bending sorrowfully over me, with her -soft, bright eyes and wealth of long bright hair. -</p> - -<p> -"From my hand the glass fell on the floor, -and was shivered to atoms. A similar figure -hovering near me, was visible among the pictured -group of officers, but faded out. I refused to sit -again, and quitted the studio in utter confusion, -and with nerves dreadfully shaken, though my -comrades averred that a trick had been played -upon me. If so, how was the figure that of my -dream—that of my lost love—who, a letter soon -after informed me, had burst a blood-vessel, and -expired on <i>the night of the 3rd June</i>, with my -name on her lips?" -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -Such was the story of Jack Arkley. Whether -it was false or true, in this age of spiritualism -and many other <i>isms</i> of mediums with the world -unseen, and in which Enemoser has ventilated -his theory of polarity, I pretend not to say, and -leave others to determine. He became a moody -monomaniac. I rejoined my regiment, and from -that time never saw my old chum again. The -last that I heard of him was, that he had quitted -the service, and died a Passionist Father, in one -of the many new monastic institutions that exist -in the great metropolis. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap02"></a></p> - -<h3> -THE SPECTRE HAND. -</h3> - -<p> -Do the dead ever revisit this earth? -</p> - -<p> -On this subject even the ponderous and unsentimental -Dr. Johnson was of opinion that to maintain -they did not was to oppose the concurrent -and unvarying testimony of all ages and nations, -as there was no people so barbarous, and none -so civilized, but among whom apparitions of the -dead were related and believed in. "That which -is doubted by single cavillers," he adds, "can -very little weaken the general evidence, and some -who deny it with their tongues confess it by their -<i>fears</i>." -</p> - -<p> -In the August of last year I found myself with -three friends, when on a northern tour, at the -Hôtel de Scandinavie, in the long and handsome -Carl Johan Gade of Christiania. A single day, -or little more, had sufficed us to "do" all the -lions of the little Norwegian capital—the royal -palace, a stately white building, guarded by -slouching Norski riflemen in long coats, with -wide-awakes and green plumes; the great brick -edifice wherein the Storthing is held, and where -the red lion appears on everything, from the king's -throne to the hall-porter's coal-scuttle; the castle -of Aggerhuis and its petty armoury, with a single -suit of mail, and the long muskets of the Scots -who fell at Rhomsdhal; after which there is -nothing more to be seen; and when the little Tivoli -gardens close at ten, all Christiania goes to sleep -till dawn next morning. -</p> - -<p> -English carriages being perfectly useless in -Norway, we had ordered four of the native carrioles -for our departure, as we were resolved to start -for the wild mountainous district named the -Dovrefeld, when a delay in the arrival of certain -letters compelled me to remain two days behind -my companions, who promised to await me at -Rodnaes, near the head of the magnificent -Ransfiord; and this partial separation, with the -subsequent circumstance of having to travel alone -through districts that were totally strange to me, -with but a very slight knowledge of the language, -were the means of bringing to my knowledge the -story I am about to relate. -</p> - -<p> -The table d'hôte is over by two o'clock in the -fashionable hotels of Christiania, so about four -in the afternoon I quitted the city, the streets -and architecture of which resemble portions of -Tottenham Court Road, with stray bits of old -Chester. In my carriole, a comfortable kind of -gig, were my portmanteau and gun-case; these, -with my whole person, and indeed the body of -the vehicle itself, being covered by one of those -huge tarpaulin cloaks furnished by the carriole -company in the Store Standgade. -</p> - -<p> -Though the rain was beginning to fall with a -force and density peculiarly Norse when I left -behind me the red-tiled city with all its green -coppered spires, I could not but be struck by the -bold beauty of the scenery, as the strong little -horse at a rasping pace tore the light carriole -along the rough mountain road, which was bordered -by natural forests of dark and solemn-looking -pines, interspersed with graceful silver birches, -the greenness of the foliage contrasting powerfully -with the blue of the narrow fiords that opened on -every hand, and with the colours in which the -toy-like country houses were painted, their -timber walls being always snowy white, and their -shingle roofs a flaming red. Even some of the -village spires wore the same sanguinary hue, -presenting thus a singular feature in the landscape. -</p> - -<p> -The rain increased to an unpleasant degree; -the afternoon seemed to darken into evening, and -the evening into night sooner than usual, while -dense masses of vapour came rolling down the -steep sides of the wooded hills, over which the -sombre firs spread everywhere and up every vista -that opened, like a sea of cones; and as the -houses became fewer and farther apart, and not -a single wanderer was abroad, and I had but the -pocket-map of my "John Murray" to guide me, -I soon became convinced that instead of pursuing -the route to Rodnaes I was somewhere on the -banks of the Tyri-fiord, at least three Norwegian -miles (<i>i.e.</i> twenty-one English) in the opposite -direction, my little horse worn out, the rain still -falling in a continual torrent, night already at -hand, and mountain scenery of the most tremendous -character everywhere around me. I was in -an almost circular valley (encompassed by a -chain of hills), which opened before me, after -leaving a deep chasm that the road enters, near -a place which I afterwards learned bears the -name of Krogkleven. -</p> - -<p> -Owing to the steepness of the road, and some -decay in the harness of my hired carriole, the -traces parted, and then I found myself, with the -now useless horse and vehicle, far from any house, -homestead, or village where I could have the -damage repaired or procure shelter, the rain still -pouring like a sheet of water, the thick, shaggy, -and impenetrable woods of Norwegian pine -towering all about me, their shadows rendered -all the darker by the unusual gloom of the -night. -</p> - -<p> -To remain quietly in the carriole was unsuitable -to a temperament so impatient as mine; I -drew it aside from the road, spread the tarpaulin -over my small stock of baggage and the gun-case, -haltered the pony to it, and set forth on foot, stiff, -sore, and weary, in search of succour; and, -though armed only with a Norwegian tolknife, -having no fear of thieves or of molestation. -</p> - -<p> -Following the road on foot in the face of the -blinding rain, a Scotch plaid and oilskin my sole -protection now, I perceived ere long a side gate -and little avenue, which indicated my vicinity to -some place of abode. After proceeding about -three hundred yards or so, the wood became -more open, a light appeared before me, and I -found it to proceed from a window on the ground -floor of a little two-storeyed mansion, built -entirely of wood. The sash, which was divided in -the middle, was unbolted, and stood partially -and most invitingly open; and knowing how -hospitable the Norwegians are, without troubling -myself to look for the entrance door, I stepped -over the low sill into the room (which was -tenantless), and looked about for a bell-pull, -forgetting that in that country, where there are no -mantelpieces, it is generally to be found behind -the door. -</p> - -<p> -The floor was, of course, bare, and painted -brown; a high German stove, like a black iron -pillar, stood in one corner on a stone block; the -door, which evidently communicated with some -other apartment, was constructed to open in the -middle, with one of the quaint lever handles -peculiar to the country. The furniture was all of -plain Norwegian pine, highly varnished; a reindeer -skin spread on the floor, and another over -an easy-chair, were the only luxuries; and on the -table lay the <i>Illustret Tidende</i>, the <i>Aftonblat</i>, -and other papers of that morning, with a -meerschaum and pouch of tobacco, all serving to -show that some one had recently quitted the -room. -</p> - -<p> -I had just taken in all these details by a -glance, when there entered a tall thin man of -gentlemanly appearance, clad in a rough tweed -suit, with a scarlet shirt, open at the throat, a -simple but <i>dégagé</i> style of costume, which he -seemed to wear with a natural grace, for it is not -every man who can dress thus and still retain an -air of distinction. Pausing, he looked at me with -some surprise and inquiringly, as I began my -apologies and explanation in German. -</p> - -<p> -"Taler de Dansk-Norsk," said he, curtly. -</p> - -<p> -"I cannot speak either with fluency, but——" -</p> - -<p> -"You are welcome, however, and I shall assist -you in the prosecution of your journey. Meantime, -here is cognac. I am an old soldier, and -know the comforts of a full canteen, and of the -Indian weed too, in a wet bivouac. There is a -pipe at your service." -</p> - -<p> -I thanked him, and (while he gave directions -to his servants to go after the carriole and horse) -proceeded to observe him more closely, for something -in his voice and eye interested me deeply. -</p> - -<p> -There was much of broken-hearted -melancholy—something that indicated a hidden sorrow—in -his features, which were handsome, and very -slightly aquiline. His face was pale and -care-worn; his hair and moustache, though plentiful, -were perfectly white-blanched, yet he did not -seem over forty years of age. His eyes were blue, -but without softness, being strangely keen and -sad in expression, and times there were when a -startled look, that savoured of fright, or pain, or -insanity, or of all mingled, came suddenly into -them. This unpleasant expression tended greatly -to neutralize the symmetry of a face that otherwise -was evidently a fine one. Suddenly a light -seemed to spread over it, as I threw off some of -my sodden mufflings, and he exclaimed— -</p> - -<p> -"You speak Danskija, and English too, I -know! Have you quite forgotten me, Herr -Kaptain?" he added, grasping my hand with -kindly energy. "Don't you remember Carl -Holberg of the Danish Guards?" -</p> - -<p> -The voice was the same as that of the once -happy, lively, and jolly young Danish officer, -whose gaiety of temper and exuberance of spirit -made him seem a species of madcap, who was -wont to give champagne suppers at the Klampenborg -Gardens to great ladies of the court and -to ballet girls of the Hof Theatre with equal -liberality; to whom many a fair Danish girl had lost -her heart, and who, it was said, had once the -effrontery to commence a flirtation with one of the -royal princesses when he was on guard at the -Amalienborg Palace. But how was I to reconcile -this change, the appearance of many years -of premature age, that had come upon him? -</p> - -<p> -"I remember you perfectly, Carl," said I, -while we shook hands; "yet it is so long since -we met; moreover—excuse me—but I knew not -whether you were in the land of the living." -</p> - -<p> -The strange expression, which I cannot define, -came over his face as he said, with a low, sad -tone— -</p> - -<p> -"Times there are when I know not whether I -am of the living or the dead. It is twenty years -since our happy days—twenty years since I was -wounded at the battle of Idstedt—and it seems -as if 'twere twenty ages." -</p> - -<p> -"Old friend, I am indeed glad to meet you again." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, old you may call me with truth," said -he, with a sad weary smile as he passed his -hand tremulously over his whitened locks, which -I could remember being a rich auburn. -</p> - -<p> -All reserve was at an end now, and we -speedily recalled a score and more of past scenes -of merriment and pleasure, enjoyed together—prior -to the campaign of Holstein—in Copenhagen, -that most delightful and gay of all the -northern cities; and, under the influence of -memory, his now withered face seemed to -brighten, and some of its former expression stole -back again. -</p> - -<p> -"Is this your fishing or shooting quarters, -Carl?" I asked. -</p> - -<p> -"Neither. It is my permanent abode." -</p> - -<p> -"In this place, so rural—so solitary? Ah! you -have become a Benedick—taken to love in -a cottage, and so forth—yet I don't see any -signs of——" -</p> - -<p> -"Hush! for God's sake! You know not <i>who</i> -hears us," he exclaimed, as terror came over his -face; and he withdrew his hand from the table -on which it was resting, with a nervous suddenness -of action that was unaccountable, or as if -hot iron had touched it. -</p> - -<p> -"Why?—Can we not talk of such things?" -asked I. -</p> - -<p> -"Scarcely here—or anywhere to me," he said, -incoherently. Then, fortifying himself with a -stiff glass of cognac and foaming seltzer, he -added: "You know that my engagement with -my cousin Marie Louise Viborg was broken -off—beautiful though she was, perhaps <i>is</i> still, -for even twenty years could not destroy her -loveliness of feature and brilliance of -expression—but you never knew <i>why</i>?" -</p> - -<p> -"I thought you behaved ill to her,—were mad, -in fact." -</p> - -<p> -A spasm came over his face. Again he -twitched his hand away as if a wasp had stung, -or something unseen had touched it, as he said— -</p> - -<p> -"She was very proud, imperious, and jealous." -</p> - -<p> -"She resented, of course, your openly wearing -the opal ring which was thrown to you from the -palace window by the princess——" -</p> - -<p> -"The ring—the ring! Oh, do not speak of -<i>that</i>!" said he, in a hollow tone. "Mad?—Yes, -I was mad—and yet I am not, though I have -undergone, and even <i>now</i> am undergoing, that -which would break the heart of a Holger -Danske! But you shall hear, if I can tell it with -coherence and without interruption, the reason -why I fled from society and the world—and for -all these twenty miserable years have buried -myself in this mountain solitude, where the forest -overhangs the fiord, and where no woman's face -shall ever smile on mine!" -</p> - -<p> -In short, after some reflection and many -involuntary sighs—and being urged, when the -determination to unbosom himself wavered—Carl -Holberg related to me a little narrative so -singular and wild, that but for the sad gravity—or -intense solemnity of his manner—and the air -of perfect conviction that his manner bore with -it, I should have deemed him utterly—mad! -</p> - -<p> -"Marie Louise and I were to be married, as -you remember, to cure me of all my frolics and -expensive habits—the very day was fixed; you -were to be the groomsman, and had selected a -suite of jewels for the bride in the Kongens -Nytorre; but the war that broke out in -Schleswig-Holstein drew my battalion of the guards to -the field, whither I went without much regret so -far as my <i>fiancée</i> was concerned; for, sooth to -say, both of us were somewhat weary of our -engagement, and were unsuited to each other: -so we had not been without piques, coldnesses, -and even quarrels, till keeping up appearances -partook of boredom. -</p> - -<p> -"I was with General Krogh when that decisive -battle was fought at Idstedt between our troops -and the Germanizing Holsteiners under General -Willisen. My battalion of the guards was -detached from the right wing with orders to -advance from Salbro on the Holstein rear, while -the centre was to be attacked, pierced, and the -batteries beyond it carried at the point of the -bayonet, all of which was brilliantly done. But -prior to that I was sent, with directions to extend -my company in skirmishing order, among some -thickets that covered a knoll which is crowned -by a ruined edifice, part of an old monastery with -a secluded burial-ground. -</p> - -<p> -"Just prior to our opening fire the funeral of -a lady of rank, apparently, passed us, and I drew -my men aside, to make way for the open catafalque, -on which lay the coffin covered with white -flowers and silver coronets, while behind it were -her female attendants, clad in black cloaks in the -usual fashion, and carrying wreaths of white -flowers and immortelles to lay upon the grave. -Desiring these mourners to make all speed lest -they might find themselves under a fire of cannon -and musketry, my company opened, at six hundred -yards, on the Holsteiners, who were coming -on with great spirit. We skirmished with them -for more than an hour, in the long clear twilight -of the July evening, and gradually, but with -considerable loss, were driving them through the -thicket and over the knoll on which the ruins -stand, when a half-spent bullet whistled through -an opening in the mouldering wall and struck -me on the back part of the head, just below my -bearskin cap. A thousand stars seemed to flash -around me, then darkness succeeded. I -staggered and fell, believing myself mortally -wounded; a pious invocation trembled on my -lips, the roar of the red and distant battle passed -away, and I became completely insensible. -</p> - -<p> -"How long I lay thus I know not, but when I -imagined myself coming back to life and to the -world I was in a handsome, but rather -old-fashioned apartment, hung, one portion of it with -tapestry and the other with rich drapery. A -subdued light that came, I could not discover -from where, filled it. On a buffet lay my sword -and my brown bearskin cap of the Danish -Guards. I had been borne from the field -evidently, but when and to where? I was extended -on a soft fauteuil or couch, and my uniform coat -was open. Some one was kindly supporting my -head—a woman dressed in white, like a bride; -young and so lovely, that to attempt any -description of her seems futile! -</p> - -<p> -"She was like the fancy portraits one occasionally -sees of beautiful girls, for she was divine, -perfectly so, as some enthusiast's dream, or -painter's happiest conception. A long respiration, -induced by admiration, delight, and the pain of -my wound escaped me. She was so exquisitely -fair, delicate and pale, middle-sized and slight, -yet charmingly round, with hands that were -perfect, and marvellous golden hair that curled -in rippling masses about her forehead and -shoulders, and from amid which her <i>piquante</i> little -face peeped forth as from a silken nest. Never -have I forgotten that face, nor shall I be <i>permitted</i> -to do so, while life lasts at least," he added, with -a strange contortion of feature, expressive of -terror rather than ardour; "it is ever before my -eyes, sleeping or waking, photographed in my -heart and on my brain! I strove to rise, but she -stilled, or stayed me, by a caressing gesture, as a -mother would her child, while softly her bright -beaming eyes smiled into mine, with more of -tenderness, perhaps, than love; while in her -whole air there was much of dignity and self-reliance. -</p> - -<p> -"'Where am I?' was my first question. -</p> - -<p> -"'With me,' she answered naïvely; 'is it not -enough?' -</p> - -<p> -"I kissed her hand, and said— -</p> - -<p> -"'The bullet, I remember, struck me down in -a place of burial on the Salbro Road—strange!' -</p> - -<p> -"'Why strange?' -</p> - -<p> -"'As I am fond of rambling among graves -when in my thoughtful moods.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Among graves—why?' she asked. -</p> - -<p> -"'They look so peaceful and quiet.' -</p> - -<p> -"Was she laughing at my unwonted gravity, -that so strange a light seemed to glitter in her -eyes, on her teeth, and over all her lovely face? -I kissed her hands again, and she left them in -mine. Adoration began to fill my heart and -eyes, and be faintly murmured on my lips; for -the great beauty of the girl bewildered and -intoxicated me; and, perhaps, I was emboldened -by past success in more than one love affair. She -sought to withdraw her hand, saying— -</p> - -<p> -"'Look not thus; I know how lightly you -hold the love of one elsewhere.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Of my cousin Marie Louise? Oh! what of -that! I never, never loved till now!' and, drawing -a ring from her finger, I slipped my beautiful -opal in its place. -</p> - -<p> -"'And you love me?' she whispered. -</p> - -<p> -"'Yes; a thousand times, yes!' -</p> - -<p> -"'But you are a soldier—wounded, too. -Ah! if you should die before we meet again!' -</p> - -<p> -"'Or, if you should die ere then?' said I, laughingly. -</p> - -<p> -"'Die—I am already dead to the world—in -loving you; but, living or dead, our souls are as -one, and——' -</p> - -<p> -"'Neither heaven nor the powers beneath shall -separate us now!' I exclaimed, as something of -melodrama began to mingle with the genuineness -of the sudden passion with which she had -inspired me. She was so impulsive, so full of -brightness and ardour, as compared to the cold, proud, -and calm Marie Louise. I boldly encircled her -with my arms; then her glorious eyes seemed to -fill with the subtle light of love, while there was -a strange magnetic thrill in her touch, and, more -than all, in her kiss. -</p> - -<p> -"'Carl, Carl!' she sighed. -</p> - -<p> -"'What! You know my name?— And yours?' -</p> - -<p> -"'Thyra. But ask no more." -</p> - -<p> -"There are but three words to express the -emotion that possessed me—bewilderment, -intoxication, madness. I showered kisses on her -beautiful eyes, on her soft tresses, on her lips that -met mine half way; but this excess of joy, -together with the pain of my wound, began to -overpower me; a sleep, a growing and drowsy torpor, -against which I struggled in vain, stole over me. -I remember clasping her firm little hand in mine, -as if to save myself from sinking into oblivion, -and then—no more—no more! -</p> - -<p> -"On again coming back to consciousness, I -was alone. The sun was rising, but had not yet -risen. The scenery, the thickets through which -we had skirmished, rose dark as the deepest -indigo against the amber-tinted eastern sky; and -the last light of the waning moon yet silvered -the pools and marshes around the borders of the -Langsö Lake, where now eight thousand men, -the slain of yesterday's battle, were lying stark -and stiff. Moist with dew and blood, I propped -myself on one elbow and looked around me, with -such wonder that a sickness came over my heart. -I was <i>again</i> in the cemetery where the bullet had -struck me down; a little gray owl was whooping -and blinking in a recess of the crumbling wall. -Was the drapery of the chamber but the ivy that -rustled thereon?—for where the lighted buffet -stood there was an old square tomb, whereon lay -my sword and bearskin cap! -</p> - -<p> -"The last rays of the waning moonlight stole -through the ruins on a new-made grave—the -fancied <i>fauteuil</i> on which I lay—strewn with the -flowers of yesterday, and at its head stood a -temporary cross, hung with white garlands and -wreaths of immortelles. Another ring was on -my finger how; but where was she, the donor? -Oh, what opium-dream, or what insanity was -this? -</p> - -<p> -"For a time I remained utterly bewildered by -the vividness of my recent dream, for such I -believed it to be. But if a dream, how came this -strange ring, with a square emerald stone, upon -my finger? And <i>where</i> was mine? Perplexed -by these thoughts, and filled with wonder and -regret that the beauty I had seen had no reality, -I picked my way over the ghostly <i>débris</i> of the -battle-field, faint, feverish, and thirsty, till at the -end of a long avenue of lindens I found shelter -in a stately brick mansion, which I learned -belonged to the Count of Idstedt, a noble, on whose -hospitality—as he favoured the Holsteiners—I -meant to intrude as little as possible. -</p> - -<p> -"He received me, however, courteously and -kindly. I found him in deep mourning: and on -discovering, by chance, that I was the officer who -had halted the line of skirmishers when the funeral -<i>cortège</i> passed on the previous day, he thanked -me with earnestness, adding, with a deep sigh, -that it was the burial of his only daughter. -</p> - -<p> -"'Half my life seems to have gone with her—my -lost darling! She was so sweet, Herr -Kaptain—so gentle, and so surpassingly -beautiful—my poor Thyra!' -</p> - -<p> -"'<i>Who</i> did you say?' I exclaimed, in a voice -that sounded strange and unnatural, while -half-starting from the sofa on which I had cast -myself, sick at heart and faint from loss of blood. -</p> - -<p> -"'Thyra, my daughter, Herr Kaptain,' replied -the Count, too full of sorrow to remark my -excitement, for this had been the quaint old Danish -name uttered in my dream. 'See, what a child -I have lost!' he added, as he drew back a curtain -which covered a full-length portrait, and, to my -growing horror and astonishment, I beheld, -arrayed in white even as I had seen her in my -vision, the fair girl with the masses of golden hair, -the beautiful eyes, and the <i>piquante</i> smile lighting -up her features even on the canvas, and I -was rooted to the spot. -</p> - -<p> -"'This ring, Herr Count?' I gasped. -</p> - -<p> -"He let the curtain fall from his hand, and -now a terrible emotion seized him, as he almost -tore the jewel from my finger. -</p> - -<p> -"'My daughter's ring!' he exclaimed. 'It -was buried with her yesterday—her grave has -been violated—violated by your infamous troops.' -</p> - -<p> -"As he spoke, a mist seemed to come over my -sight; a giddiness made my senses reel, then a -hand—the soft little hand of last night, with my -opal ring on its third finger—came stealing into -mine, unseen! More than that, a kiss from -tremulous lips I could not see, was pressed on -mine, as I sank backward and fainted! The -remainder of my story must be briefly told. -</p> - -<p> -"My soldiering was over; my nervous system -was too much shattered for further military -service. On my homeward way to join and be -wedded to Marie Louise—a union with whom -was intensely repugnant to me now—I pondered -deeply over the strange subversion of the laws of -nature presented by my adventure; or the -madness, it might be, that had come upon me. -</p> - -<p> -"On the day I presented myself to my -intended bride, and approached to salute her, I -felt a hand—the <i>same hand</i>—laid softly on mine. -Starting and trembling I looked around me; but -saw nothing. The grasp was firm. I passed my -other hand over it, and felt the slender fingers -and the shapely wrist; yet still I saw nothing, -and Marie Louise gazed at my motions, my -pallor, doubt, and terror, with calm but cool -indignation. -</p> - -<p> -"I was about to speak—to explain—to say I -know not what, when a kiss from lips I could not -see sealed mine, and with a cry like a scream I -broke away from my friends and fled. -</p> - -<p> -"All deemed me mad, and spoke with -commiseration of my wounded head; and when I -went abroad in the streets men eyed me with -curiosity, as one over whom some evil destiny -hung—as one to whom something terrible had -happened, and gloomy thoughts were wasting -me to a shadow. My narrative may seem incredible; -but this attendant, unseen yet palpable, is -ever by my side, and if under any impulse, such -even as sudden pleasure in meeting you, I for a -moment forget it, the soft and gentle touch of a -female hand reminds me of the past, and haunts -me, for a guardian demon—if I may use such a -term—rules my destiny: one lovely, perhaps, as -an angel. -</p> - -<p> -"Life has no pleasures, but only terrors for me -now. Sorrow, doubt, horror, and perpetual dread -have sapped the roots of existence; for a wild -and clamorous fear of what the next moment may -bring forth is ever in my heart, and when the -touch comes my soul seems to die within me. -</p> - -<p> -"You know what haunts me now—God help -me! God help me! You do not understand all -this, you would say. Still less do I; but in all -the idle or extravagant stories I have read of -ghosts—stories once my sport and ridicule, as -the result of vulgar superstition or ignorance—the -so-called supernatural visitor was visible to -the eye, or heard by the ear; but the ghost, the -fiend, the invisible Thing that is ever by the side -of Carl Holberg, is only sensible to the touch—it -is the unseen but tangible substance of an -apparition!" -</p> - -<p> -He had got thus far when he gasped, grew -livid, and, passing his right hand over the left, -about an inch above it, with trembling fingers, he -said— -</p> - -<p> -"It is here—here now—even with you present, -I feel her hand on mine; the clasp is tight and -tender, and she will never leave me, but with -life!" -</p> - -<p> -And then this once gay, strong, and gallant -fellow, now the wreck of himself in body and in -spirit, sank forward with his head between his -knees, sobbing and faint. -</p> - -<p> -Four months afterwards, when with my friends, -I was shooting bears at Hammerfest, I read in -tell Norwegian <i>Aftenposten</i>, that Carl Holberg -had shot himself in bed, on Christmas Eve. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap03"></a></p> - -<h3> -THE BOMBARDIER'S STORY. -</h3> - -<p class="poem2"> - "Some feel by instinct swift as light<br> - The presence of the foe,<br> - Whom God ordains in future time<br> - To strike the fatal blow." AYTOUN.<br> -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -Very few persons in this world are unlucky -enough to see, or to have seen, a ghost; but we -nearly have all met with some one else who had -seen something weird or unearthly. And -now for a little story of my own, by which you -will find that, in my time, I have more than -once encountered a ghost, or that which, perhaps, -was <i>worse</i> than any ghost could be. -</p> - -<p> -In the Christmas before the battle of the -Alma, I, Bob Twyford, was a young bombardier -of the Royal Artillery, a "G.C.R." (good conduct -ring) man, mighty proud of that, and of my -uniform, with its yellow lace and rows of brass -buttons, with the motto "<i>Ubique quo fas et gloria -ducunt</i>," and so forth, when I went home on a -month's furlough, to see old mother and all my -friends at our little village in the Weald of -Kent. -</p> - -<p> -I was proud too, to show them that, by the -single chevron of bombardier, my foot was firmly -planted on the first step of the long ladder of -promotion; happy, too, that there was one in -particular to show it to—my cousin, little Bessie -Leybourne—though she was a big Bessie now—my -sweetheart, and my wife that was to be, if -good promotion came, or if I bought my -discharge, and took to business with some money -we expected—money that was long, long in -coming. -</p> - -<p> -More than once, in the beautiful season of -autumn, had Bessie Leybourne been the queen -of the hop-pickers, and then I thought that she -looked bright and beautiful as a fairy, when the -crown of flowers was placed on her sunny brown -hair, and her deep blue eyes were beaming with -pleasure and gratified vanity. -</p> - -<p> -I had a dream about Bessie on the night -before—a dream that made me uncomfortable -and gave me much cause for thought; and so -a vague presentiment of coming evil clouded the -joy of my returning home. -</p> - -<p> -I had seen Bessy in her beauty and her -bravery as the hop queen; but she was calling -on me to protect her—for she was struggling to -free herself from the embraces and the -blandishments of a handsome and blasé-looking man, -whose costume and bearing were alike fashionable -and distinguished. Close by them, looking -on evidently with amusement, was his friend, a -hook-nosed, grim, and sombre-looking fellow, -with a black moustache, and malevolent eyes, -who held me back as with a grasp of iron, while -uttering a strange, chuckling laugh, the sound of -which awoke me. But the faces of those men -made a vivid and painful impression upon me; -for the whole vision seemed so distinct and real, -that I believed I should recognize them anywhere. -</p> - -<p> -I spoke to Tom Inches, our Scotch pay-sergeant, -about it, and he, being a great believer -in dreams, assured me that it was ominous of -some evil that would certainly happen to Bessie -or to me, or to us both. -</p> - -<p> -"For you must know, Bob," he continued, -"that in sleep the soul seems to issue from the -body, and to attain the power of looking into the -future; for time or place, distance or space, form -no obstruction then; so the untrammelled -spirit of the dreamer may see the future as well -as the past, and know that which is to happen -as well as that which has happened." -</p> - -<p> -The Scotchman's words had a solemnity about -them that rendered me still more uneasy; but I -strove to shake off care, and already saw in -anticipation my mother's cottage among the -woodlands of the Weald. -</p> - -<p> -Every pace drew me nearer home, and I trod -gaily on, with my knapsack on my back, and -only a crown piece in my pocket. My purse -was light; but, save for that ugly dream, my -heart was lighter still, as I thought of Bessie -Leybourne. -</p> - -<p> -I had left the railway station some miles -behind. It was Christmas Eve. The Weald -of Kent spread before me; not as I had seen it -last in its summer greenness, but covered deep -with snow, over which the sun, as he set, shed a -purple flush, that deepened in the shade to blue, -and made the icicles on every hedge and tree -glitter with a thousand prismatic colours. -</p> - -<p> -Red lights were beginning to twinkle through -the leafless copses from cottage windows, and -heavily the dun winter smoke was curling in the -clear mid air, from many a house and homestead, -and from the clustered chimney stalks of the -quaint and stately old rectory. -</p> - -<p> -An emotion of bitterness came over me, on -passing this edifice, with all its gables and -lighted oriel windows. -</p> - -<p> -I had no great love for the rector. When a -boy I had found in our garden a pheasant, which -he, the Rev. Dr. Raikes, had wounded by a shot. -Pleased with the beauty of the bird, I made a -household pet of it, till his keeper, hearing of the -circumstance, had me arrested and stigmatized -as a little poacher, the rector, as a magistrate, -being the exponent of the law in the matter. So -I quitted the parish and its petty tyrant, to -become a gunner and driver in the artillery, where -my good education soon proved of service to me. -</p> - -<p> -For the sake of a miserable bird, the sporting -rector had driven into the world a widow's only -son. But how fared he in his own household? -</p> - -<p> -Valentine Raikes, his only son, was breaking -his proud and pampered heart by mad -dissipation, by gambling, and every species of -debauchery; by horse-racing, and by debts of -honour, which had been paid thrice over, to save -his commission in the hussars. -</p> - -<p> -At last I stood by mother's cottage door. -</p> - -<p> -The little dwelling was smothered among -hops and ivy, and with these were blended roses -and honeysuckle in summer. Now the icicles -hung in rows under the thatched eaves, but a -red and cheerful glow came through the -lozenged panes of the deep-set little windows on -the waste of snow without. -</p> - -<p> -A moment I lingered by the gate, and in the -garden plot, for my heart was very full, and it -well-nigh failed me; but there was a listener -within who heard my step and knew it. And -the next moment saw me in my mother's arms, -and I felt like a boy again, as my happy tears -mingled with hers, and it seemed as if this -Christmas Eve was to be the Christmas Eve of -past and jollier times. -</p> - -<p> -"A merry Christmas, Bob, and a happy new year!" -</p> - -<p> -The dear old woman's face was bright with -joy; yet I could detect many a wrinkle now -where dimples once had been, and see that her -hair was thinner and whiter, perhaps, as she -passed her tremulous hand caressingly over my -bronzed face as if to assure herself of my -identity, and that I was really her "own boy -Bob." Then she helped me off with my knapsack, and -sat me in father's old leathern chair, by the side of -the glowing hearth, and pottered about, getting -me a hot cake, and a mug of spiced ale, muttering -and laughing, and hovering about me the while. -</p> - -<p> -"But, mother, dear," said I, looking round, -"where is Bessie all this time? She got my -letter, of course?" -</p> - -<p> -"Bessie is across the meadows at the church, Bob?" -</p> - -<p> -"On this cold night, mother!" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes; helping Miss Raikes to decorate it for -the service to-morrow." -</p> - -<p> -"Miss Raikes!" said I, and a cloud came over me. -</p> - -<p> -I had left head-quarters with only four crowns -in my pocket. We soldiers are seldom -over-burdened with cash—for though England -expects every man to do his duty, England likes -it done cheap—and I had well-nigh starved -myself on the road home that I might bring -something with me for those I loved—some gay -ribbons for Bessie, and a lace cap for my mother, -who was so proud of her "Bombardier Bob," for -so she always called me, heaven bless her! -</p> - -<p> -"I hope she won't be long away, mother, for -I've had such a dream——" -</p> - -<p> -"Lor' bless me, Bob," said she, pausing as she -bustled about preparing supper, "a dream, have -you—about what, or whom?" -</p> - -<p> -"Bessie," said I, with a sigh, as I took the -ribbons from my knapsack. -</p> - -<p> -"Was it good or evil, Bob?" -</p> - -<p> -"I can't say, mother," said I, with a sickly -smile, as the solemn words of the Scotch -pay-sergeant came back to my memory; "for an evil -dream, say we, portends good, and a pleasant -dream portends evil; they seem to go by -contraries. Yet somehow, by the impression this -dream made upon me, it seems almost prophetic." -</p> - -<p> -"Don't 'ee say so, Bob, for though in the Old -Testament we find many instances of prophetic -dreaming, I don't believe in such things nowadays." -</p> - -<p> -The darkness had set completely in now, and -I saw that, although mother affected to make -light of Bessie's protracted absence, she glanced -uneasily, from time to time, through the window, -and at the old Dutch clock that ticked in its -corner, just as it used to tick when I was a boy, -and rode on father's knee; for nothing here -seemed changed, save that mother was older, and -stooped a trifle more. -</p> - -<p> -"Mother, dear," said I, starting up at last, "I -can't stand this delay, and Bessie must not come -through the lanes alone; so I shall just step -down to the church and escort her home." -</p> - -<p> -In another moment I was out in the snow. -A few thick flakes were falling athwart the -gloom. The decoration of the rectory church -for the solemn services of the morrow was, I -knew of old, always considered an important -matter in our village, yet I could not help -thinking that, as I had written to announce the very -time of my return, Bessie might have been at -home to welcome me. Instead of that, I had -now to go in search of her; and this was the -Christmas meeting—the home-coming of which -I had drawn so many happy and joyous pictures -when alone, and in the silence of the night when -far away, a sentinel on a lonely post, or when -tossing sleeplessly on the hard wooden guard-bed. -</p> - -<p> -Mother was kind, loving, affectionate as ever, -but Bessie, my betrothed, why was she absent at -such a time? -</p> - -<p> -The sad presentiment of coming evil grew -strong within me, and I thought, with bitterness, -of how far I had marched afoot for days, and -starved myself to buy her gewgaws, for I knew -that pretty Bessie was not without vanity. -</p> - -<p> -"Pshaw!" said I. "Be a man, Bob Twyford—be -a man!" and, leaping the churchyard stile, -I slowly crossed the burial ground. -</p> - -<p> -There were lights in the church; and I heard -the sound of merry voices, and even of laughter, -ringing in its hollow, stony space. -</p> - -<p> -Snow covered all the graves, and the -headstones, which stood in close rows; a heavy -mantle of snow loaded the roof of the church, -and, tipping the carvings of its buttresses, -brought them out from the mass of the building -in strong white relief. Great icicles depended -from the gurgoyles of its tower and battlements, -and the wind whistled drearily past, rustling the -masses of ivy that grew over the old Saxon -apse. The tracery of the windows, the sturdy -old mullions and some heraldic blazons, with -quaint and ghastly spiritual subjects in stained -glass, could be discerned by the lights that were -within. -</p> - -<p> -I lifted my forage-cap in mute reverence as I -passed one grave, for I knew my father lay there -under a winding-sheet of snow, and a pace or -two more brought me to the quaint little porch -of the church, where I remained for a time -looking in, and irresolute whether to advance or -retire. -</p> - -<p> -When my eyes became accustomed to the -partial gloom within, I could see that the -zigzag Saxon mouldings and ornaments of the -little chancel arch, the capitals of the shafts, -the stairs of the pulpit, and the oaken canopy -thereof, were all decorated with ivy sprigs and -holly leaves, combined with artificial flowers, -all with some meaning and taste, so as to bring -out the architectural features of the quaint old -edifice. -</p> - -<p> -A portable flight of steps stood in the centre -of the aisle, just under the chancel arch, which -was low, broad, massive, of no great height, and -formed a species of frame for a picture that -sorely disconcerted me. -</p> - -<p> -On the summit of that flight stood a lovely, -laughing young lady, whose delicate white -hands, a little reddened by the winter's frost, -were wreathing scarlet holy-berries among the -green leaves. -</p> - -<p> -A little lower down was seated Bessie—my -own Bessie—her blue eyes radiant with pleasure, -her thick hair—half flaxen, half auburn—shining -like golden threads in the light of the altar -lamps, that fell on her beaming English face, so -fresh, so fair, so charming. Her lap was full of -ivy and holly twigs, which a gentleman who -hovered near, cigar in mouth, was cutting and -tossing into that receptacle, amid much banter -and badinage, that savoured strongly of -familiarity, if not of flirtation. -</p> - -<p> -Near them in the background loitered another, -who was simply leaning against the pillar of -the chancel arch, looking on with a strange -smile, and sucking the ivory handle of his cane. -</p> - -<p> -He laughed as he regarded them. -</p> - -<p> -That laugh—where had I heard it before? -</p> - -<p> -In my dream. And now the antitypes—the -men of my dream—stood before me! -</p> - -<p> -As yet unnoticed, I remained apart, and -observed them; but not unseen, for the eyes -of the dark man were instantly upon me, and -the peculiarity of their expression rendered me -uneasy. -</p> - -<p> -He who hovered about Bessie was a fair-faced, -blasé-looking young man, with sleepy blue eyes, -a large jaw, a receding chin, and thick, red, -sensual lips. He had long, thin, flyaway -whiskers, and a slight moustache, with an -unmistakably good air about him. -</p> - -<p> -His companion had that peculiar cast of features -which we sometimes see in the Polish Jew—keen -and hawk-like, with sharp, glittering -black eyes, hair of a raven hue, and a general -pallor of complexion that seemed bilious, sickly, -and unhealthy. -</p> - -<p> -I felt instinctively that I hated one and -solemnly feared the other. Why was this? -</p> - -<p> -Was it the result of my dream?—of that -"instinct which, like imagination, is a word -everybody uses, and nobody understands?" -</p> - -<p> -Perhaps we shall see. -</p> - -<p> -Suddenly the eye of the fair-haired stranger -fell on me. He adjusted his glass, surveyed me -leisurely, and, pausing in the act of playfully -holding a sprig of mistletoe over Bessie's head, -said, in the lisping drawl peculiar to men of his -style— -</p> - -<p> -"A soldier, by Jove! Now, my good man—ah, -ah!—what do you want here at this time of -night?" -</p> - -<p> -"I came to escort my cousin home, sir." -</p> - -<p> -"Your cousin, eh—haw?" -</p> - -<p> -"Bessie Leybourne, sir; but," I added, reddening -with vexation and annoyance, "I see she -is still busy." -</p> - -<p> -"Cousin, eh? What do you say to this, Bessie?" -</p> - -<p> -Bessie, who started from the steps on which -she had been seated, came towards me, also -blushing, confused, and letting fall all the -contents of her lap as she held out her hands to me, -and said— -</p> - -<p> -"Welcome home, dear Bob. A merry Christmas -and a happy new year! Captain Raikes, -this is my Cousin Bob, who is a soldier like -yourself—an artilleryman," she added, with -increasing confusion, as if she felt ashamed of -my blue jacket among those fine folks; while -the captain, after glancing at me coolly again, -merely said, "Oh—ah—haw—indeed!" and -proceeded to assist his sister in descending the -steps, as their labours were done, and the -decorations of the church complete; but a -heavier cloud came over me now. -</p> - -<p> -Captain Raikes was the son of the rector, and -squire of the parish, in right of his mother, who -was an heiress; and he, perhaps the wildest -and most systematic profligate in all England, -had made the acquaintance of Bessie Leybourne! -</p> - -<p> -A little time they lingered ere Bessie curtseyed, -and bade the young lady good-night. Captain -Raikes whispered something which made Bessie -blush, and glance nervously at me, while his -friend with the hook nose gave a mocking cough, -and then we separated. They took the path to -the gaily-lighted rectory, while Bessie and I trod -silently back through the snow to my mother's -little cottage. -</p> - -<p> -I pressed Bessie's hand and arm from time to -time, and though the pressure was returned, I -never ventured to touch her cheek, or even to -speak to her, for I felt somehow, intuitively, that -all was over between us; and we walked in -silence through the lanes where we had been -wont to ramble when children. -</p> - -<p> -It seemed to be always summer in the green -lanes then; but it was biting winter now. I -asked for no explanation, and none was offered -me; but I felt that Bessie, once so loving and -playful, was now cold, reserved, and shy. -</p> - -<p> -Next day was Christmas. Our fireplace was -decked with green boughs, and holly-leaves, and -huge sprigs of mistletoe. I heard the chimes -ringing merrily in the old tower of the rectory -church. -</p> - -<p> -It was a clear, cold, snowy, and frosty, -but hearty old English Christmas; and faces -shone bright, hands were shaken, and warm -wishes expressed among friends and neighbours, -as we trod through the holly lanes, and over the -crisp, frosty grass, to church—mother, Bessie, -and I; and again, as in boyhood, I heard our -rubicund rector preach against worldly pride and -luxury, both of which, throughout a long life, he -had enjoyed to the full. -</p> - -<p> -The dark stranger—the squire's constant -companion, chum, and Mentor, whose strange -bearing and wicked ways gained him the sobriquets -of Pluto and Hooknose in the village—was not -with the rector's family on this day; and I -learned that he resided at the village inn. It -was evident, though we read off the same book, -that Bessie's thoughts were neither with heaven -nor me, for I caught many a glance that was -exchanged between Captain Raikes and her, and -these showed a secret intelligence. -</p> - -<p> -I sat out the rector's sermon in silent misery, -and in misery returned home—a moody and -discontented fellow, wishing myself back at -head-quarters, or anywhere but in the Weald of -Kent. -</p> - -<p> -Bessie didn't seem to care much about my -ribbons. Why should she? I was only a poor -devil of a bombardier, and couldn't give her such -rich presents as those pearl drops which I now -discovered in her ears. -</p> - -<p> -"A present from Captain Raikes, Bob," said -mother, good, simple soul; "but I don't think -she should ha' shown 'em till her wedding-day." -</p> - -<p> -I had a mouthful of mother's Christmas -dumpling in my throat at that moment, and it -well-nigh choked me. -</p> - -<p> -The mistletoe hung over our heads; but I -never claimed the playful privilege it accorded. -Was there not some terrible change, when I -dared not—or scorned—to kiss Bessie, even in -jest? Others' kisses had been upon her lips, and -so they had no longer a charm for me! -</p> - -<p> -Day and night dread and doubt haunted me, -while hope, with her hundred shapes and many -hues, returned no more. Brooding, silent, and -melancholy thoughts seemed to consume me; -yet the time passed slowly and heavily, for -Bessie's falsehood and fickleness formed the first -recollection in the morning, the last at night, -and the source of many a tantalizing dream -between. All the ebbs and flows of feeling or -emotion which torment the lover I endured. -My sufferings were very great; and from being -as jolly, hardy, and expert a gunner as ever -levelled a Lancaster or an Armstrong, I was -becoming a very noodle—a moonstruck creature—"a -thoroughbred donkey," as Tom Inches -would have called me—and all for the love of -Bessie Leybourne. -</p> - -<p> -Short though my time at home would be, -Bessie could give me but little of her society. -My jealousy would no longer be concealed, and -that she had secret meetings with our squire I -could no more doubt. Then came tears, upbraidings, -and bitterness, with promises that she -would meet him no more; and in the strongest -language I could command, I told her of the -perils she ran, of the desperate character of -Valentine Raikes, of his mad orgies and -debaucheries, of the gambling, drinking, singing, -swearing, and whooping that accompanied the -suppers he and Hooknose had almost every -night in a lonely lodge of the rectory grounds. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, Bob, don't bother," she would say, -imploringly, through her smiles and tears. "It is -terrible to be told constantly that one must -marry one particular young man." -</p> - -<p> -"Meaning, Bessie, that mother reminds you of -being engaged to me?" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, yes." -</p> - -<p> -"You are fickle, Bessie." -</p> - -<p> -"My poor Bob, you are not rich, neither am I." -</p> - -<p> -"Hence your fickleness; but, oh, Bessie, -don't think I want to make a soldier's wife of -you. I hope for better days, and to settle down -at home. Oh, Bessie, my own Bessie, listen to -me, and hear me." -</p> - -<p> -And so she would listen to me, and hear me, -and then slip away to keep a tryst with my -rival. -</p> - -<p> -Once or twice Bessie became angry with me, -and ventured to defend the squire, laying the -blame of all his evil actions on his friend, or -Mentor—the dark Mephistopheles, who was -always by his side. Her defence of him -maddened me. From tears she took to taunts, and -I replied by scorn. -</p> - -<p> -We separated in hot anger, and with my mind -a perfect chaos—a whirl—and already repenting -my violence, or precipitation, I strode moodily -through the holly lanes, till a sudden turn -brought me face to face with Captain Raikes -and his dark friend, in close and earnest -conversation. -</p> - -<p> -The idea of honest and manly remonstrance -seized me; and touching my cap respectfully, as -became me to an officer, I said— -</p> - -<p> -"Captain Raikes, may I crave a word with you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Certainly—haw!" he drawled, while his friend -drew back, surveying me with his strange, -malevolent, but terrible smile. "In what can -I—haw—serve you?" -</p> - -<p> -"In a matter, sir, that lies very near my heart." -</p> - -<p> -He surveyed me with a quiet but puzzled air, -through his glass, and replied— -</p> - -<p> -"Haw—have seen you before. How is your -pretty cousin, Bessie Leybourne, this -morning—well, I hope?" -</p> - -<p> -"It is about Bessie I wish to speak, sir," said -I, with a gravity that made him start and colour -a little—but only a little, as he was one of those -solemn, self-conceited, unimpressionable "snobs," -who disdain to exhibit the slightest emotion. -He did, however, become uneasy ultimately, and -pulled his long whiskers when I said— -</p> - -<p> -"Captain Raikes, my cousin Bessie is my -betrothed wife; and, though I am but a poor -private soldier (or little more), I must urge, -sir—ay, request—that you cease to follow, molest, -or meet her, as I have good reason to know you -do; for though Bessie is a true-hearted girl, no -good can come of it. So I put it to you, sir, as -a gentleman—as my comrade, though our ranks -are far apart—whether your intentions can be -honourable in the matter?" -</p> - -<p> -"By Jove! the idea! I'll tell you what it is, -my good fellah," said he, twirling his riding -whip; "I have listened to your impertinent -advice—your demmed interference with my -movements—so far without laying this across -your shoulders; but beware—haw—how you -address me on this subject again." -</p> - -<p> -Passion and jealousy blinded me, and shaking -my hand in his face, I said— -</p> - -<p> -"Captain Raikes, on your life I charge you -not to trifle with her or with me!" -</p> - -<p> -He never lost his self-possession, but said, -with a smile— -</p> - -<p> -"Very good; but rather daring in a private -soldier—a poacher—a vagabond!" -</p> - -<p> -I heard the strange laugh of Hooknose at -these words, and, while it was ringing in my -ears, I struck the squire to the earth, and he lay -as still as if a twelve-pound shot had finished -him. Then I walked deliberately away. -</p> - -<p> -I had vague alarms now. He might have me -arrested on a charge of assault or might report -me to head-quarters for the blow, although he -was not in uniform; but he did neither, as he -left the Weald that night for London; and -mother and I sat gazing at each other in alarm -and grief—our Bessie had disappeared! -</p> - -<p> -By some of our neighbours she had been seen -near the branch station of the South-Eastern -line, with Valentine Raikes and his mysterious -friend, the Hooknose: and from that hour all -trace of her was—lost! -</p> - -<p class="t3"> -* * * * * -</p> - -<p> -She had left me coldly and heartlessly, and -old mother, too, who had always been more than -a mother to her. -</p> - -<p> -So passed the last Christmas I was to spend -in old England. -</p> - -<p> -I got over it in time. I was not without hope -that I might discover Bessie, and befriend her -yet—ay, even yet. But I couldn't do much, -being only a poor fellow with two shillings per -diem, and an extra penny for beer and pipeclay. -But even that hope was crushed when, in the -following August, I was ordered with the siege -train to Sebastopol, and sailed from Southampton -aboard the "Balmoral," of Hull, a transport -ship, which had on board a whole battery -of artillery, with one hundred and ten fine -horses. -</p> - -<p> -Captain Raikes was, I knew, with the Light -Cavalry Brigade, under Lord Cardigan; and I -only prayed that heaven and the chances of war -would keep us apart, and not put the terrible -temptation before me of seeing him under fire. -</p> - -<p> -Our voyage was prosperous till we entered the -Black Sea, when we experienced heavy gales of -wind, and lost our topmasts; and as the gales -increased in fury and steadiness, they were blowing -a perfect hurricane on the night when, in this -crippled condition, we hauled up for the harbour -of Balaclava. -</p> - -<p> -Were I to live a thousand years, I should -never forget the horrors and certain events of -that night; and though the perils that our -transport encountered were ably described by more -than one newspaper correspondent, I shall -venture to recall them here. -</p> - -<p> -Wearied with hard stable duty, I had fallen -asleep in my birth, when I was suddenly roused -by a voice—the voice of Bessie, -</p> - -<p> -"Bob, Bob, dearest Bob—save me! save me! -I am drowning!" -</p> - -<p> -It rang distinctly in my ears, and then I -seemed to hear the gurgling of water, as I sprang -from bed in terror and bewilderment, and from -no dream that I was at all conscious of; but I -had little time to think of the matter, for now -the bugle sounded down the hatchway to change -the watch on deck. -</p> - -<p> -The night was pitchy dark; all our compasses -had suddenly become useless—no two needles -pointed the same way—and the rudder bands -were rent by the force of the sea, which tore in -vast volume over the deck, sweeping everything -that was loose away. The watch were all lashed -to belaying pins, or the lower rattlins; but -three of ours and two seamen were swept -overboard and drowned. -</p> - -<p> -To add to our dangers, as we lifted towards -the harbour mouth, the "Balmoral" heeled over -so much that the ballast broke loose in the hold, -and uprooted the stable deck. The centre of -gravity was thus lost, and the transport lay -almost over on her beam-ends, with the wild sea -breaking over her, as she went, like a helpless -log, on some rocks within the harbour entrance. -</p> - -<p> -The captain commanding the artillery ordered -Tom Inches and a party, of whom I was one, -into the hold or stables, to see how the horses -fared; and I shall never forget that terrific scene, -for it nearly rendered me oblivious of the cry -that yet lingered in my ears. -</p> - -<p> -The time was exactly midnight, and I almost -fear to be considered a visionary by relating all -that followed. The vessel lay nearly on her -beam-ends to starboard; the whole of the stalls -on the port side had given way, and the horses -were lying over each other in piles, many of them -half or wholly strangled in their halters; and -there, in the dark, they were biting and tearing -each other with their teeth, neighing, snorting, -and even screaming (a dreadful sound is a horse's -scream), and kicking each other to death. -</p> - -<p> -The atmosphere was stifling. The wounds -they gave each other were bloody and frightful. -Many had their legs and ribs broken, and others -their eyes dashed out by ironed hoofs. Above -were the bellowing of the wind, and the roaring -of the Black Sea on the rocks of Balaclava. -There were even thunder-peals at times, to add -to the terrors of the occasion, and the rain was -falling on the deck like a vast sheet of water. -</p> - -<p> -Many of our men were severely wounded by -kicks; for the horses that survived were wild -with fear—maddened, in fact—and, in their -present condition, proved quite unmanageable. -</p> - -<p> -Carrying a lantern, I was making my way -into the hold, and through this frightful scene, -when suddenly, amid it all, and through the -gloom, I saw a face that terrified—that -fascinated—me, but which none of my comrades -could see. -</p> - -<p> -Was I mad, or about to become so? -</p> - -<p> -Within six inches of my own face was the -keen, dark, and swarthy—the almost black—visage -of Hooknose glaring at me, mocking and -jibbering; his eyes shining like two carbuncles, -his sharp teeth glistening with his old malevolent -smile; and, as I shrank back, I heard his mocking -laugh—the same laugh that had tingled in -my ears on that fatal Christmas time at -home. -</p> - -<p> -I fell over a horse, the hoof of another struck -me on the chest. I became insensible, and, on -recovering, found myself on deck, in the hands -of Tom Inches and the surgeon. -</p> - -<p> -I was soon fit for duty, luckily, as that ship -was no place for a sick man. With sunrise the -storm abated; with slings the horses were -hoisted out as fast as we could bring them; and -of the hundred and ten we had on board, we -found that ninety-five had been kicked to death, -smothered, or so bruised that we were compelled -to shoot them with our carbines. -</p> - -<p> -Their carcasses lay long in Balaclava harbour, -where they were used as stepping stones by the -sailors and boatmen, till their corruption filled -the air, adding to the cholera and fever in the -town and camp. -</p> - -<p> -All that haunted me must have been fancy, -thought I, for my thoughts were always running -on Bessie—lost to me and to the world—fevered -fancy, especially the cry, and the horrid gurgling -as of a drowning person that followed it. The -sound of the sea must have produced or -suggested the cry in my sleeping ear, and the -subsequent vision in the hold—those gleaming -eyes and that fierce hooked nose; and yet, as -an author has remarked, the whole world of -nature is but one vast book of symbols, which -we cannot decipher because we have lost the -key. -</p> - -<p> -It was ungrateful of me to be always thinking -of Bessie, who had scorned, flouted, and deserted -me—thinking more of her than of poor old -mother in the Weald of Kent, who loved me -with all her soul, as only a mother could love a -son who was amid the trenches of Sebastopol; -but I couldn't help it, for the terrible mystery -that involved the fate of Bessie made me brood -over it at all times. -</p> - -<p> -As for the trifle of money I had expected, it -never came, and now I didn't want it. -</p> - -<p> -It was Christmas Eve before Sebastopol, as it -was all over God's Christian world; but I hope -never again to see such a ghastly festival. I was -not at the breaching batteries that night, having -been sent with two horses and four men to bring -in a twelve pound gun, which had been left by -the Russians in the valley of Inkermann, after the -battle of the 5th of November. Tom Inches -and many a brave fellow of ours had gone to -their long home in that valley of death, and I -was a battery-sergeant now. -</p> - -<p> -The cold was awful, and we were rendered -very feeble by hunger, toil, and half-healed -wounds; so, like men in a dream, we traced the -horses to the gun, and limbered up the tumbril, -both of which lay among some ruins in rear of -the British right attack, and not far from the -frozen Tchernay. -</p> - -<p> -Three miles distant rose Sebastopol, and the -sky seemed all on fire in and around it, for they -were keeping Christmas night, amid shot from -our Lancaster guns, and whistling Dicks of all -sorts and sizes, from hand-grenades to eighteen-inch -bombs, chokeful of nails, broken bottles, -and grapeshot. -</p> - -<p> -Yet I couldn't help thinking of home, and how -merrily the village chimes would be ringing in -the old tower of the rectory church, amid the -hop-gardens and the cherry-groves of Kent. And -then I saw in fancy the old fireside, where -father's leathern chair was empty now, and -where one at least would say her prayers that -night for me—that happy night at home, when -every church and hearth would be gay with ivy -leaves and holly-berries, and the lads and the -lasses would be dancing under the mistletoe; -and with all these came thoughts of Christmas -geese and plum-puddings, and I drew my -sword-belt in a hole or two, for I was -starving—light-headed and giddy with want; and as we rode -silently on, the swinging chains of the gun -seemed to me like the jangle of our village -chimes! but they rung over the snowy waste -that lay between Khutor Mackenzie and the -Highland camp—a white waste, dotted by many -a dead man and horse. -</p> - -<p> -As we rode silently on, man after man of our -little party of four gave in, dropped from the -gun, to which I had no means of securing them, -overcome by cold, fatigue, and death. At last -I was riding alone in the saddle, with the gun -rattling behind me. -</p> - -<p> -Ghastly sights were around me on that Christmas -night, and the glinting of the moon at times -made them more ghastly still. -</p> - -<p> -On French mule litters, and on horses, many -wounded and dying men were being borne from -the redoubts down to Balaclava; and as my -progress was very slow, with two worn-out, -half-starved nags, a terrible procession passed before -me. Many of the poor fellows were nearly over -their troubles and sorrows. With closed eyes, -relaxed jaws, and hollow visages, they were -carried down the snowy path by the Ambulance -Corps, and the pale steam that curled in the -frosty air from the lips of each alone indicated -that they breathed. -</p> - -<p> -Two dismounted hussars—for amid their rags, -I discovered them to be such—were carrying -one who seemed like a veritable corpse, strapped -upright on a seat; the legs dangled, the eyes -were staring open and glassy, and the head -nodded to and fro. -</p> - -<p> -"Comrades," said I, "that poor fellow is -surely out of pain now?" -</p> - -<p> -"Not yet," said one. "He is an officer of ours, -badly wounded and frost-bitten." -</p> - -<p> -"An officer!" -</p> - -<p> -"Captain Raikes. He won't last till morning, -I fear." -</p> - -<p> -"Raikes," said I through my clenched teeth; -"Valentine Raikes—and here!" -</p> - -<p> -"Ay, here, sure enough," said the hussar. -</p> - -<p> -My heart bounded, and then stood still for a -moment. At last I said— -</p> - -<p> -"Place him on the gun, comrades, and I will -take him on to Balaclava; but first, here I've -some raki in my canteen. Give him a mouthful, -if he can swallow." -</p> - -<p> -Raikes was placed on the seat of the gun-carriage, -buckled thereto with straps, and muffled -up as well as we could devise, to protect him -from the cold. The two hussars left me, and -then we were alone, he and I—Valentine Raikes -and Bob Twyford—in the solitary valley, -through which the road wound that led to Balaclava. -</p> - -<p> -Though coarse and fiery, the raki partially -revived the sinking man, and, leaving my saddle, -I asked him, in a voice husky with cold and -emotion, if he knew me. -</p> - -<p> -But he shook his head sadly and listlessly. -And bearded as I was then, it was no wonder -that his dimmed vision failed to recognize me. -</p> - -<p> -"I am Robert Twyford, the bombardier, -whose plighted wife you stole, Valentine Raikes! -God judge between you and me; but I feel that -I must forgive you now." -</p> - -<p> -"My winding sheet is woven in the loom of -hell!" he moaned, in a low and almost inarticulate -voice. "Oh! Twyford, I have wronged -you—and her—and—many, many more." -</p> - -<p> -"But Bessie!" said I, drawing near, and -propping him in my arms; "what came of Bessie -Leybourne? Speak—tell me for mercy's sake, -while you have the power!" -</p> - -<p> -"Ask the waters—the waters——" -</p> - -<p> -"Where—where?" -</p> - -<p> -"Under Blackfriars-bridge. She perished -there on the 27th of last September." -</p> - -<p> -The 27th was the night of the storm—the -night of the mysterious drowning cry, which -startled me from sleep! -</p> - -<p> -"I am sinking fast, Twyford!" he resumed, in -a hollow and broken voice. "Pray for me—pray -for me. There is but one way to heaven——" -</p> - -<p> -"But many to perdition!" added a strange, -deep voice. -</p> - -<p> -And a dark, indistinct, and muffled figure, -having two gleaming eyes, stood by the wheel -of the gun-carriage, just as a cloud overspread -the moon. -</p> - -<p> -"Here—he here! Do not let him touch me—do -not let him—touch me!" cried Raikes, in -a voice that rose into a scream of despair, as he -threw up his arms and fell back. -</p> - -<p> -There was a gurgle in his throat, and all was -over! -</p> - -<p> -A fiendish, chuckling laugh seemed to pass -me on the skirt of the frosty wind; but I saw -no one; nor had I time to observe, or to -remember, much more, for now a madness seemed -to seize the horses. -</p> - -<p> -They dashed away with frightful speed, the -field-piece swinging like a toy at their hoofs. It -swept over me breaking one of my legs, and -inflicting also a terrible wound on the head, I sank -among the snow, and remember no more of that -night, for, after weeks of delirium and fever, I -found myself a poor, weak, and emaciated inmate -of the hospital at Scutari, and so far on my way -home to dear old England. -</p> - -<p> -But such was the Christmas night I spent -before Sebastopol, and such were those mysteries -in the "Book of Nature," to which I can find -as yet no key. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap04"></a></p> - -<h3> -KOTAH. -</h3> - -<p class="t3"> -A TALE OF THE INDIAN MUTINY. -</p> - -<p> -It was on a soft and warm night in April that -we were encamped not far from the margin of -Lake Erie, in expectation of the Fenian raiders, -who were having armed picnics, and threatening -a plundering invasion of Upper Canada. We -were simply an advanced post, consisting of my -company of the Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment, -and some two hundred volunteers, farmers and -their sons. For some time past there had been -considerable alarm along the Canadian frontier. -General Mead, of the United States army, was -at Eastport with his staff, and the Federal -gun-boat Winooske was cruising off that place, on -the look-out for an alleged Fenian vessel. -</p> - -<p> -Numerous armed meetings had taken place -in the State of Maine, and a great embarkation -of the brotherhood in green was expected to -take place at Ogdensburg, the capital of -St. Lawrence, which has a safe and commodious -harbour; but luckily the whole affair ended in -bluster and rumour. The only fire we saw was -that of our bivouac, and the only smoke that of -the soothing weed, while we sat by "the -wolf-scaring faggot," and drank from our canteens of -rum-and-water, singing songs, and telling stories -to wile the night away. -</p> - -<p> -The picturesque was not wanting in the group -around that blazing fire of pine wood. The -Royal Canadians, in their dark green tunics, -faced with scarlet; the volunteers, in orthodox -red coats or fringed hunting-shirts, with white -belts worn over them, were all bronzed, rough, -and bearded fellows, hardy by nature and -resolute in bearing, led, in most instances, by old -Queen's officers, who had commuted their -commissions, and turned their swords into -ploughshares on farms by the banks of the New Niagara, -or the shores of the vast Erie, whose waters -stretched in darkness far away towards the hills -of Pennsylvania. -</p> - -<p> -"Come, captain, tell us a story of other lands -and sharper work than this," said one of the -Canadian volunteers, as he proffered me his -tobacco-pouch, which was prettily embroidered -with wampum; "tell us something about the -mutiny in India. You served there, as we all -know." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," said I, as the memory of other times -and other faces—faces I should never look upon -in this world again—came over me, "I served -there in the —th Dragoons, and can relate a -strange story indeed—of discipline overdone—of -that which we hear little about in our service, -thank heaven—tyranny; and of a young hero, -who, without a crime, was sentenced to die the -death of a felon!" -</p> - -<p> -"We know," said one of my subs, "that the -mutiny is always a bitter subject with you." -</p> - -<p> -"I lost much by the destruction of Indian -property, and so had to begin the sliding-scale." -</p> - -<p> -"What kind of scale is that?" -</p> - -<p> -"Sloping from the cavalry to the line." -</p> - -<p> -"But the story, captain!" urged the volunteers. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, here goes," said I; and after a pause -and a sip at the canteen, began thus:— -</p> - -<p> -"The narrative I am about to tell you was -not one in which I figured much personally, save -as member of a court-martial; but it details -suffering with which I was familiar—the -miserable fate of Sergeant Anthony Ernslie, a fine old -soldier, and his son Philip, a brave young -fellow—a mere lad—both of whom were in my troop -during the Crimean war, and afterwards in the -memorable mutiny, the horrors of which are so -fresh in the minds of all. -</p> - -<p> -"I had not been long with the regiment before -I discovered that a deeply-rooted enmity existed -between our sergeant-major, Matthew Pivett, and -my troop-sergeant, Ernslie, and that it had been -one of long standing, having originated in -jealousy when both were privates quartered at -Canterbury, and both were rivals for the affection of -a pretty milliner girl. She, however, preferred -Ernslie, then a horse artilleryman; but when -our corps was under orders to join the army of -the East, Ernslie volunteered for general service -in the cavalry, and, by the chance of fate, was -placed in my troop of the —th Dragoons, where -his steady conduct, fine appearance, and strict -attention to duty, soon caused me to recommend -him for promotion, and he gained his third stripe -with a rapidity that did not fail to excite the -remark of the envious. -</p> - -<p> -"Yet his life was rendered miserable by the -sergeant-major—a stern, wiry, sharp-eyed, -loud-voiced, and vindictive man; and more than once, -when I interposed my authority to keep peace -between them, has Ernslie told me, with tears -in his eyes, that 'he cursed the day on which he -left the ranks of the Horse Artillery to become -a dragoon!' -</p> - -<p> -"A senior, when perpetually on the watch to -worry a junior, may easily find opportunities -enough for doing so. Thus Ernslie's belts were -never pipe-clayed quite to the taste of Pivett, -and at the staff inspection before parade, faults -were ever found with his horse, harness, and -everything. He was put on duty at times out -of his turn, and not in accordance with the roster. -A complaint to the adjutant or myself always -altered these errors; but the sting of annoyance -remained. At drill a hundred petty faults were -found with him, and he was perpetually accused -of taking up wrong dressings, distances, and -alignments, till, in his anger and bewilderment, -the poor man sometimes really did so, and then -great was the delight of Pivett! -</p> - -<p> -"'For what,' said he one day, bitterly, 'for -what did I ever leave my old regiment?' -</p> - -<p> -"'No good, most likely,' sneered Pivett. -</p> - -<p> -"'Sir, I won my three good-conduct rings there.' -</p> - -<p> -"'By a fluke, of course,' replied Pivett; adding, -in a loud voice, 'Silence!' to check the rising -retort of the other. -</p> - -<p> -"As Shakespeare has it— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "'That in the captain's but a choleric word<br> - Which in the soldier is rank blasphemy.'<br> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -And so it came to pass that whenever Ernslie -ventured to remonstrate, his oppressor invariably -sent him to his room under arrest, and twice—a -great insult to a sergeant—to the guard-house; -but though the charges of mutiny and insubordination -were always 'quashed' by the colonel, -poor Ernslie felt, as he told me, 'that he was a -doomed man, and safe to come to grief some -day, for the sergeant-major had sworn an oath -to smash him!' -</p> - -<p> -"His son Philip, a private in the troop, saw -and felt all this. The lad's smothered hatred -and fear of the sergeant-major were great; but -he did his duty well and steadily, and contrived -to elude notice. Ernslie was proud of his -handsome boy, and thanked heaven in the inmost -recesses of his heart when the war was over in -the Crimea, for there father and son had ridden -side by side in the famous charge of the Heavy -Brigade, and both had escaped almost scatheless; -but when we were ordered to India, to stem with -our swords the great tide of the terrible mutiny, -the father's anxieties were revived again. -</p> - -<p> -"When our transport was off the Cape de -Verd Islands, Ernslie came to my cabin in great -distress, to announce that his wife had just died. -I knew that the poor woman had been ailing for -some time past, and the sickness incident to the -rough weather we encountered put an end to her -sufferings, and she died in the arms of her son, -for her husband was with his watch on deck, and -the sergeant-major would not permit him to go below. -</p> - -<p> -"She had died at daybreak, and by noon that -day the body, swathed in her bedding, and lashed -round with spun-yarn, lay on a grating to -leeward, with a twenty-pound shot at the feet, and -a Union Jack spread over it. By sound of trumpet, -our men fell into their ranks, and, like the -sailors, all stood bare-headed, silent, and grave, -for a funeral at sea is the most sad and solemn of -all. There was a heavy breeze at the time, and -the ship was flying before it with her courses and -head-sails only, and the bitter spray swept over -us in drenching showers. -</p> - -<p> -"The adjutant read the burial service. At a -given signal the grating was lifted, and the body -vanished with a splash under the ship's counter. -Close by me stood Sergeant Ernslie and his son. -Clutching the mizen shrouds with one hand, and -Philip by the other, he bent his pale face over -the quarter, as if to give a farewell glance at -the corpse; but it was gone—gone for ever! -</p> - -<p> -"Ernslie was barely forty; but now he looked -quite old and haggard, and his hair was streaked -with gray. He saw Pivett standing near him, as -the men were dismissed, and passing forward or -below; and as if he felt and knew that the -original cause of enmity had passed away, he held -forth his hand, and said, in a choking voice, for -grief had softened his heart— -</p> - -<p> -"'You'll shake hands with me now, sergeant-major, -won't you?' -</p> - -<p> -"But Matthew Pivett answered only by a -scowl, and crossed to the windward side of the -deck. So even by the side of that vast and -uncouth grave their hatred was not quenched; and -I had twice to interfere for Ernslie's protection -before our transport ran up the Hooghly, and -landed us at Calcutta, from whence the river -steamers took us up country to Allahabad, where -our remount awaited us, and we took the field at -once, under Brigadier-General R——. -</p> - -<p> -"If Ernslie's tormentor spared his son, it must -have been through some lingering regard for the -dead mother, or some soft memory of the love he -once bore her, and Ernslie was thankful that -Philip escaped, for the lad was passionate and -resentful, and had vowed to his father in secret -that he would 'yet serve out the sergeant-major.' -</p> - -<p> -"One morning, long before daybreak, we were -on the march towards the province of Ajmir, -where a noted rebel, Hossein Ali, was at the -head of a great force. We had endured the most -unparalleled heat; for days the sky had been as -a sheet of heated brass above our heads, and the -cracked and baked earth as molten iron under -foot. Cases of sunstroke had been incessant, and -many of our horses perished on the march. -</p> - -<p> -"On this morning our thirst was excessive, for -the tanks of a temple on which we had relied for -water had become dry in the night, and the -<i>bheesties</i>, or water-carriers, attached to the -regiment, had deserted to Hossein Ali, and most -of us were without liquid of any kind in our canteens. -</p> - -<p> -"Among others situated thus was Sergeant -Ernslie, who had been on patrol duty until the -last moment. His son Philip was the orderly of -the colonel, and while that officer's horse was -getting a drink, he had contrived to fill his -canteen from the bucket, and held it invitingly to -Ernslie, just as the corps filed past, for the -colonel had not yet mounted. Agonized as he was -with thirst, to resist the temptation was impossible; -so Ernslie galloped to where his son stood, -a hundred yards distant or so, near the hut -of palm-leaves which had formed the colonel's -quarters. -</p> - -<p> -"'To your troop, Sergeant Ernslie! back to -your troop, sir!' cried the sergeant-major, in a -voice of thunder. -</p> - -<p> -"Ernslie heard the voice of his enemy, but -still rode towards his son, and took a long draught -from his canteen before turning his horse and -galloping back to his troop. -</p> - -<p> -"'How dare you leave the ranks when on the -line of march?' resumed Pivett, heedless in his -fury that this was interfering with <i>me</i>. 'Fall in -with the quarter guard!' he added, in his most -bullying tone; 'and consider yourself under -arrest!' -</p> - -<p> -"'I shall do neither one nor the other,' replied -Ernslie, trembling with passion. 'I am under -the orders of the captain of the troop—not -yours. Keep your own place, or, by heaven, I -shall make you!' -</p> - -<p> -"And in his just anger, Ernslie was rash enough -to shake his sword with the point towards -Pivett—an unmistakable threat. So the colonel was -compelled to place him under arrest, in the face -of the whole regiment. -</p> - -<p> -"'At last you have fixed me, sergeant-major!' -said he, calmly, but bitterly, as he sheathed his -sword, and turned to the rear; 'but if you look -for your true character, you will find it in the -"Military Dictionary."' -</p> - -<p> -"'Likely enough; but under what head? Discipline?' -</p> - -<p> -"'No. Tyrant! See how that is defined!' -</p> - -<p> -"The sergeant-major did look, and saw that -Colonel James therein defines, 'Petty tyrants—a -low, grovelling set of beings, who, without one -spark of real courage within themselves, execute -the orders of usurped or strained authority with -brutal rigour;' and as he read on Pivett grew -pale with rage. -</p> - -<p> -"At the first halt of the brigade, a general -court-martial, of which I was the junior -member, sat, by order of General R——. An -example was wanted; so Ernslie was reduced to -the ranks. -</p> - -<p> -"Our parade next morning was a gloomy one, -as we formed a hollow square of close columns -of regiments, near the ruins of a great Hindoo -temple. The sun was yet below the horizon, -and in the dim, cold light, the face of Ernslie -looked pale and ghastly as he was marched into -the square, a prisoner, between two armed -troopers, one of whom, with execrable taste, the -sergeant-major had contrived should be his own -son, Philip. -</p> - -<p> -"The sergeant was nervous in bearing and -restless in eye; but his mind seemed to be -turned inward. He was thinking, perhaps, of -the terrors of the day at Balaclava, of the dead -wife he had committed to the deep, or of the -boy who stood scheming revenge by his side; -but it was not until he felt the penknife of the -trumpet-major ripping the worthily-won chevrons -from his sleeve that a groan escaped his lips, a -flush crossed his haggard face, and his soul -seemed to die within him. -</p> - -<p> -"Then he slunk to the rear of his troop, a -broken and degraded man. Philip's dark eyes -were full of fire, and, if a glance could have -slain, the career of Matthew Pivett had ended -there. -</p> - -<p> -"We all felt for the sergeant, and knew that -in the vindication of discipline he had been -made a victim; but that night the Queen lost a -good soldier, for Ernslie was absent from -roll-call—he had disappeared without a trace, and -the sergeant-major openly declared his belief -that he had deserted to the rebel Sepoys, under -Hossein Ali. -</p> - -<p> -"The truth was, though we knew it not at the -time, that Ernslie, when wandering alone and -unarmed near our camp, communing with himself -in a storm of grief and misery, had actually been -waylaid and carried off by some of Hossein's -scouting Sepoys, who by that time were tired of -slaughtering and torturing the white Feringhees. -They spared him, and discovering somehow that -he had once been a <i>golandazee</i>, or gunner, they -chained him naked to a field-piece, and kept him -to assist in working their cannon against us in -Kotah, the place which we were on the march to -besiege and storm. -</p> - -<p> -"So poor Anthony Ernslie's name was further -disgraced by being scored down as a deserter in -the regimental books. -</p> - -<p> -"The forces which we accompanied, under -General R——, consisted of the 8th Royal Irish -Hussars, H.M. 72nd Highlanders, 83rd and 95th -Regiments, together with the 13th Bengal Native -Infantry, a corps which had not yet revolted, but -was sorely mistrusted. -</p> - -<p> -"The enemy in Kotah consisted entirely of -mutineers, but chiefly those of the 72nd Bengal -Infantry, whose scarlet coats were faced with -yellow, exactly like those of the 72nd -Highlanders, now advancing against them; and we -considered it a curious coincidence that two -regiments bearing the same number should meet -in mortal conflict. -</p> - -<p> -"Our march was a severe one; each of our -horses had not less than twenty stone weight to -carry, irrespective of forage, and yet there was -not a sore back or a broken girth either in our -ranks or in those of the 8th Hussars, when, after -traversing a mountainous but fertile and -well-watered district, we came in sight of Kotah -(which had been the seat of a Rajpoot-rajah), -on the east bank of the Chumbul. It is a large -town, girt by massive walls, defended by bastions -and deep ditches cut out of the solid rock. Its -entrances were all protected by double gateways. -</p> - -<p> -"Both strong and stately looked the fortified -town, when, under the scorching blaze of an -Indian sun, and a hot, red sky, amid which the -hungry vultures floated, we saw it and the palace -of the rajah, with all its lofty white turrets, the -roofs of bazaars and temples, crowning a steep -slope that was covered by teak, tamarind, and -date palm trees, all of lovely green. In the -foreground lay a vast lake, with the superb temple -of Jugmandul, a mass of snow-white marble, -rising in its centre, its peristyles and domes -reflected downward in the deep and dark-blue -water. -</p> - -<p> -"The rajah had fled. In his palace Hossein -Ali, an ex-<i>kote-havildar</i>, or pay-sergeant of the -revolted 72nd B.N.I., reigned supreme; and its -marble courts and chambers were yet stained by -the blood of our women, children, and other -defenceless people, who had been slain therein, -after enduring indignities and torments that -maddened those who came, like us, to avenge -them; and, full of the memories of those deeds, -with the other horrors of Cawnpore and Delhi to -inflame us, we pushed the siege with relentless -vigour, though Hossein's men, with seventy -pieces of cannon, gave us quite enough to do, and -our sappers worked in vain to undermine the -enormous walls. -</p> - -<p> -"Night and day, amid slaughter, wounds, -sunstroke, and cholera, we pounded away at each -other with the big guns. Officers and men -worked side by side at them and in the trenches, -aiding or covering the sappers in their scheme of -a mine, till we were all as black as the Pandies -with gunpowder, dust, and grime, and till the once -gay uniform of ours had given place to flannel -jerseys and rags; our helmets to linen puggerees, -or solar-hats; our pantaloons to cotton -knickerbockers and Cawnpore boots; and even those -who had been the greatest dandies among us were -seldom seen without a scrubby beard, a shovel, a -revolver, and Chinshura cheroot. In short, we -were more like diggers or desperadoes than her -Britannic Majesty's dragoons. -</p> - -<p> -"With a working party composed of men of -various corps, one morning, before daybreak, I -was assisting the sappers at the mine, while the -enemy, with shot, shell, and rockets, did all they -could to retard or dislodge us. It was a horrid -place, I remember, encumbered by dead camels -and horses—yea, and men, too, in every stage -of decomposition, where the gorged vultures -hovered lazily among fallen ruins and whitening -bones. -</p> - -<p> -"'Jack Sepoy thinks it no sin now to bite the -greased cartridge—the scoundrel!' said one of -my men, as a bullet broke the shovel in his -hand. -</p> - -<p> -"'Sin—as little as to cut the throats of our -wives and children in cold blood!' added another, -with a fierce oath. -</p> - -<p> -"'Fighting for glory is a fine thing,' said -young Philip Ernslie, resting on his pickaxe; -'but fighting for a shilling per day, with a penny -extra for beer, is a different affair.' -</p> - -<p> -"'But we are fighting for revenge, Phil,' said -a soldier, whose wife and children had perished -at Meerut. -</p> - -<p> -"'True,' replied Ernslie, through his clenched -teeth; 'and times there are, by Jove! when even -revenge may be just and holy!' -</p> - -<p> -"'Silence!' growled Sergeant-Major Pivett, -still in pursuance of his feud. -</p> - -<p> -"'Down, men—down!' cried I, 'for here comes -a shell.' -</p> - -<p> -"Humming through the air, but, oddly enough, -<i>not</i> whistling, a ten-inch shell fell near me, and, -with a thud, half sunk into the soil. Strange to -say, it was without a fuze; the touch-hole was -simply plugged by a common cork, in which a -half-scorched quill-pen was stuck. After lying -flat on our faces, and watching it uneasily for -some time, and all fearing a snare, or the -explosion of some poisonous stuff, I ventured to -roll it over with a shovel, and found that it was -empty, or quite unloaded. Pivett, who certainly -did not lack courage, sprang forward, and, -extracting the cork from the fuze-hole, found a -scrap of paper attached to it, and on the scrap -was written, with ink that seemed to have been -composed of gunpowder and water, these words:— -</p> - -<p> -"'<i>I am a prisoner in Kotah. The work of the -sappers is useless, for where they are mining the -rock is solid. There are seventy guns in this place, -and I am chained to one of the seventeen in the -right bastion. If the front gate is blown up, the -place may be carried at the point of the bayonet, as -the way beyond is quite open.</i> -</p> - -<p> -"'A. ERNSLIE, <i>private, H.M. —th Dragoons</i>.' -</p> - -<p> -"'I knew that fellow had deserted to the -enemy!' growled the sergeant-major. -</p> - -<p> -"'Silence,' said I, 'and do not be unjust in -your hatred.' -</p> - -<p> -"'It's a message-shell, sir, a message-shell, -and fired by my father, poor man. Heaven help -him!—he is in the hands of the Sepoys!' -exclaimed young Ernslie, whom, with the shell and -note, I took at once to the general, whose tent -was by the margin of the lake. -</p> - -<p> -"This information caused the staff at once to -abandon the idea of a mine, and all our energies -were now bent against the great gate. -</p> - -<p> -"Though the junior regiment of the division, -the 72nd, or Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders, -were ordered to furnish three hundred men for -a storming party, and at two o'clock on the -morning of the 30th of March the grand assault -was to be made, while we—the cavalry—were in -our saddles, to cover, and if possible assist in the -attack, when the great gate was forced. -</p> - -<p> -"'My brave lads, rouse!' I heard the adjutant -of the Highlanders cry in the dark; 'quit your -dog's sleep—half-dozing and half-waking—and -fall in. Fall in, stormers!' -</p> - -<p> -"And while the warning pipes blew loud and -shrill, cheerfully they formed by companies, -those brave Albany Highlanders; and stately, -indeed, looked their grenadiers, with their tall -plumed bonnets and royal Stuart tartan; for the -highland regiments during the mutiny had not -time to adopt Indian clothing, and went at the -Pandies in their kilts and ostrich feathers, just as -their forefathers did at Madras and Assaye. -</p> - -<p> -"Silently they crossed the river in the dark, -where the graceful date palms and the luxuriant -mango topes cast a deeper shadow than the -starry night upon the water. Then, quitting -their boats, they crept close to the great outer -wall of Kotah; but so great was the delay in -blowing up the gate, that day broke, the -Highlanders were seen, and for hours we sat in our -saddles helplessly, and saw the enemy pouring -shot and shell upon them from the same bastion -where we knew poor Tony Ernslie was chained -to a gun. -</p> - -<p> -"Suddenly there was a dreadful shock; the -wall of the city seemed to open, as it rent and -gaped, a blinding cloud of dust and stones -ascended into the air, and a shower of wooden -splinters, the fragments of the great gate, flew -far and wide, as our mine blew the barrier up. -</p> - -<p> -"A mingled shout of 'Scotland for ever!' -the old Waterloo war-cry of the Black Watch -and the Greys, broke from the Highlanders* -again and again, as they rushed in with fixed -bayonets, driving back the terrified Sepoys, -storming bastion after bastion, and capturing -two standards. The other regiments broke in -at different points, and after much hard fighting -Kotah was ours, and then we rode through the -streets cutting down the fugitive rebels on right -and left. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* See <i>Scotsman</i> of 28th of May, 1858. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -"Philip Ernslie and a few of his comrades -made straight for the bastion indicated in his -father's note. It was deserted by all save a few -dead or dying Sepoys; but a more terrible -spectacle awaited the searchers. -</p> - -<p> -"Stripped nude, and nailed to the wall of the -bastion by the hands and feet, hung the body of -Anthony Ernslie, minus nose and ears, and -otherwise horribly mutilated! -</p> - -<p> -"Even this appalling spectacle failed to excite -the pity or soothe the hate of the malevolent -Matthew Pivett (but we were well used to scenes -of horror and barbarity during the mutiny), -for he audibly expressed a conviction 'that -Ernslie had met his just reward for deserting to -the enemy.' -</p> - -<p> -"'I shall make you eat your words before the -going down of the sun, by the God who made -us, I shall!' said Philip Ernslie, in a low, husky -voice, heard only by the sergeant-major, who -shrunk back, so impressed was he by the fierce -and resolute aspect of the lad, by the deep -concentrated loathing that glared in his eyes, -making his lips ashy pale, and causing every -muscle to quiver; but this emotion was unseen -by others, and his threat was unheard, luckily, -for if Pivett could have found a witness, he -would at once have made young Ernslie prisoner -on a charge of insubordination, as he really -dreaded his vengeance. -</p> - -<p> -"About dark that evening the sergeant-major -was returning from the bungalow of the colonel, -where, with the adjutant, he had been preparing -lists of casualties and for our march on the -morrow, when we and the 8th Hussars were to -surround a village that was full of fugitive -mutineers. The day had been one of toil, of -strife, and heat; now the atmosphere was -steamy and moist, and Pivett was enjoying by -anticipation the comforts of a hearty supper -and a cool sleep in his tent, the sides of which -his <i>tatty-wetter</i> had, no doubt, soused well with -cold water. -</p> - -<p> -"To reach the cavalry camp he had to pass -through a ravine, not far from the town wall—a -narrow place, full of prickly and thorny shrubs, -where the beautiful silky jungle grass grew in -such wild luxuriance that, in some instances, it -was almost breast-high, and where the perfume -of the many aromatic plants came floating on -the puffs of warm air. -</p> - -<p> -"Traversing the narrow path on foot, with his -sword under his arm, he was suddenly confronted -in the dusk by Philip Ernslie, who resolutely -barred the way. He, too, had his sword by his -side, but in each hand he had a holster pistol. -His features were pale as those of a corpse, and -might have passed for such, but for the nervous -twitching of his lips as he spoke. -</p> - -<p> -"'You know, Matthew Pivett, for what purpose -I am here?' -</p> - -<p> -"'Mutiny and murder, likely enough,' replied -Pivett, who was a stern and resolute man. 'Give -up those pistols—fall back, and return to your -quarters, or I shall cut you down.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Draw your sword but one inch from its -sheath, and I shall send a bullet through your -brain!' replied Philip, cocking one of the pistols. -'You maddened my poor father by your systematic -tyranny for years; you had him reduced -and degraded, and driven desperate from among -us. You wronged his memory this morning, and -taunted even his mutilated remains——' -</p> - -<p> -"'Scoundrel! what then? Would you dare -to murder me?' exclaimed the undaunted -sergeant-major. -</p> - -<p> -"'No, you shall have a chance for your life. -Oh, Matthew Pivett, I have long looked for an -opportunity like this, when I might meet you -face to face; so take your choice of these pistols, -for, by the heaven that hears us, you or I must -lie dead here to-night!' -</p> - -<p> -"As Philip spoke solemnly and sternly, with -clenched teeth and flashing eyes, he thrust a -pistol into Pivett's hand. -</p> - -<p> -"'Quarter guard!' shouted Pivett, as he made -a resolute attempt to grasp the throat of Ernslie, -who thrust him back with the barrel of the other -pistol, crying— -</p> - -<p> -"'Stand back, sergeant-major, and keep your -distance, or I shall shoot you down like the dog -you are!' -</p> - -<p> -"Pivett, who now saw there was no resource -but to fight, withdrew a pace or two, and fired -straight at Ernslie's head. The ball whistled -through the white puggeree, or cap, and slightly -grazed his left ear. He gave a ghastly smile, -and said— -</p> - -<p> -"'You were rather quick, sergeant-major, but -now it is my turn!' -</p> - -<p> -"He levelled his pistol, with a deadly, -triumphant, and vindictive aim, straight at the -glaring eyes of the agitated Pivett; but the -percussion cap must have been defective—it snapped -and hung fire. -</p> - -<p> -"'Seize this mutinous rascal!' cried the -sergeant-major to a patrol who, on hearing the -explosion of the first pistol, came galloping up; -and Philip was instantly made prisoner by a -party of the 8th Hussars, who had seen the -whole situation. -</p> - -<p> -"Another court-martial sat by break of day, in -the palace of the Rajah of Kotah, and, wan and -haggard, after a sleepless night, fettered by -handcuffs, and looking the picture of misery, -Philip Ernslie stood before it, charged with -violating the forty-first clause of the second -section of the Articles of War, which ordain -that 'any officer or soldier who shall strike a -superior, or use any violence against him, shall, -if an officer, suffer death, and if a soldier, death, -transportation, or such other punishment as by -a general court-martial shall be awarded.' -</p> - -<p> -"The majority of the members of the court -were strangers to the lad and his story, and the -father's alleged spirit of insubordination, -manifested when on the march to Kotah, was now -brought forward in the prosecution of the son. -The court was but an epitome of the greater -world, where accusation is condemnation. -Nothing is so fallible as human judgment, but -nothing so pitiless. -</p> - -<p> -"As captain of Philip's troop, I gave evidence -of all I knew, and of the good characters borne -by father and son; but, after the brief proceedings -terminated, and the court was cleared for -the consideration of the verdict and sentence, I -knew too well what they would of necessity be. -</p> - -<p> -"That evening the chaplain visited the prisoner, -who was confined in one of the vaults of -the palace, to announce that on the following -morning he was to—DIE! -</p> - -<p> -"He spent nearly the whole night with the -poor lad, who was quite resigned, and so calm -and prepared for his fate that he begged to be -left alone for a little sleep before the appointed -time; and when the provost-marshal came at -gun-fire, he found Philip Ernslie in a profound -slumber, with a horse-cloak spread over -him, and his head resting on a bundle of -straw. -</p> - -<p> -"Never did we parade with more reluctance -than on that 31st of March at dawn, and all -the corps in and about Kotah, with some others -that had marched in during the night, got under -arms to witness the execution. It was a lovely -Indian morning. The beams of the sun shone -redly on the white marble domes and carved -minarets of Kotah, and on the turrets of the -rajah's stately palace. -</p> - -<p> -"The place where we paraded was a hollow -between two hills that were covered with -beautiful groves of the peepul-palm and teakwood, -and flocks of wild peacocks and green paroquets -flew hither and thither as we were massed in -columns round the spot, where an open grave -was yawning, and where the guard of the -provost-marshal—twelve men and a sergeant—stood -with their rifles loaded. -</p> - -<p> -"Every face was expressive of intense anxiety -to have the whole affair over, and many were -very pale. -</p> - -<p> -"Accompanied by the chaplain of the cavalry -brigade, who wore a surplice over his black -uniform surtout, and praying very devoutly with -his fettered hands clasped before him, Philip -Ernslie, guarded by an escort, came slowly into -the square of regiments, and stopped midway -between the firing party and that premature -grave that was so soon to receive him. His -face was frightfully pale; he looked at that black -hole, which yawned so horribly amid the green -turf, calmly and steadily, and something of a -smile—but not of bravado or derision—stole -over his features. -</p> - -<p> -"My heart bled for the poor lad; but I was -immensely relieved when our colonel said, in a -whisper, as he passed me— -</p> - -<p> -"'The adjutant-general has a reprieve from -General R—— in his pocket, so there will be no -execution.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Thank heaven!' I exclaimed, fervently. -</p> - -<p> -"'We are but acting out a solemn farce.' -</p> - -<p> -"'For the sake of effect and discipline?' -</p> - -<p> -"'Exactly.' -</p> - -<p> -"'And the sentence, colonel——' -</p> - -<p> -"'Will be commuted to transportation for life.' -</p> - -<p> -"It was a human existence blighted for ever, -any way; but now I could look on with more -composure. -</p> - -<p> -"The fetters were removed from Philip's hands. -He was ordered to take off his cap and listen -respectfully to the sentence of the court; and he -seemed to do so mechanically, as one in a dream. -</p> - -<p> -"The proceedings of the tribunal were briefly -noted, the enormity of the crime forcibly adverted -to, and then came the doom—that he was to be -shot to death! -</p> - -<p> -"The young man's usually haughty and handsome -face was wistful and sad in expression now. -He merely bowed his head in meek assent, and -in a weak voice asked leave to shake hands with -me and some of his comrades. They came forth -from the ranks as he named them, and wrung his -cold and clammy fingers in silence, and I could -see that the eyes of these men were moist with -tears; yet they were brave fellows all, and had -charged by my side at Inkermann and Balaclava. -</p> - -<p> -"Philip next asked for the sergeant-major, that -he might shake hands even with him, and so die -at peace with all mankind. But Pivett was -absent from parade that morning, and lay seriously -ill in his tent, for Asiatic cholera had fastened -upon him. -</p> - -<p> -"Philip then turned to the chaplain to signify -that he was ready, and, kneeling near his grave, -had his eyes covered by a handkerchief. -</p> - -<p> -"The whole scene was now worked up to its -utmost intensity, and many officers, who knew -not of the reprieve, had taken off their caps to -utter a silent prayer for the spirit that was so -soon to appear before its Maker. -</p> - -<p> -"The silence was profound, and we heard only -the Chumbal rushing on its course to meet the -Jumna, till the voice of the provost-marshal rang -in the air— -</p> - -<p> -"'Firing-party—ready!' and softly the rifles -were cocked. -</p> - -<p> -"'As you were!' cried the adjutant-general, -with a bright expression of face; 'half-cock, and -order arms! Prisoner, stand up! you are, I -rejoice to say, mercifully reprieved.' -</p> - -<p> -"Philip Ernslie did not hear the words apparently, -for his head sank forward on his breast. -</p> - -<p> -"The provost-marshal took his hand to assist -him to rise; but the poor lad fell forward on -his face, dead—stone dead—without a wound. -The sudden revulsion of feeling had killed him. -</p> - -<p> -"So he was actually buried in that unconsecrated -ground, beneath the shadow of the walls -of Kotah; but, ere we marched next day, -another grave was formed beside him. -</p> - -<p> -"It contained the remains of Sergeant-Major -Pivett; and, during a long career of service, I -have met with few events which created so profound -a sensation among the troops as this little -tragedy." -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap05"></a></p> - -<h3> -THE STORY OF RAPHAEL VELDA. -</h3> - -<p> -On an evening in the September of 1860, some -excitement was caused among the inhabitants -of the secluded town of Oppido in Calabria -Ultra, when the gleam of arms announced the -approach of regular troops. The dealers in -pottery and silk, in wine and oil, and the -manufacturers of gloves and stockings from the delicate -filaments of the shell-fish named the <i>pinna -marina</i>, and the water-carrier by the well, -conferred together on this unusual circumstance; -the wandering <i>pifferari</i> paused in their strains -before the shrine of the Madonna; and the -rustics of a more doubtful character—to wit, -the armed and lawless <i>carbonari</i> and mountaineers, -the brigands, with their sugar-loaf hats, -velveteen jackets, and sandalled feet—looked -forth from the dense forests and coverts wherein -they lurked, defying alike the anathemas of the -Archbishop of Reggio and the powers of the -High Court there, and thought the time was -near to inspect their guns and stilettoes, and set -their wives to abandon the distaff for the -bullet-mould, as none knew on what errand those -troops had come, or what might ensue ere long, -and strange things were expected, for Mazzini -and "The Liberator" had been busy with their -manifestoes; even the Fata Morgana had been -showing strange optical delusions of late in the -Bay of Reggio and the Straits of Messina. -</p> - -<p> -The battle of Aspromonte had been fought in -their vicinity during the preceding month. -</p> - -<p> -Garibaldi, as all the world knows, intent on -raising an insurrection in Hungary, had placed -himself at the head of a body of Sicilian volunteers, -in the forest district of Ficuzza, twenty -miles from Palermo, and, by a hasty and -ill-advised movement, he landed these men from -two steamers on the Calabrian shore, where, on -the mountain plateau of Aspromonte—one of -the highest of the Calabrian hills, rising -immediately behind the town of Oppido—he was -attacked by the Royal Italian troops, under -Colonel Pallavacino. He fell, wounded by a -musket-shot in the ankle, while all his people -were surrounded and made prisoners. -</p> - -<p> -Military executions followed on many, though -"The Liberator," for his great services in the -cause of Italian independence, was never brought -to trial; and now the young grass was sprouting -above the earthy mounds, and round the rude -little crosses that marked where the dead lay in -their lonely graves on the slope of the Apennines. -</p> - -<p> -For two noted brigands who had accompanied -him, named Agostino Velda and Giuseppe -Rivarola, rewards were offered at that time in -vain. -</p> - -<p> -The excitement in Oppido was in no way -lessened when the sound of bugles came on the -evening wind, and ere long the 3rd regiment of -Bersaglieri, or Italian Rifles, in the service of -Victor Emanuel, with their plumed hats and -quaint uniforms, marched into the town, and -halted before the <i>Albergo del Leon d'Oro</i>, where -the colours were lodged, and the lieutenant-colonel -commanding took up his quarters. -</p> - -<p> -The soldiers were placed in an empty monastery; -a guard was mounted there, and also at -the <i>albergo</i>; and then it began to be whispered -about in the market-place and <i>cafés</i> that the -Bersaglieri were to remain there until a captain -arrived from Reggio with some special instructions -for the colonel, Vincenzo il Conte Manfredi, -of whom we shall hear more anon. -</p> - -<p> -These rumours were unpleasantly connected -with a Bersagliere named Agostino Velda—the -same Velda who had followed General Garibaldi, -and who had been brought in with the quarter-guard -as a prisoner, and was now in a cell of -the monastery, heavily ironed, and under the -strictest surveillance. -</p> - -<p> -Among the Bersaglieri of Colonel Manfredi -were two soldiers of the name of Velda—the -prisoner Agostino, and his son Raphael, a youth -of little more than twenty years, who bore a -character as high and unblemished as that of -his father was degraded and low, dissipated and -vile. Yet the father and son were both -eminently handsome men, and both had fought -bravely—the former on the fields of Goïto and -Novara, and the latter at Montebello and -Solferino; but latterly to many crimes and breaches -of military law, Agostino had added that of -desertion and consorting with brigands, among -whom he narrowly escaped an assassination in -which he became involved; and a notice of this -event found its way even into the <i>Times</i>. -</p> - -<p> -He had thrown aside his uniform, adopted the -well-known costume of the brigands—a -gaily-embroidered jacket, a high hat, with broad, -flaunting ribbon, and long leathern gaiters—and, -armed with a rifle and six-barrelled revolver, -made his lurking-place among the mountains -near Naples. -</p> - -<p> -Not far from Acerra—an episcopal city in the -province of Lavoro—for a year prior to the -affair of Aspromonte, he had taken up his -residence with a formidable bandit and his wife, -with whom he lived, concealed in a vault, the -fragment of some ruined castle or villa of the -old days of Roman Naples. -</p> - -<p> -There they might have resided long enough -together, and made perilous the road to Rome, -but for the sum of two thousand ducats which -had been put upon the head of Agostino Velda -after Garibaldi's defeat, and which proved too -much for a friendship such as theirs. -</p> - -<p> -One day, after a close pursuit, his <i>padrona</i> -assured him that he might safely issue forth, as -the police had disappeared; but immediately -on Velda raising the trap-door, which was -covered with turf and branches to conceal their -den, he was struck to the earth by a blow from -an axe, dealt full on his head by a most -unsparing hand. -</p> - -<p> -Assisted by his wife, the <i>padrona</i> dragged the -body to a ditch close by, and then, stabbing her -to death, he departed at once to Naples, where -he claimed the reward offered for Agostino -Velda, whom he accused of killing the woman. -But Velda was not dead—such men are hard -to kill; he was simply stunned, grievously -wounded, and made hideous by the blood that -covered him. -</p> - -<p> -He managed to crawl to the nearest house of -the National Guard, to whom he told his story, -denouncing, as his accomplice, the <i>padrona</i>, who -was seized and shot, as the reward of his crimes; -while he (Velda) was sent back under escort to -the 3rd Bersaglieri, then on their march to -Calabria, to overawe the brigands in that mountain -region, and he was now under sentence and -waiting the result of his trial, the papers -connected with which had been forwarded for -approval to General Enrico Cialdini, who, in the -subsequent year, was appointed leader of the -entire Italian army, and "Viceroy of Naples, -with full power to repress brigandage." -</p> - -<p> -The proceedings of the court-martial by which -the father had been tried were actually engrossed -by the hand of his son, who was the clerk to the -regiment, and he knew all the papers contained, -save the sentence, which was known to the sworn -members of the court alone; but he could not -doubt the tenor of it. -</p> - -<p> -Shame and gloom clouded the dark and handsome -face of the young man, and this dejection -was held sacred by his comrades, though it has -been said that Colonel Manfredi—a man of weak -and vicious character, one, moreover, who was -fierce, reckless, and dissipated—was cruel enough, -on more than one occasion, to taunt the innocent -son with the errors of the guilty father. -</p> - -<p> -The sun was verging towards the watery -horizon of the gulf of Gioja, and the shadows of -the Apennines were falling far athwart the deep -and wooded valleys that lie eastward of Oppido, -when, full of sad, terrible, and bitter thoughts, -the younger Velda left the little city, and, after -pausing once or twice to cross himself before the -little lamp-lighted Madonnas at the street -corners, hurried towards a spot which was familiar -to him, for he was by birth a Calabrian, and like -his father before him had first seen light among -those very mountains where Aspromonte had -been fought. -</p> - -<p> -Under the circumstances in which he was -placed, the young soldier gazed sadly on the -scenes of his infancy—on the forest paths and -secluded places where he had been led by the -hand of his mother, who had perished of fever -and fright after the battle of Novara. -</p> - -<p> -Raphael Velda walked rapidly onward for a -few miles through a district that was rich in -fruit trees, where the lemon and citron, the fig, -the vine, and the orange were growing, till he -reached a region that was rocky and wild, and -where the majestic oaks and pines of that -extensive tract known as the Forest of La Sila, -celebrated even by Virgil in the twelfth book of the -"Æneid," cast a deepening shadow over the way -he pursued, and where the goat, the buffalo, and -the wild black swine appeared at times amid the -solitude. -</p> - -<p> -Brightly streamed the evening sun through the -openings in the forest while Raphael, with -unerring steps, trod a path that had been familiar to -him in boyhood, and at last reached the place -he sought. -</p> - -<p> -It was a cavern in the gray basaltic rocks; -but the entrance, known only to the initiated, -was carefully concealed by the hand of nature, -for the wild fig-trees, the vines, and other -luxuriant creepers completely screened it from -the casual eye. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, Francesca, my love! my love! what an -abode for <i>you</i>!" muttered the soldier as he saw -it. But the place was silent as the grave; the -hum of insect life, and the gurgle of a mountain -rivulet, whose course was hidden by the verdure, -alone met his ear. "Francesca, my betrothed! the -wife of my heart!" -</p> - -<p> -Passing through the screen of leaves, Raphael -Velda came to a barrier of wood, wedged -between the walls of rock, and on this he -knocked with a resolute hand, though his heart -was throbbing with anxiety. -</p> - -<p> -After a pause, a sound most unpleasantly like -the click of a gunlock met his quickened ear, -and he hastily knocked again. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Chi è la?</i> (Who is there?)" demanded a -stern voice. -</p> - -<p> -"'Tis I, good Giuseppe—a friend." -</p> - -<p> -The wooden barrier sharply revolved on its -centre, and within the cavern, half seen in ruddy -sunlight, and half sunk in dark brown shadow, -appeared the picturesque figure of a man whose -attire and bearing proclaimed him to be a -Calabrian brigand. Strong and athletic in form, -erect and dignified in carriage, the lines of his -dark face and his keen, wild eyes declared him -to possess an ardent and fiery spirit; but his -garments were tattered and miserable, his beard -was long, and its natural raven blackness was -becoming silvered by time. -</p> - -<p> -His sash contained a brace of pistols and a -horn-hafted knife, and in his hands was a long -double-barrelled rifle, which was cocked and held -menacingly, for the naturally ferocious expression -of his face deepened when he saw the hostile -attire of his visitor. -</p> - -<p> -"A friend!" he exclaimed scornfully. "Do -the friends of Giuseppe Rivarola wear the -uniform of the king's Bersaglieri?" -</p> - -<p> -"True, I am a soldier, Giuseppe—a soldier of -the king; yet am I not the less your friend," -replied Velda gently. -</p> - -<p> -"Back, I say! I seek not your friendship, -boy, and I want not your blood! Yet," -continued the robber, wrathfully, "how am I to -save my own if I permit you to return alive after -having dared to track me to my hiding-place?" -</p> - -<p> -As Rivarola spoke he involuntarily raised the -musket to his right shoulder. -</p> - -<p> -"Hold, Giuseppe Rivarola!" cried his visitor. -"Have you quite forgotten me? I am Raphael, -the son of Agostino Velda." -</p> - -<p> -The brigand uttered a cry, threw down his -musket, and springing forward, with all that -volubility of gesture and violent declamation -which proclaims the Calabrian a genuine child -of nature—a rough and impetuous mountaineer—he -embraced the young man, took him in his -arms and led him into his hiding-place. -</p> - -<p> -It was indeed a squalid den, and lighted only -by a few dim rays of the fading sunshine which -stole in through fissures in the basalt. In a -recess a little Madonna of coarse clay was fixed -to the wall of rock, and the flame of a brass -oil-lamp was flickering before it. Beneath lay a bed -or rather a pallet, the neat arrangements of -which indicated the presence of a female hand. -</p> - -<p> -Outside this lay a couch of leaves and -deer-skins whereon doubtless old Rivarola snatched -his few hours of repose. Some vessels of coarse -pottery, an iron pot, a bullet-mould, a powder-flask, -and other similar <i>et cetera</i>, made up the -furniture; and Raphael looked round him with -a saddened and anxious eye. -</p> - -<p> -"Francesca?" said he, inquiringly. -</p> - -<p> -"She has gone to vespers, and to market at -Oppido. The poor child requires other comforts -than my gun can procure her on these bleak -mountain sides, or even on the highway, for few -men travel now without an escort of the -Carabinieri. I am in hopes that she may be -employed as a <i>zitella</i>—(a girl who will make -herself useful)—by the good sisters of the -Benedictine convent—God and His Mother bless -them!" continued the brigand, lifting off his old -battered hat with reverence. "The sisters pity -her for her own sake, though they execrate me -as one of the godless Garibaldini. Once that -our Francesca is safe within their walls, I shall -go farther west, among the mountains, where -some of the men of Aspromonte are still lurking, -though heaven knows that to leave this place for -that may be only <i>noi cadiamo da Scilli in -Cariddi</i>," he added, using the old classic proverb. -"But while talking of my own affairs I forget -yours. What of your father, my boy?" -</p> - -<p> -"He has been taken by the National Guard, -and is now with us in Oppido; but under sentence -of death, as I too justly fear it must be," -replied Raphael, in a broken voice. -</p> - -<p> -"Rebellion, desertion, treason, and robbery! -What else could be the penalty of these but -death! He will be shot, of course, by the Bersaglieri." -</p> - -<p> -"Alas!" -</p> - -<p> -"Yet you will continue to wear their uniform?" -said the old brigand, his moustaches quivering -with anger. -</p> - -<p> -"I follow the dictates of my conscience." -</p> - -<p> -"Conscience!" replied the other, grimly. "I -had such a thing about me once; but -now—— Well! well!" -</p> - -<p> -"Are they safe for Francesca, or safe for you, -these evening errands into Oppido?" -</p> - -<p> -"She goes in as the twilight falls, and always -returns after dark, when none can see the way -she takes. But our perils will be increased now -that your precious Bersaglieri are so close at -hand." -</p> - -<p> -"They are increased, Giuseppe. A list of -persons to be captured, and shot if found with -arms in their hands, or who prove unable to give -a satisfactory account of themselves, has been -given by Cialdini to the Conte Manfredi, and -your name is the <i>first</i> on that fatal roll, of which -I made a copy no later than yesterday, by the -Conte's order." -</p> - -<p> -The outlaw only laughed at this, and his white -teeth glistened under his dark moustache. -</p> - -<p> -"They will never discover my retreat," said he. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, be not too sure of that." -</p> - -<p> -"It has served me ever since that fatal day at -Aspromonte." -</p> - -<p> -"You are wrong. Either Francesca has been -watched or some one has betrayed you." -</p> - -<p> -"None could betray me. My secret is known -to Francesca and myself alone," replied the -outlaw, confidently. -</p> - -<p> -"A clue to your hiding-place is in the hands -of the Conte Manfredi, and ere to-morrow—yea, -to-night, perhaps—a cordon of riflemen will be -around it. <i>Povero amico</i>! I swear to you that -this is the truth!" -</p> - -<p> -"And my Francesca!" exclaimed Rivarola, -mournfully, as he clasped his brown hands. -</p> - -<p> -"She is here—here at last!" cried the young -man, as a girl sprang into the cavern; but on -beholding his uniform she uttered a low cry of -terror, and shrank behind her father. -</p> - -<p> -Her figure was slender and <i>petite</i>, yet she was -full-bosomed and beautifully rounded. Her eyes -were dark, but bright and sparkling, and softened -in expression by their wonderfully long lashes, -which, like her hair, were black as jet. Her attire -was poor, but plain and neat, even to being piquante -and pretty. Her scarlet bodice was handsomely -embroidered, and her habit-shirt, like the square -fold of linen that shaded her face, was white as -snow, and contrasted well with the almost olive -hue of her complexion. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>O padre mio</i>! I have been pursued!" she -exclaimed. -</p> - -<p> -"By whom?" asked Rivarola, starting to his -musket. -</p> - -<p> -"An officer of the Bersaglieri; but I escaped -him in the forest. Oh, my father! my father! and -a Bersagliere is here before me!" -</p> - -<p> -"Raphael Velda, your betrothed!" said the -young man, taking off his plumed hat, and -coming forward from the shade which had partly -concealed him. -</p> - -<p> -Uttering a soft exclamation of joy, mingled -with astonishment, the girl rushed into his arms, -and he covered her face with kisses, showering -them on her brow, her lips and eyes, even on her -neck, where hung her only ornament, a little -crucifix of brass. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Ne sono estatico!</i> (I am in ecstasies!)" -the young soldier continued to murmur, as he -gazed upon the upturned face that lay upon his -fringe epaulette, and so near his own flushed -cheek. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, what happiness!" responded the girl. -"I am beside myself with joy! Raphael, -Raphael, speak to me!" -</p> - -<p> -"Thou art loved by every one, my child," -said the old brigand, who made no attempt to -check the free emotions of the lovers, but turned -away sadly, and leaned upon his long musket. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, Francesca, many may—nay, must have -loved you; but none as poor Raphael Velda -does," said the lover. -</p> - -<p> -"If ever we are parted, judging by what I -have suffered already, the <i>wrench</i> will be terrible! -Francesca will die!" murmured the girl. -</p> - -<p> -"No female society ever afforded me the delight -that yours does, and were we to be together for -days and days, instead of a few short stolen hours, -I would never weary of looking into your sweet -eyes. How often in camp and on the march, -when weary and listless, I have longed for your -beloved shoulder to lay my head upon and go to -sleep, though I fear your presence would put all -sleep to flight." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, Raphael, when absent from you I seem -only to endure existence. All time seems lost -that is not spent with you." -</p> - -<p> -"And one of our officers pursued you, Francesca?" -asked Raphael, after a pause. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, my beloved—from the gate of Oppido, -along the highway, and close up to the forest, -where I eluded him by lurking behind an ilex -tree, while he passed on." -</p> - -<p> -"Is he old or young?" -</p> - -<p> -"A man of some fifty years, with long gray -moustaches curled up to his ears." -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Dio!</i> 'tis the colonel—the Conte Manfredi! the -greatest <i>roué</i>, in all Naples!" -</p> - -<p> -"Never mind—soldiers are used to run after -pretty girls. You have escaped him, and if he -comes hither my gun will do the rest—there will -be promotion for the major," said Rivarola, -calmly. -</p> - -<p> -But the handsome face of Velda became -troubled and clouded. -</p> - -<p> -His love for Francesca was deep and -passionate; yet as a soldier could he marry and -make her a camp-follower—the jest, perhaps, of -his comrades, the prey, perchance, of such a man -as the conte?—she, with all her purity and -beauty. A soldier, could he with safety wed the -daughter of a brigand—an outlaw—one of the -Garibaldini? She had been seen and pursued -by his <i>roué</i> colonel also, to complicate and make -matters more dubious, perilous, and difficult. -</p> - -<p> -"Be one of us—throw your allegiance to the -winds, and take to the mountains," the brigand -would have suggested; but Raphael was loyal -and good, and mourned the lost lives of -Rivarola and his doomed father. -</p> - -<p> -But now the sun was set, and he knew that he -must soon return to quarters, as he had only -leave till midnight, and, taking his gun, Rivarola -prepared to accompany him a little distance on -the way. -</p> - -<p> -The lovers separated, with an arrangement for -their meeting on the morrow, and from the -screen of leaves that hid her wretched home -the poor girl, with eyes half-blinded by tears, -watched their figures retiring through the forest; -but scarcely had they been gone ten minutes -when both came rushing back to her. The face -of Raphael was deadly pale; that of Rivarola -inflamed by passion, and in his eyes there -sparkled a dangerous light. -</p> - -<p> -"Conceal yourself, my child. A party of the -Bersaglieri are in the forest, searching, doubtless, -for <i>me</i>, so I must fly; but I shall leave your -betrothed with you. Surely," continued Rivarola, -"he will be able to protect you from his own -comrades, at least. I will fire a shot to lure -these men after me, and away from this vicinity; -so, if you hear it, my children, be not alarmed. -To heaven and your love I trust her, Raphael. -Adieu!" -</p> - -<p> -He pressed the terrified girl almost convulsively -to his breast, sprang up the rocks with his -musket slung behind him, and disappeared, while -Raphael led Francesca into the cavern and closed -the door. -</p> - -<p> -The task of soothing her was a delightful one; -but then came the reflection—what was he to -do? To remain there with her was impossible, -as, ere midnight, he would have to report himself -to the quarter-guard, and could he leave her -alone—alone in the wild forest? -</p> - -<p> -No! She should return with him to Oppido, -and seek at the Benedictine convent that shelter -which would not be denied her. This was soon -resolved on, and, though about to leave the -cavern, perhaps for ever, she reverentially -trimmed anew the votive lamp before the -little Madonna, while Raphael stole for half a -mile or so into the forest, to assure himself that -his comrades were gone. This proved to be -the case, as they had heard the distant random -shot of Rivarola, and, following it, had -disappeared. -</p> - -<p> -"Heaven be praised!" said Raphael, aloud; -"the road is clear for her and me." -</p> - -<p> -He was returning to the hiding-place, when -a shrill cry—almost a shriek—from Francesca -made him spring forward with all the speed he -could exert; and he saw with dismay that the -barrier of wood and screen of leaves were alike -thrown down, and that an armed man stood -within them. -</p> - -<p> -All that his heart had foreboded of evil—the -climax of every vague apprehension to which -the soul of Raphael Velda had been a prey—was -reached when he beheld his beautiful little -Francesca struggling to free herself from the -grasp of her visitor—his colonel, the Conte -Manfredi! -</p> - -<p> -Of all men in Italy, the man from whom he -had most cause to fear—the man who held in -his hands, perhaps, the life of his father, -Agostino Velda, and his own life as a consorter with -outlaws—had now tracked out Francesca as a -new prey! This was but an example probably, -of "how oft the power to do ill deeds makes ill -deeds done." -</p> - -<p> -Raphael knew that the conte was a man -without scruple or conscience, possessed of vast -wealth, of high rank, and a position which -enabled him always to <i>crush</i> with success all who -opposed his wishes, however vile or cruel those -wishes might be; and Raphael was but a poor -Bersagliere, whose father was a convicted brigand. -</p> - -<p> -All this foreknowledge rushed upon the mind -of Raphael, and for a moment he was paralyzed -with dismay; but a moment only. -</p> - -<p> -The next saw him tear Francesca from the -grasp of the conte, whom he thrust without -much ceremony aside. -</p> - -<p> -In an instant the blade of the colonel's sword -glittered in his hand. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>In guardia, signore! in guardia!</i>" cried he, -in a voice that was tremulous with rage; while -Raphael, who had no other weapon than the -short sword-bayonet of the Bersagliere, promptly -drew it to defend himself, and therewith he -parried one or two thrusts that were aimed at -his breast. As yet the colonel had not -recognized him, for the cavern was dark, or only lit -by the tiny votive lamp that flickered above the -humble couch of Francesca. "Ha, Signore -Spadaccino!" said Manfredi, mockingly, "I'll -be through your body this time." -</p> - -<p> -But, by a rapid circular parry and great -strength of wrist, Raphael twisted the sword -from the hand of the conte, who then drew a -pistol. All this passed in a few seconds; while -Francesca, crouching behind Raphael, looked -upward with her face blanched by terror. And -now, as he levelled the pistol, the conte for the -first time discovered that his antagonist was a -soldier. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Como vi chiamente</i> (what is your name)?" he -asked, in a voice of thunder. -</p> - -<p> -"Raphael Velda, signore." -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Ehi!</i> one of my own men, too!" -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Illustrissimo—si—</i>I have the honour," -replied Raphael, with a profound salute, but -keeping his sword drawn, nevertheless. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, Raphael! my love! my love! you are -lost! Spare him, Signore Colonello! spare him!" -cried Francesca. "He is too young to die!" -</p> - -<p> -"Leave this place, Raphael Velda," said the -conte, in a low, hoarse voice. -</p> - -<p> -"Never!" -</p> - -<p> -"Indeed! When are you due at Oppido?" -</p> - -<p> -"I have my captain's leave till midnight, signore." -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Mezzanotte</i>? Good. It wants but two hours -of that time now," said the mocking conte, -looking at his watch. "You know, I presume, the -penalty of drawing upon a superior officer?" -</p> - -<p> -"No—not when in defence of my own life, -and of one who is dearer to me than life." -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Veramente</i>—indeed!" drawled the other, -curling up his enormous moustache, which he -wore in imitation of King Victor Emanuel. -"This girl—the daughter of a brigand—of a -Garibaldino—is beyond the pale of all protection." -</p> - -<p> -"She is my betrothed wife, signore," said -Raphael, with a deep burst of emotion. -</p> - -<p> -"Your life is in my hands, Velda, as a -consorter with outlaws." -</p> - -<p> -"Not more a consorter than yourself, signore, -if the mere fact of being here makes me one." -</p> - -<p> -"Insolent! Yet I will spare your life on one -condition." -</p> - -<p> -"Name it, signore." -</p> - -<p> -"That you will never mention what has -transpired here to-night—our combat, and my -disarmament. Swear it by the God that hears -you, and the soul of the girl you love!" -</p> - -<p> -Raphael felt astonished at a punishment so -unlike Manfredi, but swore as he was requested. -</p> - -<p> -"Good," said the colonel, picking up and -sheathing his sword. "I give you life for -silence, but my vengeance will come on the -morrow!" -</p> - -<p> -And with these ominous words, which the -unfortunate Raphael connected in some way -with his imprisoned father, the colonel quitted -the dreary abode of the Rivarolas, and -disappeared in the forest. -</p> - -<p> -The moment he was gone, Raphael raised -Francesca, and strove by his caresses to reassure -her. He affected to make light of the threats of -Manfredi, expatiated on the promises he had -given as a reward for silence, expressed joy that -her father had escaped; and, as soon as she had -regained her composure, he led her from the -cavern, and together, hand in hand, with their -minds mutually oppressed by fear for the future, -they pursued the highway almost in silence till -they reached the little city of Oppido. -</p> - -<p> -"Adieu, Raphael," said the girl, weeping on -his breast. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, Francesca! my dearest Francesca! I -cannot tell you how I love you! And this love -continues, if possible, to grow every day. My -whole soul is yours, Francesca!" -</p> - -<p> -"And I shall yearn long and wearily for you -till we meet again. Separate from you, the most -sunny days are gloomy to me, and I seem to -shiver as if chilled by the <i>tramontana</i>!" -</p> - -<p> -And now, after a long and passionate kiss—a -<i>last</i> one, as it proved—they separated at the gate -of the Convent of Santo Benedetto; and, -fortunately for Raphael, he was in quarters before -the time necessary, and amid their dull monotony -the voice of Francesca ever lingered in his ear. -</p> - -<p> -Some valets or emissaries of the conte were -at the cavern betimes before daybreak. The -cage was empty, and its pretty bird flown, -they knew not whither; and this only served -to inflame him the more against the elder -Velda. -</p> - -<p> -Next morning the shrill brass bugles of the -Bersaglieri were blown at an unusually early -hour, while the mountain summits were yet red -with the first rays of the morning sun, and the -whole battalion paraded under the orders of the -conte; for the expected captain had arrived -overnight from Reggio with his final instructions, -and, rumour said, with the death-warrant of -Agostino Velda. The latter seemed to be fully -verified by the fact that the regimental -chaplain—a Franciscan friar—had spent the greater -portion of the night in his cell. -</p> - -<p> -It was a lovely Italian morning, and never did -the towering Apennines look more beautiful in -their verdure and fertility, while the red rising -sun cast their purple shadows, and those of the -great pines and oaks which clothed their sides -far to the westward. To the east, dotted by -many a white sail, the blue Mediterranean spread -away towards the Lipari Isles; and the smoke -of many a steamer towered high into the deep -azure of the dome above the Straits of Messina -and the Bay of Gioja. -</p> - -<p> -The plain where the Bersaglieri (who derive -their name from <i>bersaglio</i>, a mark, or shooting-butt) -were paraded was a solitary spot about a -mile distant from Oppido, in a rugged ravine, -overhung on all side by masses of rock, which -had been rent into fantastic shapes seventy-seven -years before by the dreadful earthquake of 1783. -</p> - -<p> -The troops were unpopular among the Calabrese; -so none of the inhabitants were present -to witness the morning parade, which, on the -part of the Conte Manfredi, embraced a scheme -for vengeance such as an Italian heart of a -certain calibre alone could conceive. -</p> - -<p> -The well-trained Bersaglieri stood silent and -firm in their ranks; the only motion there being -the fluttering of their dark-green plumes, which -were caught by the passing breeze. Their -sword-bayonets were fixed on their rifles, as the -regiment formed three sides of a hollow square, -and the broad blades of these reflected gayly the -sheen of the morning sun. -</p> - -<p> -On the vacant side of the square stood an -upright post, firmly placed in the earth, with a -stout rope dangling from it. At this object the -eyes of the soldiers looked grimly but sternly -from time to time. The officers leaned on their -swords, and yawned wearily in the early morning -air. Since the field of Aspromonte they had -grown tired of the perilous work of brigand-hunting, -and looked forward with something of -dismay to the rustication of dull quarters in the -mountain city of Oppido, while knowing that at -Reggio there were the great cathedral, with its -aisles of paintings, where people may flirt if they -do not pray, the theatre, the opera, and the -promenade of the Porto Nuovo, where girls -handle their fans as girls only do in Spain and -Italy. Even the yearly fair would be lost to the -Bersaglieri. It was all a profound bore! -</p> - -<p> -While such empty regrets occupied the minds -of many, the heart of Raphael Velda was a prey -to a grief and horror all its own. He and all the -regiment thought that he should have been -spared a scene so horrible as the execution of -his own father! He had proffered this request -personally, and through the captain of his -company, but in vain. The conte was inexorable. -He only gave one of his sinister smiles, and -shrugged his shoulders in token of refusal. So, -pale as a spectre, and trembling in every fibre, -Raphael stood under arms in his usual place. -</p> - -<p> -Agostino Velda, though an old soldier of the -corps, who had, as we have said, fought loyally -on the field of Goïto, in Lombardy, and that of -Novara, in Piedmont, was viewed now only as a -disgrace, a brigand and Garibaldino; so, although -all sympathized with his son, and deprecated his -presence on an occasion so awful, they cared -little otherwise about the impending execution. -But how little could they foresee the terrible -<i>triple</i> tragedy which was to ensue on that bright -and sunny morning parade! -</p> - -<p> -From the lower end of the ravine was seen the -gleam of approaching bayonets, and the prisoner -appeared with fetters on his hands, walking slowly -between a file of Bersaglieri, and by the side of -the chaplain—a very reverend-looking old man, -who wore the garb of a Franciscan—and who -had been praying with him all night in the vault -of the old castle, which served as a dungeon. -And now poor Raphael felt an icy shudder pass -over his whole frame as his father drew near. -</p> - -<p> -He had already that day at dawn taken a -passionate and affectionate farewell of him, and -they were to meet no more on earth; but yet -the dark and haggard eyes of Agostino Velda -wandered restlessly and yearningly along the -ranks, as if in search of a beloved face. -</p> - -<p> -He was a splendid-looking man, in the prime -of life. His stature was great, and his bearing -lofty and commanding. The pallor of his face -contrasted strangely with the raven blackness of -his voluminous beard and hair; the latter seemed -to start up in sprouts from his forehead and -temples, and fell backward like the mane of a -lion. His eyes were dark—dark as the doom -that awaited him; and their usual expression -was fierce, defiant, and lowering. -</p> - -<p> -He was bareheaded, and muffled in an old -regimental great-coat, which was intended to be -his shroud. -</p> - -<p> -"I have repented of all my faults and crimes," -said he, in a firm voice, and with a collected -manner. "I see now, old comrades, the folly, -the wickedness, of my past life, and am ready to -die for it!" -</p> - -<p> -The proceedings of the court-martial were -then read over by the adjutant, and they closed -with the sentence— -</p> - -<p> -"<i>That he—the said Agostino Velda, lately a -Bersagliere of the 3rd Regiment, and now a -brigand—was to be tied to a post and shot to -death by any three soldiers whose doubtful character -might lead the colonel to select them for that -duty as a species of punishment!</i>" -</p> - -<p> -The hand of Manfredi seemed to tighten on -his bridle-rein as he heard this, and there passed -a grim smile over his face as he handed a -pencilled memorandum to the sergeant-major, who -changed colour as he read it, and in his utter -confusion actually forgot to salute his officer, -under whose glance most of the Bersaglieri -cowered, for he was supposed to possess that -terror of the Italians, an evil-eye. He paused -for a moment irresolutely, and then turned to -obey, for discipline and obedience become a -second nature to a soldier. -</p> - -<p> -While the pioneers bound the passive prisoner -to the stake, the perplexed sergeant-major -summoned from the ranks two soldiers who had been -punished repeatedly for breaches of discipline, -and twice for robbery, as their names had been -given to him by the colonel. Then, pausing -slowly before the company in the ranks of which -Raphael Velda stood, pale as a sheet, and -supporting himself on his rifle, he summoned him -to step forth, as the <i>third</i> fire, to complete the -firing-party. -</p> - -<p> -A thrill of horror and dismay seemed to -pervade the whole regiment on witnessing this, -and now Raphael rushed to the front. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Signore Illustrissimo—oh, colonello mio!</i>" -he exclaimed, in a piercing voice, while -gesticulating with all the fervour of a true Calabrian; -"<i>Dio buono!</i> you cannot mean this! It is too -cruel—too terrible. The king will resent -it—General Cialdini will never permit it," he added, -wildly and incoherently, while his tongue seemed -to cleave to the roof of his mouth. -</p> - -<p> -In a paroxysm of grief he knelt before the -conte, entreating him to alter the terrible -selection—to forego this subtle scheme for vengeance, -while the pale prisoner, who saw and understood -the whole situation, uttered a cry of grief, and, -dropping the crucifix which the chaplain had -placed in his hands, covered his face with them. -</p> - -<p> -"What can be the meaning of this?" was -whispered round the ranks. -</p> - -<p> -Raphael alone could have told; but he was -sworn to secrecy—secrecy by God's name and -the soul of Francesca. -</p> - -<p> -In vain did the major—a gallant old soldier, -who possessed great influence in the corps—urge -the conte to change his plan; in vain did the -venerable chaplain supplicate on one hand and -threaten on the other; and in vain also did -Raphael Velda, whose voice had now left him, -stretch his hands towards the conte in mute -entreaty. -</p> - -<p> -Vincenzo Manfredi was inexorable! -</p> - -<p> -"I do not command the son to shoot the -father, but the loyal Bersagliere to slay the -convicted felon," said he; and then, with a voice -and bearing that forbade all hope of his revoking -an order which filled the regiment with -indignation and bewilderment—for the character of -Raphael was unimpeachable, and even were it -not so, the selection was alike cruel and -unnatural—he ordered the firing-party to fall in at -fifty yards' distance from the criminal, and to -load and cap their rifles. Then the remainder -of the obnoxious task was to be performed by -the sergeant-major. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Sono allo desperazione!</i>—I am in despair—oh, -Francesca!—oh, my father!" moaned Raphael, -as he loaded mechanically, and knew that even -if he fired in the air he would throughout all his -future life be branded as a parricide—as the -executioner of his own father! -</p> - -<p> -A blindness—a horror, like a great -darkness—seemed to come over him, and for a few -moments he was beside himself with excess of -emotion. For a second or so the idea of shooting -Manfredi at the head of the regiment occurred -to him, but only to be dismissed, for that officer -was so placed that he could not have been hit -without the risk of killing another; and now, -like an automaton, he found himself kneeling—one -of three executioners—before his father, at -fifty yards' distance. -</p> - -<p> -Though horror blanched his face, Agostino -looked proudly and steadily at the three dark -tubes from whence his doom was to come; for -at the word "three" the executioners were to fire. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Uno!</i>" cried the sergeant-major, in a voice -that was quite unlike his own; "<i>due!</i> TRE!" -</p> - -<p> -Reverberating with a hundred echoes among -the rocks as the sounds were tossed from peak -to peak, <i>four</i> rifles rang sharply in the clear -morning air, and three men fell dead. -</p> - -<p> -They were Agostino Velda, pierced by two -bullets in his head, which sank heavily forward -on his breast; Raphael, who, by an expert use -of his bayonet as a lever, after uttering a prayer -to heaven and for Francesca, had shot himself -through the heart; and, lastly, the Conte -Manfredi, who, pierced by a bullet fired from the -rocks above, threw up his hands with a wild -scream, and fell lifeless from his horse! -</p> - -<p> -His fall and the suicide of Raphael Velda were -so totally unexpected, that the Bersaglieri were -utterly bewildered and confounded. The double -catastrophe was almost terrifying even to old -soldiers; but the major was the first to recover -his presence of mind, and at the head of a -company proceeded to surround and scale those rocks -from whence the mysterious bullet had come. -</p> - -<p> -No trace of the assassin could be found, save -a long and double-barrelled rifle, which had been -recently discharged, and on the stock of which -was carved the name of the noted brigand, -"Giuseppe Rivarola;" so not a doubt remained -that by his hand the conte had perished. -</p> - -<p> -In vain were the mountains searched, and -princely rewards for his apprehension offered by -General Cialdini and the king; for Giuseppe was -never seen afterwards, though he is supposed to -be still lurking among the wilds of the Abruzzi—the -Promised Land of the Italian brigands. -</p> - -<p> -As a suicide, the hapless Raphael Velda was -buried in a solitary place, and in unconsecrated -ground; but yearly, on the anniversary of his -death—the festival of St. Michael and All -Angels—there comes a Benedictine nun, who kneels by -the green sod that covers him, and with beads in -hand and head bent low and reverently, says a -prayer for the repose of his soul. -</p> - -<p> -She then hangs a wreath of fresh flowers on -the little cross that marks his grave, and glides -slowly and sadly away. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap06"></a></p> - -<h3> -LA BELLE TURQUE. -</h3> - -<p class="t3"> -THE STORY OF THE PRINCESS CÉCILE. -</p> - -<p> -Of all the wandering claimants to royalty, -scions of kings "retired from business," -<i>soi-disant</i> regal pretenders, false or real—whether -like Perkin Warbeck, or the six Demetriuses of -Russia, some more recent pseudo-heirs of the -house of Stuart who figured in Austria after the -"Quarterly" drove them out of Scotland, "the -Duke of Normandy" in London, and so forth, -who have appeared from time to time, none have -had so marvellous a story to tell as the Princess -Cécile, "La Belle Turque," as she was named, -who, announcing herself, in two volumes octavo, -to be a daughter of the deposed sultan Achmet -III., took the heedless world of Paris by surprise, -about a hundred years ago, and whose narrative -has frequently been classed with romances, -though it came forth as a veritable history, and -with a title more clearly avowed than that of -"Ascanius, or the Adventurer in Scotland." -</p> - -<p> -The editor, who guaranteed its truth, was a -man of veracity and credit in his day; and he -urged upon the public, that however -extraordinary and romantic her adventures might -appear, they were, nevertheless, strictly fact; -and in a letter addressed to the editor of the -"Journal de Paris," in 1787, he added, that in -that year the lady was still alive in the French -capital, "and, notwithstanding her advanced age, -in the enjoyment of good health." -</p> - -<p> -It is singular that her narrative, whether false -or true, as given by herself and "M. Buisson, -Littéraire, Hôtel de Mesgrigny, Rue des -Poitevins,"—as it would furnish ample materials for -the largest three-volume novel—escaped the -eyes of Alexandre Dumas, or Viscount d'Arlincourt, -as it is full of adventures of the most -stirring kind, and, told briefly, runs thus:— -</p> - -<p> -The introductory part of her story, in which -the names of persons of rank are concealed, -contains, necessarily the adventures of her -governess, or nurse, by whom she was first -abducted from her home, and brought to France. -It would appear that about the year 1700, a -Mademoiselle Emilia (<i>sic</i>), daughter of a surgeon -in the French seaport town of Génes, was, with -her lover, a young Genoese, named Salmoni, in -a pleasure-boat upon the Mediterranean, a little -way from the coast, when, notwithstanding "la -terreur du nom de Louis XIV.," they were -pounced upon by some Turkish corsairs—a -common enough event in those days, and one -not unfrequent, even after Lord Exmouth -demolished Algiers. -</p> - -<p> -This occurred in the dusk; and the voice of -Salmoni, who had been singing, is supposed to -have first attracted them. Being armed, the -Italian defended his love and his life with -courage, but fell severely wounded, and was left -for dead in the bottom of his boat, which floated -away, the sport of the waves, while Emilia was -carried off, and, in consequence of her great -beauty, was ultimately sold, at Constantinople, -under the name of Fatima, for the service and -amusement of Achmet III., who, in consequence -of her accomplishments, made her a species of -governess to his children, instead of retaining -her among the odalisques in the seraglio. This -must have been subsequent to 1703, when Achmet -began his troublesome reign. -</p> - -<p> -She was in this situation of trust, when -Salmoni, who had never forgotten her, after a long -and unsuccessful search through many seaport -towns in the Levant—a veritable pilgrim of -love—accidentally discovered, by a casual -conversation with a Turkish seaman, where she was, and -how occupied; for this man had been one of the -corsair's crew. -</p> - -<p> -Disguised as a Turk, and giving out that "he -was the father of Fatima, the trusted slave," -Salmoni found means to communicate with her -through an <i>itchcoglan</i>, one of the slaves or pages -attached to the seraglio, and they were thus -enabled to see each other and converse, their -hasty meetings being but stolen moments of -tenderness and joy. -</p> - -<p> -Emilia was now in attendance upon a little -daughter of Achmet III., born in 1710, and then -six months old. Her mother was the Sultana -Aski, formerly a Georgian slave, and then one of -the kadines or wives of the Sultan, ladies whose -number rarely exceeds seven. Emilia was high -in favour with both Achmet and this sultana, as -she had been particularly serviceable to the -latter at the birth of the child, through some -little skill she had acquired from her father, the -surgeon; thus the confidence they reposed in -her, and the authority she possessed over all the -people in and about the seraglio, facilitated the -execution of those plans for an escape, suggested -and urged by Salmoni. -</p> - -<p> -With a view to this end, she desired the -<i>bastonghi</i>, or head-gardener, to make a see-saw, which -was in the gardens, so high that she—and her -pupils, probably—might see the whole city from -the lofty wall that girds this place, where still -the trees planted are always green, that the -inhabitants of Galata and other places may not see -the ladies at their lonely promenades. Aided by -this see-saw, she dropped over the wall a billet -to Salmoni, desiring him to procure a ladder, "a -steel-yard" to fix it to the masonry, to make -arrangements with a ship captain, and, when all -was prepared, to wait her beneath the wall of -that terrible Serai Bournous, which no -slave-woman had ever yet left alive. -</p> - -<p> -Salmoni promptly obeyed her instructions; he -discovered a ship for the Levant, and, by a note -tossed over the wall, informed her of the night, -and the very hour of their departure. -</p> - -<p> -She was in the act of reading this note—probably -not for the first time—when the Sultan -Achmet suddenly entered her apartment; and -she had barely time to toss it, unseen, into a -porphyry vase; for this billet, if discovered, -might have consigned her to the bowstring of -the <i>capidgi-bashi</i>, or the sack of the black -<i>channatoraga</i>, and its concealment forms an important -feature in the story of the fugitives. -</p> - -<p> -The hour—almost the moment—for flight had -arrived, and Salmoni, she knew, awaited her -below the garden wall; yet, amid all the terror and -anxiety of the time, so strong was Emilia's love -for the little baby-girl of whom she had the chief -care, that she resolved to convey the child away -with her, and hoped eventually to rear it as a -Christian. Collecting all her jewels, and those -which Achmet had already lavished on the -infant, she took with them the silken <i>fetfa</i>, or -record of its birth; and, to be brief, escaped -unseen by means of the steel-yard and ladder. -</p> - -<p> -As she descended, the latter was held for her -by a person in a gray cloak, whom she believed -to be Salmoni, and into whose arms she was, -consequently, about to throw herself, when -another man started forward, and plunged a -sword into his breast. He fled, and a cry escaped -Emilia, who fell to the ground; but at that -moment the captain of the vessel, by which Salmoni -had arranged they should escape, rushed up, and, -tearing off the mufflings of the fallen man, merely -exclaimed, "It is <i>not</i> he!" and bore her off to the -seashore. -</p> - -<p> -An alarm had been given. There was no time -to wait for the absent Salmoni; she was placed -at once on board the vessel, which immediately -sailed and made all speed to leave the Golden -Horn behind. She proved to be a small craft -belonging to Bayonne, commanded by a young -captain from Dieppe; who ultimately landed Emilia -and her charge at Génes, where her first care -was to have the little <i>Turque</i> baptized according -to the rites of the Catholic church. -</p> - -<p> -This, it is recorded, was done by the <i>curé</i> of -St. Eulalie de Génes, who named her Marie -Cécile; and in honour of an event so remarkable, a -salute was fired by the cannon of the château -and those of the ramparts of the fort; and three -<i>religeuses</i>, named respectively, La Mère -St. Agnes, La Mère St. Modeste, and La Mère de -l'Humilité, are mentioned as having taken a deep -interest in the escaped fugitive and her charge, -who was kept in ignorance of her origin till her -fifteenth year. -</p> - -<p> -We know not how many daughters Achmet -III. is said to have had; but in a letter of Lady -Mary Wortley Montagu, dated from Adrianople, -she writes of his eldest being betrothed in -marriage to Behram Bassa, then the reigning court -favourite, and translates a copy of verses he had -addressed to her. -</p> - -<p> -Cécile was now taken to several European -courts, "at which"—according to the narrative—"she -was received with all the honours due to -her illustrious rank." In Russia, she was -presented to the Czar, Peter I., (who died in that -year); but in England, she would seem to -have contented herself with a short residence -at a coffee-house (<i>café</i>), in Covent Garden! -Among other sovereigns, she was presented to -Pope Clement XI., at Rome, where her beauty, -which she inherited from her Georgian mother, -especially the profusion of her exquisite hair, -began to surround her with snares and perils. -</p> - -<p> -In Rome, her guardian, Emilia, had the joy -of once more meeting Salmoni! The man who -had been stabbed beneath the seraglio wall had -not been he, but the Turkish corsair, through -whom he had first traced her there, and who had -hoped to make profit out of the intended escape -by treacherously revealing it to the sultan; and -for this purpose he had plotted with a female -slave attached to the palace. This woman, -through whose hands the important billet passed, -had artfully erased the hour of twelve, fixed by -Salmoni, and substituted <i>eleven</i>. Hence, though -the sailor had full time to make the attempt, he -failed in the execution of his purpose; so now, -after all their perils, Salmoni and Emilia were -married in the Eternal City, where the love -affairs of "La Belle Turque" speedily began to -attract notice. -</p> - -<p> -First, we are told, that a duke fell in love with -her; but she made him her friend, assuring him -that he could never be more to her, as she had -already become inspired by a passion for a -handsome young Knight of Malta, who hoped soon -to be absolved from his vow of celibacy. While -waiting for this, the knight's father, old Prince -——, as mischance would have it, became -enamoured of her, reckless that he was a rival -of his son; and, to avoid his importunities, she -and the Salmonis set out suddenly for Paris, -where, by the knavery of a banker, she lost -much of the proceeds of the jewels brought from -Constantinople; so that her fortune was reduced -from sixty thousand livres yearly, to about ten -thousand. -</p> - -<p> -In a coffee-house at Paris, Cécile chanced to -see in the "Gazette de France," an account of -the misfortunes that had overtaken her father, -Achmet III. This was in 1730, when that weak -and imbecile voluptuary, who had viewed with -indifference the Hungarian troubles and the wars -of the north, after being involved in a contest -with Russia, by which he lost in succession the -cities of Asoph and Belgrade, and the provinces -of Temesvar, Servia and Wallachia, on the -discomfiture of his arms by Persia, had an -insurrection among his own subjects, and was compelled -by the Janissaries to abdicate in favour of his -nephew, Mustapha III., who threw him into a -prison, where he passed a life of mortification -and shame, "after he had," as Voltaire has it, -"sacrificed his vizier and his principal officers, in -vain, to the resentment of the nation." -</p> - -<p> -On reading of all these things, Cécile registered -a vow that she would visit Turkey, seek -out her father, and endeavour to console him in -his misfortunes; and the death of her guardian, -Emilia, about this time, together with the annoyance -she experienced from the old Prince, who, -presuming on her friendless, dubious, and false -position, daily "became more urgent and less -respectful," hastened her departure. -</p> - -<p> -Alone she set out for Fontainebleau to solicit -a passport as a French subject, and to return -thanks for the protection afforded her by the -court of Louis XIV; but in returning to Paris, -her carriage was stopped at night in the forest, -which then covered thirty thousand acres of hill -and valley, and there ensued an episode, which, -by its <i>coincidences</i>, seems too evidently romance, -though truth at times is stranger than fiction. -</p> - -<p> -A handsomely-attired chevalier—who proved -to be the Prince—requested her to alight and -enter a voiture, which stood there with six horses, -pleading that she would do so, "without compelling -him to use violence." -</p> - -<p> -On this, she uttered a cry for help; and ere -long another <i>voiture</i> dashed up, and there leaped -out a gentleman sword in hand. He proved to -be the young Duke de ——, her Roman admirer, -and he had barely time to recognize Cécile, when -her betrothed, the Knight of Malta, also appeared -on the scene, which thus becomes so melo-dramatic -as to throw ridicule on the story. -</p> - -<p> -"The Duke is about to deprive you of your -mistress," said the cunning old Prince to his son; -"let us jointly use our swords against him in -defence of your dearest interests." -</p> - -<p> -So thereupon the cavalier of Malta ran the -poor Duke through the body in the most -approved fashion; bore off the fainting Cécile to -Paris, and placed her in the hotel of his father. -There the renewed, but secret, addresses of the -latter so greatly alarmed her, that on one -occasion she had to protect herself by an exhibition -of pistols, after which she escaped with Salmoni -and the Knight, who urged that she should, in -fulfilment of her vow, visit her captive father, -while he once more strove, at the feet of Pope -Clement's successor, to get the oath of celibacy -absolved. -</p> - -<p> -In Turkey, some unruly Janissaries slew Salmoni, -and were about to offer some violence to -Cécile, despite her French passport, when she -displayed before them the <i>fetfa</i>! This, we are -told, was a piece of yellow silk on which was -embroidered, in golden letters, the names of -the Sultan, of her mother Aski, and herself, -with the day and hour of her birth, together -with certain passages from the Koran: "The -children of the Sultans are bound with the <i>fetfa</i> -immediately after birth; and this document is -deemed a sacred proof of their royal descent; -and at the sight of it every Mohammedan must -bow himself to the ground, and defend with his -life the wearer of it." -</p> - -<p> -By this time her cousin Mustapha III. was -dead, and his successor, her kinsman, Mohammed -V., on hearing of her story, and, more than -all, of her beauty, conceived a passion for her, -and sent his chief friend and confident, the -Beglerbeg of Natolia, to inform her of the honour -that awaited her. Being informed that it was -the fame of her wonderful hair that had first -excited the curiosity and admiration of the -Sultan, she cut it entirely off, and, tossing it to -the messenger— -</p> - -<p> -"Go," said she, "and give your master this—the -object of his love—and tell him, that a -woman capable of such a sacrifice, knows no -master but Heaven and her own heart!" -</p> - -<p> -Had chignons been then in fashion, much -trouble might have been saved the fair Cécile; -who, finding that a hasty departure from Turkey -alone could save her, demanded, but in vain, a -passport from the Bashaw of Smyrna or Izmir. -Urged by her father Achmet, she quitted secretly -by sea, and was landed by a French frigate at -Toulon, where she learned from the lieutenant of -a Maltese galley that her lover had perished in -a duel. -</p> - -<p> -Her journey to Turkey had greatly impoverished -her, and now she found herself in France -almost without a friend, with only five hundred -ducats and a diamond, the gift of her father -Achmet III. Choosing to conceal her fallen -fortune from every eye, she selected an humble -dwelling in an obscure part of the city, where, -long years after, her editor first discovered her, -and where, at a distance from royal thrones, -from human wealth and grandeur, she had -sought to pass the evening of her days in peace -and obscurity. "God has blessed my fortitude," -she concludes. "Born in 1710, I have lived to -see the 1st of January, 1786, and must now -serenely and tranquilly await that peace by -which death must make amends for all the -surprising and afflicting changes of fortune which I -experienced in my passage through life." -</p> - -<p> -Cécile—if ever she existed at all—must have -been then in her 76th year. Her narrative is -certainly mentioned in the "Journal de Paris;" but -in the tide of events that so rapidly followed the -year in which the financial troubles of France -began, the meeting of the States-General, and the -crash of the first Revolution following, we hear -no more of "La belle Turque," the <i>soi-disant</i> -daughter of the dethroned Achmet III. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap07"></a></p> - -<h3> -THE MARQUIS DE FRATTEAUX, -</h3> - -<p class="t3"> -CAPTAIN OF FRENCH HORSE. -</p> - -<p> -Few events made a greater sensation in England -generally, and more particularly in London, -in March, 1752, than the mysterious disappearance -or abduction—it was called for a time the -murder—of the unfortunate Marquis de Fratteaux, -who was actually dragged by force from -the heart of the English metropolis, and -immured in the Bastile, to gratify the strange and -unnatural hatred of his own father. -</p> - -<p> -This noble, whose name was Louis Mathieu -Bertin, Marquis de Fratteaux, Chevalier of the -Order of St. Louis, and a distinguished young -captain of French cavalry, was the eldest son -of M. Jean Bertin de St. Geyran (Honorary -Master of Requests and Counsellor to the -Parliament of Bordeaux) and of his wife Lucretia -de St. Chamant, both of whose families were -deemed, by character and descent, most -honourable among the Bordelais. In the Blazon ou -Art Héraldique,* Bertin is represented as bearing -an escutcheon argent, charged with a saltire -(simple) dentelé. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* French Encyclopaedie, 1789. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -From his birth, the Marquis Louis Mathieu -was an object of aversion to his father, who, on -the other hand, doted even to absurdity on his -youngest son, on whom he lavished all his love -and his livres, and on whom he bestowed the -estate of Bourdeille. M. Bertin would seem, -almost, from the birth of his second boy, to -have determined, by every scheme he could devise, -to deprive the eldest of his birthright; and -this object he followed with singular rancour -nearly to the end of his life. -</p> - -<p> -It has never been hinted that M. Bertin -suspected the paternity of his heir. Through life -the conduct of Madame Bertin was irreproachable -and above all suspicion. -</p> - -<p> -In the infancy and boyhood of Louis, his -father strove by systematic oppression, and by -cutting neglect, to degrade, mortify, and break -the spirit of the poor little fellow: on all -occasions giving the place of honour, and the whole -of his affection, to his second son. As his -manhood approached, his father proposed to him the -profession of the law, but as he, weary of his -unhappy home, displayed an inclination for the -army, open war was at once declared by his -father against him. To more than one abbé did -the young man in his misery appeal for -intercession with his tyrannical parent; but such -appeals only made matters worse, and the -Counsellor became so furious in his wrath, that he -made preparations to seclude Louis in some -strong vault or cellar of his mansion. -</p> - -<p> -The Marquis having discovered the residence -of a young woman who was the mistress of his -father, paid her a secret visit, told her the story -of his unhappy life and domestic persecution; -and, as his own mother seemed powerless in the -matter, on his knees sought <i>her</i> interest in his -behalf. She would seem to have been touched -by the appeal; and rated the Counsellor soundly -for his unnatural conduct, threatening him with -the loss of her affection "if M. Louis were not -left to his own inclination in the choice of a -profession." -</p> - -<p> -In the hope, perhaps, that some English or -Prussian bullet might rid him of a son whom he -hated so cordially, Bertin permitted the Marquis -to join the Regiment de Noailles (or 54th Cavalry -of the Line, commanded by the Comte d'Ayen, -nephew of Marshal Noailles) as a cadet or -volunteer; but, according to the system then pursued -in the French service, he could receive no pay -or emolument, even while campaigning in -Flanders and Germany. After fourteen months of -this probation, however, he was gazetted to a -cornetcy in the Regiment de Maine, and at -sixteen years of age became captain of a troop -in the 40th Cavalry, or Dragoons of St. Jal, -commanded by Brigadier the Comte de St. Jal;* -his boyish spirit and bravery (not to mention -his rank) having even then attracted the -attention of Comte d'Argenson, who was prime -minister of France from 1743 to 1757. The -Count prevailed upon Louis the Fifteenth to -make the Marquis a Chevalier of the Royal -Order, and bestow upon him a special pension, -in lieu of the wretched pittance allowed him by -his father. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* Liste Historique de toutes les troupe au Service de -France. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -This early success in camp and at court -seemed to inflame the resentment of the -Counsellor, who now began to affirm that the -Marquis was not his son, but a changeling, or -impostor, substituted by the nurse for his first -child, who, he declared, had died while under -her charge; but, as this story could be in no -way sustained, M. Bertin changed his tactics, -and resolved to get rid of his eldest son by—poison! -</p> - -<p> -A fever with which Fratteaux was seized about -this time, favoured the infamous idea; and his -father, who visited him with an air of concern, -contrived to give him, in his medicine, a dose of -some deadly drug which he called an infusion -of bark. It nearly proved fatal, and would -inevitably have done so, but for the prompt -arrival of the apothecary who had furnished it, -and who, suspecting foul play when summoned -by the Marquis, brought with him a powerful -antidote. -</p> - -<p> -The Counsellor, who was immensely rich, now -suborned some worthless fellows, among whom -was an Italian (name unknown), to swear that -Fratteaux meditated a parricidal design against -<i>his</i> life; "that the Marquis, having a quarrel -with his father, drew his sword, and would have -killed him but for the interposition of the father -of the Italian, who received the thrust, and died -of it." -</p> - -<p> -This deposition enabled Bertin to purchase -a lettre de cachet, by virtue of which he had -his son arrested, and thrust into a monastery -near Bordeaux, where he was treated as a -prisoner. Though for the crime of attempted -parricide he might have been broken alive on the -wheel by the then existing laws of France. -</p> - -<p> -Through the great influence of Bertin as a -Counsellor of Parliament, all his son's entreaties -for release, or for a public trial, were rendered -vain, and he lost his commission in the Regiment -of St. Jal. Some of his friends, however, -having discovered where he was confined, and -fearing that he might be secretly put to death, -broke into the monastery one night, and assisted -him to escape. Through Gascony and Bearn -he fled to Spain, where, without so much as a -change of clothes, without money or letters of -introduction, he arrived, in a famished and -destitute condition, at the house of the Comte de -Marcillac (a relation of his mother), who derived -his title from the little town of that name, nine -miles north of Bordeaux. -</p> - -<p> -The Counsellor soon discovered the place of -his son's retreat, and, assisted by a liberal -donation of gold, soon procured from the French -ambassador at Madrid a warrant for the arrest -of the fugitive, based upon the powers afforded -by that infamous instrument of tyranny, the -lettre de cachet. Once more the unhappy son -had to fly; the Comte de Marcillac supplied -him with money; and, embarking at the nearest -port, he sailed for London, where he arrived in -1749. There, under the name of Monsieur de -St. Etienne, he took a humble lodging in -Paddington, then a country village with green fields -all round it, from Marybone Farm to Kensington. -His landlord was a market gardener. -</p> - -<p> -His friends in France and Spain sent him -remittances and letters of introduction to several -persons of rank in London. To these, the -pleasant manners, gentle bearing, and handsome -person of the young Marquis speedily -recommended him, and ere long he was enabled to -remove nearer town, where he boarded with a -Mrs. Giles, in Marybone—or, as another account -has it, "with one Mrs. Bacon, a widow gentlewoman -of much good nature and understanding." But -even in this "land of liberty" he was not -safe from the rancour of the indefatigable -Counsellor, with his lettre de cachet. -</p> - -<p> -The English friends of the Marquis having -urged that he should lay the story of his wrongs -before Louis the Fifteenth in the form of a -memorial, the preparation of it was confided to an -amanuensis, a Frenchman named Dages de -Souchard. This fellow (though only the son of an -obscure lawyer at Libourne, then a very small -town of Provence) assumed, in London, the title -of Baron. A deep-witted, crafty, and insinuating -rascal, he contrived to propitiate many -unsuspecting persons, and claimed to be a strict -French Protestant, though he had, in early life, -been a Franciscan monk, or friar minor, in a -monastery at Nerac, in the west of France, and -came of a family of rigid Catholics. Nay, while -in the monastery, he seduced a young girl -named Du Taux, whose mother was the lavandière -of the establishment, and they had come -together to London, where they gave themselves -out as persecuted French Protestants. Having -been born within twenty miles of Bordeaux, this -Souchard knew the story of the Marquis de -Fratteaux, and conceived the idea of turning it -to his own profit before it should reach the ears -of Louis the Fifteenth. For this purpose, -delaying the preparation of the memorial, he wrote -secretly to the Counsellor, stating that he knew -where his son was, and offering to make terms -to secure and deliver him up! The Counsellor -entered cordially into the scheme, and, after -remitting him some money on account, agreed to -settle upon him for life a pension of six hundred -livres, and to pay him two thousand English -guineas down, with two hundred more, for the -reward of any assistants or accomplices he might -deem necessary. -</p> - -<p> -Dages de Souchard immediately set about his -treachery, and employed a man of most -unscrupulous character, one Alexander Blasdale, -a Marshal's Court officer who resided in -St. Martin's Lane, and whose follower or colleague, -by a strange coincidence, was the very Italian -who had been accessory to the incarceration of -the Marquis in the monastery near Bordeaux. -</p> - -<p> -On the night of the 25th of March, 1752, they -repaired to the lodgings of the Marquis: who -immediately became deadly pale on seeing the -Italian, and exclaimed, in alarm and distress: -</p> - -<p> -"I am a dead man!" -</p> - -<p> -Blasdale summoned him to surrender in the -king's name. Knowing that he owed no man -anything, Fratteaux was disposed to resist. His -landlady sent for M. Robart, French clergyman, -to whom Blasdale, with cool effrontery, showed -a writ to arrest the Marquis for a pretended debt. -The latter was persuaded to yield and to -accompany the officer to his house in St. Martin's -Lane, whither he was immediately driven in a -hackney-coach, and there placed in a secure -chamber. -</p> - -<p> -Five gentlemen, "one of them a person of -the first fashion," on hearing of the arrest, -repaired to the bailiff, and in strong language -warned him to beware of using the least violence -towards his prisoner, lest he should be called to -a severe account; and they added, that sufficient -bail would be found for him in the morning. -One gentleman, named M. Dubois, remained -with the Marquis as his friend, resolved to see -the end of the affair, and to protect him; but -about midnight the Italian came in, saying that -some one wished to speak with this gentleman -below. On descending to the street, Dubois -found only the bailiff Blasdale, who roughly told -him "to be gone," and thrusting him out of the -house, shut him out, and secured the door. On -this gentleman returning with the French clergyman -and others next morning, they were told by -a servant-girl "that the Marquis was gone, in -company with several gentlemen." They then -demanded to see her master, but were curtly -told that "he was out of town." In short, -neither he nor his victim was ever beheld in -England again! -</p> - -<p> -Fears of foul play being immediately excited, -the whole party repaired to Justice Fielding, by -whom a warrant to apprehend Blasdale was -issued, on suspicion of murder. Application -was made to the Lord Chief Justice, and also to -the secretary of state, Robert Earl of Holderness, -for a habeas corpus to prevent the Marquis from -being taken out of the kingdom dead or alive; -but all was of no avail, and the fate of Fratteaux -remained for some time a dark mystery. -</p> - -<p> -It would appear that on finding himself alone, -after the rough expulsion of his friend Dubois, -the Marquis became furious with rage; on which -Blasdale swore that as he made so much noise -in the house he would convey him at once to -jail. Fratteaux, who feared he might be assassinated -where he was, readily consented to go to -jail, and a hackney-coach was called. In it, he, -the bailiff, and the nameless Italian, drove -through various obscure streets and by-lanes. -It was now about five in the morning. -</p> - -<p> -The marquis again and again implored aid -from the coach window in broken English, but -received none; to the watch his keepers said -that he was "only a French fellow they had -arrested for debt;" to others they said he had been -made furious by the bite of a mad dog, and they -were going to dip him in salt water at Gravesend. -Thus his entreaties were abortive, and -at about sunrise he found himself at a lonely -place by the side of the river Thames. A -cocked pistol was put to his ear, and resistance -was vain; he was thrust on board a small vessel, -which had been waiting for him in the river, -and which, after he was secured below, dropped -down with the ebb tide. So well did Souchard, -Blasdale, and the Italian take all their measures, -that on the night of the 29th the two last-named -worthies landed the Marquis at Calais, the gates -of which town were opened to admit them long -after the usual hour of closing. He was then -delivered over as a prisoner of state to the town -authorities, who had all been duly communicated -with, and probably well fee'd, and by whom he -was sent, chained by the neck, in a post-chaise, -to his father's house in Paris. The Counsellor, -in virtue of his lettre de cachet, now sent his son -the Marquis to be immured in the Bastile for life. -</p> - -<p> -"This is the first narrative of the kind which -has stained the annals of England," says a print -of the time; "and if it be not the last, highly as -we boast of giving laws to all Europe, we shall -be little better, in fact, than a pitiful colony -exposed to the mercy of every insolent neighbour." Great -indignation was excited in London, where -a subscription was raised for the purpose of -punishing all concerned in this flagrant violation of -British law; but nothing was achieved in the -end,* though in January, 1754—one year and -eight months after the outrage at St. Martin's -Lane—our ambassador at the court of Versailles, -General the Earl of Albemarle, demanded that -both the Marquis and his infamous trepanner, -Alexander Blasdale, at that time in Paris, should -be delivered up and sent back to London. His -request was never complied with, and for -fourteen years the luckless Marquis was allowed to -languish in the Bastile. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* "We are told that a foreign nobleman is already in -custody of a messenger for this offence, and no person is -permitted to have access to him, neither is he allowed the -use of pen, ink, or paper."—<i>Gentleman's Magazine</i>, 1752. -Very probably this "foreign nobleman" was the <i>Baron</i> -Dages de Souchard. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -He and his story were soon forgotten, and -nothing more was heard of him, until some of -the London papers of July 14, 1764, contained -the following paragraph: "The Marquis de -Fratteaux, that French gentleman who was some -years ago forcibly carried off from England to -France and confined in the Bastile, is now at -liberty on his estate at Fratteaux; for when his -brother, M. Bertin de Bourdeille, was made -Intendant of Lyons, he obtained his liberty, on -giving his word of honour to remain on his -estate at Fratteaux, and never to go above six -miles from it without leave from his father, with -whom he had been at great variance, which was -the occasion of his leaving France. Two months -after his arrival at Fratteaux his father went to -see him, and he had permission to return the -visit at Bourdeille. He has kept his word of -honour strictly, and lives at present in cordiality -with the whole family." -</p> - -<p> -Broken in health and spirit by all he had -undergone, this unfortunate victim of a family -feud and an unnatural hatred, died soon -afterwards, and thus the wishes of his father were -accomplished. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap08"></a></p> - -<h3> -SOCIVISCA: -</h3> - -<p class="t3"> -THE STORY OF A GREEK OUTLAW. -</p> - -<p> -In the year 1688, that district of Western Turkey -named Montenegro—the ancient Illyria—placed -itself under the protection of the Venetian -republic, which was then governed by the doge -Francisco Morosini, a famous soldier, who took -the castle of the Dardanelles from the Turks, -together with Lepanto and several other places. -</p> - -<p> -For a time after this, its inhabitants, those -half-Greek and half-Slavonian mountaineers, -with the people of Bosnia, enjoyed comparative -peace; but by the treaty concluded at Passarowitz -in July, 1718, between Charles VI. (last -Count of Hapsburg) and the Porte, they were -surrendered to the tender mercies of the Turks, -and became subject to all the exactions of those -grasping, ignorant, and impracticable conquerors. -</p> - -<p> -However, the hardy warriors of the mountains -were scarcely content, like their countrymen in -the eastern portions of Greece, to live on despised -and unmolested for the payment of tribute; the -worst and most humiliating feature of which was -the number of children they were compelled to -present yearly to the sultan for service in the -seraglio, or in the ranks of the janissaries, where -their identity soon became lost; and where in -the end they realized what Voltaire termed "a -great proof of the force of education and of the -strange constitution of human affairs, that the -most of those proud oppressors of Christianity -should thus be born of <i>Christian parents</i>." -</p> - -<p> -Socivisca, the subject of the following sketch, -was born at Simiova in 1725, of Grecian parents, -who reared and educated him in the profession -and faith of the Greek church. He was strong, -hardy, and athletic in form, and of a haughty -and resentful spirit, that would ill brook the -circumstances in which he found himself as he grew -to manhood. -</p> - -<p> -His father occupied a small sheep farm on the -slope of those mountains whose forests of dark -pine give a name to the people and the province. -But the proprietors were Turks, who treated the -family, which consisted of the old man and his -four sons, with great severity, subjecting them to -constant exactions, insults, and oppressions. -</p> - -<p> -They were thus reduced to such extreme -poverty that Socivisca, with all his industry, -aided by that of his three brothers, Nicholas, -Giurgius, and Adrian, found himself quite unable -to marry a beautiful Greek girl, of whom he -became enamoured in youth. His father, being of -a peaceful and gentle nature, and being perhaps -aware of the hopelessness of resistance, on -perceiving that his sons writhed under their -afflictions, besought them to submit with patience to -the will of God; but the four young men, being -alike of a fiery and haughty spirit, and, -moreover, being trained to the use of those arms -which the Montenegrin shepherds constantly -wear (like the Scots Highlanders in the last -century), they received his advice in reluctant -silence, and not the less resolved to have a trial -of strength some day with their Mahommedan -oppressors. -</p> - -<p> -Native hardihood and warlike spirit were in -this instance added to national animosity and -religious rancour; thus Socivisca, like Rob Roy, -vowed that ere long those should tremble "on -hearing of his vengeance, that would not listen -to the story of his wrongs." -</p> - -<p> -The Montenegrins, like most other mountaineers, -are eminently patriotic, and the solemn -and melancholy aspect of those dark hills of -Illyria that look down on the Adriatic, to their -eyes must seem well to harmonize with the -fallen state of Greece:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "And yet how lovely in thine age of woe,<br> - Land of lost gods and god-like men, art thou!<br> - Thy vales of evergreen, thy hills of snow,<br> - Proclaim thee nature's varied favourite now."<br> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Though not pure Greeks, but Zernagorzii, of -half-Slavonian blood, the Montenegrins have the -most extravagant ideas of independence and the -past glories of their country. Inspired by its -scenery, by the real and imaginary stories of its -departed greatness and present degradation, -Socivisca and his brothers registered at the altar -a vow of vengeance on their oppressive -Overlords! and as if <i>fatality</i> had a hand in the -matter, it chanced soon after that the haughty Turk, -the proprietor of their sheep farm, accompanied -by two of his brothers, came, either by choice or -necessity, to lodge at the farm. This was in -1744, when Socivisca was in his nineteenth year. -</p> - -<p> -"We are four to three," said he, "so look to -your pistols and yataghans, after these dogs have -had their food and coffee." -</p> - -<p> -Notwithstanding their vow, it is said that he -wavered for a time before performing the terrible -deed; but when he saw his father's face, -sharpened more by want and privation than by -age—when he looked on the rags and sheepskins -that clad them all—they the true lords of the -soil—and saw in contrast the rich flowing -garments of fine silk and velvet, laced with gold, -and the jewelled weapons of the three Mahommedans, -in whose presence every wooden crucifix -or gaudy little picture of a Greek saint had to be -hidden—and perhaps when the youth thought of -his bride, and all that might be if the land they -trod on was indeed their own, every scruple gave -way, and, inciting his brothers to the deadly -work, they fell on the three Turks, as they -lounged over their long pipes, and slew them by -their pistols and yataghans, after a very brief -resistance. -</p> - -<p> -In their mails were found eighteen thousand -sequins—an unexpected but most seasonable -accession of fortune. The brothers quickly buried -the bodies and all their habiliments. Save the -gold, which was carefully concealed, there -remained no trace of the terrible deed, and as it -occurred unknown to all save themselves, in that -solitary little farm amid the savage mountain -solitude, no suspicion of the circumstance fell -on them. -</p> - -<p> -Thus, instead of taking to flight, the Greeks -remained quietly where they were. The Pacha -of Bosnia made every inquiry after the three -missing Turks, who were his friends. Suspicions -somehow fell on other parties, who were dragged -to Traunick, and executed with great barbarity, -while Socivisca wedded the girl he loved, and -lived with his father and brothers in comparative -ease and comfort. -</p> - -<p> -About a year after the triple assassination, -some imprudence of Socivisca, in displaying the -latent pride and ferocity of his character, -together with the unusual amount of money the -family were enabled to spend, excited the -surprise and then the ready suspicions of the -pastoral people around them. -</p> - -<p> -Some whisper of these suspicions reached -Socivisca; so by his advice the whole family -abandoned the farm in the night, and, taking -with them only their gold and their arms, -departed from the mountains towards the -Venetian territory. -</p> - -<p> -The weather was severe, the roads were rough, -and the elder Socivisca, unable to sustain -privations so unwonted at his time of life, -expired of toil by the wayside, and was hastily -buried by his four sons in a wild and solitary -place. -</p> - -<p> -Entering the territories of the republic, where -they were in safety, in the year 1745, they took -up their habitation in the town of Imoski, which -is now in what is termed Austrian Dalmatia, and -on the borders of Bosnia; but in those days the -old fortress on the hill—the site of the ancient -Novanium—bore the flag of Venice. -</p> - -<p> -Here they gave themselves out to be traders, -and opened a bazaar, which they stored with -rich merchandise; they built a large house, and -soon became almost wealthy; but the easy life -of a merchant by no means suited the temperament -of Socivisca and his brethren,—for the -warrior shepherds pined for their mountain home -and the forests of the Illyrian shore. -</p> - -<p> -They sold their house, the bazaar, and its -goods, and attended by stout fellows, whose -spirit was something like their own, they -returned again to Montenegro, and commenced a -series of those forays and surprises (against the -pacha) in which the Black Mountaineers delight, -and in the conduct of which they peculiarly excel; -and during the ensuing summer they contrived -to massacre, in various ways, about forty Turks, -as it was against them, and them only, that all -the hatred of Socivisca was directed. -</p> - -<p> -The habits to which he had been accustomed -from infancy pre-eminently fitted him for the life -of a wandering guerrilla. "A Montenegrin," says -Broniewski, a Russian traveller, "is always armed, -and carries about, during his most peaceful -occupation, a rifle, pistols, a yataghan, and -cartouch-box. They spend their leisure from boyhood in -firing at a target. Inured to hardships and -privations, they perform, without fatigue, long -and forced marches, climb the steepest rocks -with facility, and bear with patience hunger, -thirst, and every kind of privation. They cut -off the heads of those enemies whom they take -with arms in their hands, and spare only those -who surrender <i>before</i> battle." -</p> - -<p> -Seeking no mercy, they yielded none; and if -one of their number was wounded severely, his -comrades cut off his head; and when not tending -their flocks, like the Circassians, they spent -their whole time in forays against the invaders -of the Black Mountains. But after a time -Socivisca grew weary of slaughtering and beheading -the Turks, and returned once more to his wife -and children at Imoski, where he remained till -1754, engaged in trade, though now and then he -slung his long rifle on his shoulder, stuck his -dagger and pistols in his girdle, and crossed the -Bosnian frontier to indulge in his favourite -pastime of slaying the Turks. -</p> - -<p> -In all his dealings and adventures, whether as -a merchant or guerrilla robber, it could never be -discovered that he wronged in the least degree -any subjects either of the Austrian empire or of -the Venetian republic. -</p> - -<p> -Meantime, two of his brothers married, and -Adrian, the youngest, joined the Aiducos, a band -of Morlachians, who had leagued themselves -together for the express but hazardous -purpose of preventing the Turks from crossing -what they considered the frontier of their own -country; in short to defend the wooded passes -of the Black Mountains. Brave, rash, cunning, -treacherous, and cruel, these Morlachians are a -mixture of Hungarian, Greek, and Venetian -blood, and their religion is a mere mass of -superstition, partly Christian and partly Oriental. -</p> - -<p> -The youth became the comrade of a Morlachian -of the Greek church, and chose him for -his <i>probatim</i>. This choice of friendship was -always consecrated by a solemn ceremony at -the altar of the nearest church, before which -they knelt, each holding a lighted taper, whilst -the priest sprinkled them with holy water and -blessed the compact. -</p> - -<p> -United thus, the <i>probatims</i> are bound for life -to assist each other in war or peace, in -danger or adversity, against all men whatsoever. -The young mountaineer, however, made an -unfortunate choice of a friend, for the probatim -lured him to his own house, gave him drugged -wine, and for a sum of money delivered him over, -bound hand and foot, to the Pacha of Traunick, -which is one of the six military pachalics into -which Bosnia is divided. -</p> - -<p> -After exposing the poor youth, who was a -model of manly beauty, stripped and nude before -the people, the pacha put him to death, amid -the most exquisite tortures that the Oriental -mind can suggest. -</p> - -<p> -On hearing of this atrocity Socivisca was -filled with rage and grief; but dissembling, he -armed himself fully, and travelled without -stopping until he reached the residence of the false -probatim, whose father, a subtle old Morlachian, -received him with an air of such grief and -commiseration that he succeeded completely in -making our mountaineer believe that the son -was innocent of the crime laid to his charge by -common rumour. The probatim next appeared, -and acted <i>his part</i> so well, and shed so many -tears, that Socivisca, confounded and convinced, -gave him his hand, and consented to dine with -the family. Then the young Morlachian said that, -"in honour of such a guest, he would kill the -best lamb in his flock;" and he went forth, but -instead of going to his pastures, he rode on the -spur twelve miles to have a conference with the -mir-alai who commanded a body of Turkish -horse on the bank of the Danube, and to inform -him of where Socivisca was to be found, -receiving from the officer a handsome sum for his -second act of treachery. -</p> - -<p> -The day wore on, and evening came without -either the lamb or the probatim appearing. The -wily host, who knew what was on the <i>tapis</i>, left -nothing unsaid to satisfy the doubts of Socivisca, -who, after night-fall, retired to his bedchamber, -but not to repose; for strange and unbidden -forebodings of coming evil tormented him. He -dared not sleep, and he seemed to hear the voices -of his wife and children mingling with the wind -that shook the woods, and with the tread of -coming enemies. His dogs, also—two of that -Molossian breed which is unsurpassed for -strength and ferocity—warned him by their -snorts and restlessness of approaching -danger,—for dogs at times are said to have strange -instincts. At last, unable to endure the suspicions -of peril and treachery, he sprang from bed, -dressed himself in the dark, and sought for his -arms, but <i>they had been removed</i>! -</p> - -<p> -Musket, pistols, yataghan, and all were gone. -He called on his host repeatedly, but without -receiving an answer. Then, inspired by rage and -the conviction that, like his brother, he had been -snared to his doom, with a flint and tinder-box, -he lighted a lamp, went forth to search the -house, and soon appeared by the bedside of his -host. -</p> - -<p> -"Wretch!" he exclaimed as he seized him by -the beard, "my arms—where are they? Speak -ere it be too late for us both!" -</p> - -<p> -Every moment expecting to hear his son -return with a party of Turks, the Morlachian -attempted to expostulate and to temporize; but -Socivisca's eye fell on a small hatchet that lay -near, and snatching it up, with a terrible -malediction, he cleft the old traitor's skull to the -chin. -</p> - -<p> -On this a female servant, dreading her master's -fate, gave Socivisca his arms, and he fled into -the woods close by, where he lurked long enough -to see the probatim arrive with a party of -Timariots, who surrounded the house. On this the -fugitive withdrew and retired towards the mountains, -swearing by every saint in his church to -have a terrible revenge! -</p> - -<p> -Assembling his followers, he descended in the -night, and guarding all the avenues to prevent -escape, he set fire to the house of the probatim, -who perished miserably with sixteen of his -family, all of whom were burned alive, save a -woman, who was killed by a rifle-shot when in -the act of leaping from a window with an infant -in her arms. -</p> - -<p> -After these affairs the Pacha of Bosnia, a -three-tailed dignitary who resided at Traunick, -scoured the country with his Timariots, and -made such incredible efforts to capture Socivisca, -that though the latter multiplied his slaughters, -raids, and robberies, he was ultimately driven, -with his brothers, his wife, and two children (a -son and daughter), over the Montenegrin frontier -to Karlovitz, a small place in the Austrian territory, -famous only as the scene of Prince Eugene's -victory over the Ottoman troops in the early part -of the last century. The Hungarians being, like -the Illyrians, of Slavonian blood, there he found -a comfortable shelter for three years under the -protection of the Emperor Francis I. and the -Empress-Queen, and during that time his conduct -and life were alike blameless and without -reproach. One of his brothers, however, having -strayed across the frontier, fell into the hands of -the Turks, and would have died a miserable -death, had his escape not been favoured by one -who proved friendly to him, a Timariot named -Nouri Othman. -</p> - -<p> -In October, 1757, Osman III. died, and was -succeeded by Mustapha, son of the deposed -Sultan Achmet. Karlovitz is only forty miles -from the Bosnian frontier; so the pacha, who -never lost sight of Socivisca, anxious to please -the new sovereign and display his activity, by a -lavish disposal of gold, and by the aid of some -person or persons unknown, had the exile -betrayed and made prisoner. He ordered him to -be conveyed at once to Traunick, and to be -placed in the same prison where his younger -brother perished so miserably. -</p> - -<p> -Though elaborately tied and bound, by some -of that skill which the rope-tricksters display in -the present day, he contrived, <i>en route</i>, to get -free, and, escaping, reached Karlovitz, where he -had the unhappiness to find that, by a singular -stroke of misfortune, his wife and two children -had in the interim fallen into the hands of the -pacha, that in his flight he had actually passed -them on the road, and that they were now in -the strong prison of Traunick, from which escape -or release seemed alike hopeless. -</p> - -<p> -By messengers from Karlovitz he strove to -negotiate for their release, but the pacha was -inexorable. He then wrote the following letter, -which appeared in a newspaper for March, 1800, -where it was given "as a curious specimen of -social feeling operating on a rugged and ardent -disposition;" moreover, it is no bad specimen of -the outlaw's literary power:— -</p> - -<p> -"I am informed, O Pacha of Bosnia, that you -complain of my escape; but I put it to yourself, -what would you have done in my place? Would -you have suffered yourself to be bound with -cords like a miserable beast, and led away -without resistance by men who, as soon as they -arrived at a certain place, would put you to -death? -</p> - -<p> -"Nature impels us to avoid destruction, and -I have acted only in obedience to her laws. -</p> - -<p> -"Tell me, Pacha, what crime have my wife -and little children committed that, in spite of -law and justice, you should retain them like -slaves? Perhaps you hope to render me more -submissive; but you cannot surely expect that -I shall return to you and hold forth my arms to -be loaded with fresh bonds. -</p> - -<p> -"Hear me then, Pacha! You may exhaust -on them all your fury without producing the -least advantage. On <i>my part</i>, I declare I shall -wreak my vengeance <i>on all Turks</i> who may fall -into my hands, and I will omit no means of -injuring you! -</p> - -<p> -"For the love of God restore to me, I beseech -you, my blood! obtain my pardon from my -sovereign, and no longer retain in your memory -my past offences; and I promise that I will -<i>then</i> leave your subjects in tranquillity, and even -serve them as a friend when necessary. -</p> - -<p> -"If you refuse this favour, expect from me all -that despair can prompt! I shall assemble my -friends, carry destruction wherever you reside, -pillage your property, plunder your merchants; -and from this moment, if you pay no attention -to my entreaties, I swear that I will massacre -every Turk that falls into my hands." -</p> - -<p> -As Socivisca had been doing this for so many -years past, perhaps the pacha thought -compliance would not make much difference; so -this letter, like its preceding messages, he -received with contempt, swearing by the "beard -of the sultan to listen neither to the threats nor -entreaties of a common robber." So Socivisca -performed to the full all that he had named and -threatened. At the head of a body of Greeks -and Montenegrins he ravaged all the Bosnian -frontier, slaying and decapitating every -Mussulman who fell into his hands. Seeking no -quarter and giving none, as before, flames and -rapine marked his path wherever he went. -</p> - -<p> -Many of his forays were made near the Lake -of Scutari, in concert with the Montenegrins, -whom the Russians supplied with arms and -artillery to add to the troubles of the Pacha of -Bosnia, whose people ere long on their knees -besought him to yield up the wife and children -of Socivisca, and save them from a scourge so -terrible. -</p> - -<p> -Still the pacha refused; but suddenly the -indomitable Socivisca appeared with his hardy -Aiducos before the walls of Traunick, and, by a -wonderful combination of force and stratagem, -the gates were stormed, the guards dispersed, -and he carried off his wife, his son, and daughter -to a place of safety beyond the frontier. -</p> - -<p> -In retiring from Traunick, at a wild place -near Razula, his people captured one of the -Turkish Timariots, in the service of the pacha, -and would instantly have put him to death had -not the brother of Socivisca recognized in him -the man who had favoured his escape a short -time before,—Nouri Othman. These Timariots -were soldiers, who clothed, armed, and accoutred -themselves out of their pay, and were under the -immediate command of the sanjiac or bey, and -each maintained under him a certain number of -militiamen, as they were, in fact, high-class -Turkish cavaliers. Those on the Hungarian -frontier had each an income of 6000 aspres, a -coin then worth one shilling and threepence -British money. -</p> - -<p> -In gratitude the mountain warrior permitted -Othman to escape; and while Socivisca was at -prayers—a duty which he never omitted before -a meal—the prisoner was set at liberty, a fleet -horse was given him, and from the camp of the -outlaws he spurred towards Traunick. Against -this act of generosity the Aiducos of the band -exclaimed loudly; and a nephew of Socivisca -went so far as to draw from his girdle a long -brass-butted pistol, with which he struck his -uncle on the face; the latter, infuriated by such -an insult from a junior, shot him through -the heart, and was compelled to fly from the -troop. -</p> - -<p> -The nephew was buried as his grandfather -had been, in a grave by the wayside; but this -family quarrel and double misfortune affected -Socivisca so much that he returned to Karlovitz, -relinquishing alike his life of war and outrage for -a time, but for a time only; for, fired with -enthusiasm on hearing that Stephano Piciola -(known as Di Montenero), so often victorious -over the Turks, had made himself master of all -Albania, in 1770, he issued forth again at the -head of his Aiducos, and scoured the Bosnian -frontier, shooting down every Turk whom he met. -</p> - -<p> -In his fiftieth year, after having led a life of -such danger and strife—after shedding so much -blood, and during a period of thirty years since -the slaughter of the three Turkish brothers at his -father's farm, having plundered so much, so freely -had he spent his cash among his friends and -followers, that he found his exchequer reduced to -only six hundred sequins. -</p> - -<p> -To secure these, he entrusted three hundred to -the care of a kinsman and the rest to a friend, -both of whom absconded with their trust to the -shelter of the pacha, and left him in abject poverty -in the small town of Grachaez, in the province -of Carlstadt, on the military frontier of Croatia. -</p> - -<p> -In the year 1775 the Emperor Francis I., when -passing through the province, wished to see the -famous predatory warrior of whom he had heard -so much, and visited his humble abode at -Grachaez. There he was so greatly struck with the -simple dignity, the resolute but respectful -demeanour of the white-bearded partisan, that -he presented him with a handsome sum of -money, and asked him to show his numerous -wounds, and to detail the chief events of his life. -</p> - -<p> -Socivisca did so, with so much simplicity and -modesty that the Emperor, whom he pleased -and amused, and who was looking forward to -the capture of the Bukovine and other districts -from the Turks, made him an offer of service, -and assigned him an important military -command upon the Hungarian frontier, opposed to -the great pachalics of Bosnia and Servia. -</p> - -<p> -In the exercise of this office* he was alive at -Grachaez in 1777, after which year his name can -no more be traced in the histories, papers, or -periodicals of the time, so that we are unable to -say when he died. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* "Arambassa of Pandonas" it is styled in the English -newspapers—a title we frankly confess ourselves unable -to understand. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -Such was the wild, romantic, and singular -story of a mountain robber, whose life ultimately -became productive of public utility; who enjoyed -the favour and protection of Francis I. and Maria -Theresa; and whose career, in his unrelenting -animosity to the Turks, presents a curious -mixture of patriotism and ferocity, religious -enthusiasm and the long-engendered rancour of rival -and antagonistic races. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap09"></a></p> - -<h3> -PAQUETTE. -</h3> - -<p class="t3"> -AN EPISODE OF THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="t3b"> -CHAPTER I. -</p> - -<p> -In the spring of the year 1870, when my merry -Paquette and I used to laugh at the cartoons of -the <i>Kladderadatch</i>, representing King William -lowering a mannikin in regimentals gently, by -the spike of his helmet, into a huge chair, -inscribed "Spanien," we little foresaw the horrors -that were to come, or the days when we might -tremble at the warlike news of the official -<i>Staatsanzieger</i>. -</p> - -<p> -We had been married a year, and were so -happy in our pretty little house at Blankenese -(a short distance from Hamburg), where all the -sloping bank above the Elbe is covered with rich -green copsewood, from amid which peep out the -tiny red-tiled cottages of the fishermen; while -over all tower the white-walled villas of those -opulent merchants whose names stood so high -in the Neuerwall or the Admiralitatstrasse, and -higher still in the Bourse of the Free City—free -now only in name, as it has become, since the -Holstein war, an integral portion of the Prussian -Empire. -</p> - -<p> -Paquette Champfleurie was my first real love; -yet, though still little more than a girl, she was a -widow when we married, and it all came to pass -in this fashion, for we had indeed much sorrow -before our days of joy arrived. When I, Carl -Steinmetz—for such is my name, though no relation -to the great Prussian general—was but a lad -in a merchant's office, in the quaint old -gable-ended and timber-built street called the -Stubbenhuk, I had learned to love Paquette, then a -boarder in a fashionable school on the beautiful -Alsterdam. Our interviews were stolen; our -intercourse most difficult; for her kinswoman, -the Gräfine von Spitzberger—a reduced lady of -rank, with whom she was placed for educational -purposes—watched her with the eyes of a lynx. -But what will not love achieve? -</p> - -<p> -Paquette, a lively, dark-eyed, and chestnut-haired -girl from Lorraine, with a piquant little -face that was not by any means French in -contour or expression, and I, a sharp-witted <i>burschen</i> -fresh from Berlin, soon found means for prosecuting -our affair of the heart, from the time when -our eyes first met on a Sunday evening in -St. Michael's Kirche, to that eventful hour when, after -many a note exchanged or concealed in a certain -hollow tree near the Lombardsbrücke, we -plighted our troth in the little grove near -Schiller's bronze statue, with no witnesses but the -quiet stars overhead, and the snow-white swans -that floated on the blue current of the Alster. -</p> - -<p> -But sorrow soon came to rouse us from our -dreams; for three weeks after that happy evening -her father took her home, without permitting us -to say farewell, and ere long I learned that she -had become the wife of Baptiste Graindorge, -a wealthy merchant of Lorraine! With these -tidings the half of my life seemed to leave me. -They cost me many a secret tear, and much -jealous bitterness, though I knew that French -girls have no freedom of choice in matrimony; -and I loathed the odious Graindorge in my heart, -while bending resolutely over my desk, in the -dingy and gloomy little office in the noisy -Stubbenhuk—bending also every energy to amass -money, though for what purpose now I scarcely -know. But fortune favoured me. -</p> - -<p> -I became ere long a junior partner in the firm -under whom I had worked as a clerk, and the -same year saw Paquette free; for our horrible -Graindorge had died abroad of fever, at the -French colony of Senegal, and she became mine—mine -after all! A widow, no scheming father -could interfere with her then. -</p> - -<p> -In the whole of busy Hamburg there could be -no happier couple than we were—and this was -but a year ago. Wedded, we visited every place -where we had been wont to meet by stealth, in -terror of the old Gräfine—the leafy arcades of -the Young Maiden's Walk, the Botanical Gardens, -the groves that cover all the old mounds -about the Holstein Wall, and the banks of the -Alster, while Michael's Kirche was indeed a holy -place to us, for there we had first met. -</p> - -<p> -One morning in July of last year—ah, I shall -never forget it—we were at breakfast together in -the dining-room of our cottage at Blankenese, and -prior to taking the Sporvei 'bus for the city, I -was skimming over the <i>Staatsanzieger</i>, which -was then beginning to be full of threatening -news concerning the Spanish succession, and -calling on Prussia to rouse herself, as all France, -or Paris, at least, was shouting "A Berlin!" and -"To the Rhine!" The atmosphere was -deliciously warm; the slender iron casements were -wide open; the fragrant roses and jessamine -clambered thickly round them, and the drowsy -hum of the bees mingled with the sounds that -came, softened by distance, from the vast shining -bosom of the Elbe, where ships, with the flags of -all the world, were gliding, some towards -Jonashafen and the city, others downward to the -North Sea; and opposite lay the flat but green -and lovely coast of Hanover, studded with pretty -red villages, church-spires, and windmills -whirling in the sunny air. -</p> - -<p> -My heart felt happy and joyous, and Paquette -was looking her loveliest in a light muslin -morning dress; her bright brown hair, her pure -complexion, and her dark, laughing eyes, -making her seem a very Hebe, as she poured -out my coffee, buttered the little brown German -rolls, and chirruped about how we should spend -the evening, after she had joined me in the city, -and we had dined, as we frequently did, under -the shady verandah of the pleasant Alster -Pavilion, surrounded by swans and pleasure -boats. -</p> - -<p> -"Where shall we go, Carl, darling?" she -continued—"to the Circus Renz?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, Paquette; I am sick of the -horsemanship and the sawdust, and the same everlasting -girl, who, when she is not flying through a hoop, -prances about in the dress of a Uhlan." -</p> - -<p> -"The Botanical Gardens, then; the band of -the 76th Hanoverians play there to-night, and -some ten thousand gay people will be present." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, darling, it shall be as you wish; and -after looking in at the Stadt Theatre, to see -Kathie Lanner's Swedish ballet, a droski will -soon whirl us home from the Damthor-wall." -</p> - -<p> -"But it was in that theatre, Carl, love, we -saw each other last, and at a distance, on the -night——" -</p> - -<p> -"Before—before——" I began. -</p> - -<p> -"I was torn from you to become the wife of -another, Carl," she exclaimed, in a low voice, as -she took my face between her pretty hands, and -kissed me playfully. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, Graindorge!" thought I, with a little -bitterness, as I kissed her in return, and rose to -fill my meerschaum prior to setting forth for the -city; but a strange cry from Paquette made me -wheel sharply round on the varnished floor, and -to my bewilderment and terror, I saw her sinking -back in her chair, pallid as death, like one -transfixed—her jaw relaxed, her poor little hands -clasped, her eyes expressive only of horror and -woe, and bent on something outside the window. -My gaze involuntarily followed hers, as I sprung -to her side. -</p> - -<p> -At the railing before our little flower-garden -stood a shabby-looking man, whose face will ever -haunt me. His hat, well worn, tall and shiny, -was pressed knowingly over the right eye. He -was looking steadily at us, and appeared as if he -had been doing so for some time. A diabolical -grin, like that of Mephistopheles, was over all -his features—in his carbuncle-like eyes, and in -his wide mouth, where all his teeth seemed to -glisten. He had a sallow and dissipated face, a -hooked, sardonic nose, and on his left cheek a -large black mole. A faded green dress-coat, -with brass buttons, a yellow vest, and short -inexpressibles of checked stuff, formed his attire. -</p> - -<p> -My wife was almost fainting, and seemed on -the verge of distraction. -</p> - -<p> -"Paquette, my love," I began; but she held -up her trembling hands as if deprecatingly -between us, and said in a low, broken, and -wailing voice— -</p> - -<p> -"Do not speak to me—do not touch me. I -am not your wife! Oh, my poor deluded Carl!—oh, -my poor heart! Oh, death, come and end -this horror—this mystery!" -</p> - -<p> -Her words, her voice, her whole air and -expression, made my blood run cold with a -sudden terror, that her reason had become -affected. -</p> - -<p> -"Paquette—dearest Paquette," I said, in a -soothing and an imploring manner, "what do -these terrible words mean? That man——" -</p> - -<p> -"Is Monsieur Baptiste Graindorge, my first -husband, come back from the grave to torment me!" -</p> - -<p> -"Impossible—girl, you rave!" said I, in deep -distress, as I vaulted over the window and rushed -out upon the road; but the scurvy eavesdropper -was gone, and no trace of him remained. In -great grief, and feeling sorely disturbed by the -whole affair, I returned to Paquette, whom I -found crouching on the sofa, crushed by agitation -and despair. She gazed at me lovingly, sorrowfully, -and yet as if fearful that I might approach -and touch her. -</p> - -<p> -"Is there not some terrible mistake or misconception -in this?" said I, seeking to gather courage -from my own words. -</p> - -<p> -"None—none," she replied. "I recognized -too surely his face—the mole—the odious smile." -</p> - -<p> -"But the man died in Africa—it is impossible; -and you are my wife, Paquette, whom none can -take from me," I continued, with excited -utterance, as she permitted me to kiss her: but the -poor little pet was cold as marble, and her -tremulous hands played almost fatuously, yet -caressingly, with my hair, while she murmured— -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, Carl—my poor Carl—what <i>will</i> become -of us now?" -</p> - -<p> -The whole affair seemed too improbable for -realization. I besought her to take courage—to -consider the likeness which had startled her as a -mere fancy—an optical delusion; and, aware -that my presence was imperatively necessary at -business in the city, I was compelled to leave -her, and did so not without a sorrowful foreboding. -</p> - -<p> -So strong was the latter emotion, that the -closing of the house-door rang like a knell in my -heart. I paused irresolute at the garden gate, -and again on the road; but the jingling bells of -the approaching Sporvei 'bus ended my doubts. -I sprang in, and in due time found myself at my -office in the busy Admiralitatstrasse, opposite -the Rath Haus. -</p> - -<p> -Haunted by the strange episode of the -morning, I strove vainly to become absorbed in -bills of lading, and so forth, till one o'clock -should toll from the spires—the time for -plunging into the crowd of noisy speculators at -the Bourse—and I was just about to set forth, -when a stranger was announced; I looked up, -and was face to face with the horrible -Graindorge! He stood before me just as I had seen -him at the garden-rail, with his tall shiny hat, -his shabby coat, his bloated visage with its black -mole and malignant smile. -</p> - -<p> -"Your business?" I asked curtly. -</p> - -<p> -"Will be briefly stated, Herr Steinmetz," said he. -"So madame fully recognized me this morning?" -</p> - -<p> -"Or thought she did," said I, after a short -interval of silence. -</p> - -<p> -"There was no doubt in the matter, but firm -conviction. I did <i>not</i> die in Senegal, the report -was false; and so, Herr Steinmetz, I am here to -claim my wife and take her back with me to -Lorraine." -</p> - -<p> -"You are a foul impostor!" cried I furiously, -yet with a sinking heart; "and I shall hand you -over to the watch." -</p> - -<p> -"Pardon me, but you will do nothing of the -kind," replied the other, with the most -exasperating composure; "it will not be pleasant to -have your wife—your <i>supposed</i> wife, I mean—made -a source of speculation to all Hamburg, by -any public exposé." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, my God! my poor Paquette!" I exclaimed -involuntarily; "and I love her so!" -</p> - -<p> -"Milles diables!" grinned the Frenchman; "it -is more than I do." -</p> - -<p> -"Wretch! what proof have we that you are -Baptiste Graindorge, and not a cheat—a trickster?" -</p> - -<p> -"The effect produced by my presence—my -appearance—on madame, who dare not deny -my identity, which the Gräfine Spitzberger has -already admitted—with great reluctance, I grant -you. Well, I am supposed to be dead. I shall -be content to let this supposition remain, and to -quit Hamburg for a consideration." -</p> - -<p> -"Name it," I asked, thankful for the prospect -of being rid of his horrid presence even for a -time, that I might consult some legal friend; and -yet, even while I spoke and thought of purchasing -his silence, I knew that Paquette, my -adored wife, would be no wife of mine! It was -a horrible dilemma. Graindorge the Lorrainer -was rich; now he seemed to be poor and needy. -I knew not what to think; grief was uppermost -in my soul. After a pause he said slowly— -</p> - -<p> -"For six thousand Prussian dollars I shall -quit Hamburg." -</p> - -<p> -With a trembling hand, yet without hesitation, -I wrote him a cheque on my banker, Herr -Berger in the Gras-keller, for the sum named, -and the snaky eyes of the Frenchman flashed as -he clutched the document. He inserted it in his -tattered pocket-book, and carefully buttoned his -shabby green coat over it; then he placed his -hat jauntily on one side of his head, and tapping -the crown with his hand, made me a low ironical -bow, and with a pirouette and a malicious smile -quitted the room, saying— -</p> - -<p> -"Adieu, Monsieur Steinmetz—I go; but for -<i>a time</i> only." -</p> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<p class="t3b"> -CHAPTER II. -</p> - -<p> -I saw the whole scheme now. The bankrupt—for -such I had no doubt he was—meant to make -his power over Paquette and me a source of -future revenue to himself; and I felt sure that -when his last dollar was spent—by to-morrow, -perhaps—he would present himself again with a -fresh demand. Like one in a dream I went to -the Bourse; but little or no business was done -there that day, for war rumours were hourly -growing more rife. There were riots in its -neighbourhood, too. The tradesmen were "on -strike," and the swords of the watch had been -busy, for no less than seven unarmed men were -cut down in the Adolphsplatz. Then, that -evening I heard that a spy, supposed to be a -Frenchman, had been hovering about the northern -ramparts, near the Damthor, and had been -seen to count the cannon on the Holstein-wall—a -spy who had escaped alike the watch and the -guard of the Seventy-sixth Regiment, and whom -I heard described as a shabby man in a green -coat, with a <i>mole</i> on his cheek! -</p> - -<p> -My heart leaped within me; could this -personage and M. Baptiste Graindorge be one and -the same? If so, neither Hamburg nor I was -likely to be troubled by his presence again. -</p> - -<p> -Before my usual hour, I hastened home—home -to my pretty little villa among the rose-trees -at Blankenese; but, alas! to find it desolate, -and our servant, Trüey, a faithful young -Vierlander, in tears, and filled with wonder; for -her mistress had packed up some clothes, and -leaving all her jewels, even to her wedding-ring, -had departed, after writing a letter for me. -</p> - -<p> -I tore it open, and found it to contain but a -few words, to confirm my terror and fill up the -cup of my misery. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -"The Gräfine von Spitzberger has been with -me. The man we saw is indeed my husband, -M. Graindorge, the story of whose death has -been all a mistake; and he proved <i>to her</i> his -identity, by his knowledge of all our family -affairs. Oh, Carl! oh, my poor darling! the -real husband of my heart and my only love! I -must leave you—yes—and by the time you read -this, shall be far on the railroad for France. -Graindorge shall never see me more; my father's -house or a convent must be my shelter now. -My last hope is, that you will not attempt to -follow me; my last prayer, that God may bless -and comfort you." -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -The lines were written tremulously. I kissed -my darling's wedding-ring, placed it by a ribbon -at my neck, and wept bitterly. Then the room -seemed to swim around me; I became senseless, -and was ill in bed for days. Our home was -broken now. It was desolate—oh, so desolate, -without my Paquette! She was gone. She -had left me for ever! And every object around -seemed to recall her more vividly to me—her -piano, her music, the little ornaments we had -bought together at the Alster Arcade, and the -pillow her cheek had rested on. "She will -write to me," thought I; but no letter came. -And something of jealousy began to mingle with -the bitterness of my soul. Was she with Graindorge? -</p> - -<p> -I think I should have gone mad but for the -events that occurred so quickly now, for one -week sufficed to change the whole face of affairs -in Hamburg. France had declared war against -Prussia. Trade stood still; silence reigned in -our splendid Bourse, usually the most noisy and -busy scene in the world; the Elbe was empty -of shipping, for its buoys and lights were all -destroyed. The Prussians, horse, foot, and -artillery, were pouring towards Travemünde, where -a landing of the French was expected. In one -day nearly every horse in Hamburg was seized -for military purposes, and the city was ordered -to furnish eighteen thousand infantry for the -Landwehr. -</p> - -<p> -Of this force I was one. A strip of paper was -left at my office one day, and the next noon -saw me in the barracks near the Damthor-wall, -and before the colonel, an officer of Scottish -descent, the Graf von Hamilton. Then, like -thousands of others, my plain clothes were taken -from me, and I received in lieu a spiked helmet -of glazed leather, a blue tunic faced with white, -a goat-skin knapsack, great-coat, and camp-kettle, -a needle-gun, bayonet, and sword. We -were all accoutred without delay, and within -two hours were at drill, under a burning sun, in -the Heilinghaist-feld, between Hamburg and -Altona. My desk, my office, my home, knew -me no more; yet I often mounted guard near the -chambers of our firm in the Admiralitatstrasse. -Paquette and my previous existence seemed all -a dream—a dream that had passed away for -ever. And though the gay streets, the tall -spires, the sights and sounds in our pleasure-loving -city were all unchanged, I seemed to -have lost my identity. My former life was -completely blotted out. -</p> - -<p> -From the Landwehr, with many others, I was -speedily drafted into the Seventy-sixth -Hanoverians, and in three weeks we were ordered to -join the Army of the Rhine. Though I had -studied in Berlin, I was not a Prussian, but a -native of the free city of Hamburg. Like many -of my comrades, who were fathers of families, or -only sons, torn from their homes and peaceful -occupations, I had no interest in the cruel and -wanton war on which we were about to enter; -and more than all, I loved France, for it was -the native land of Paquette Champfleurie. -</p> - -<p> -In the then horror of my mind, the war was -certainly somewhat of a change or relief, and the -excitement around drew me from my own terrible -thoughts. I was going towards Lorraine, where -even while fighting against her poor countrymen, -I might see my lost one, my wife—for such I -still deemed her, despite the odious Baptiste -Graindorge; and so I fondly and wildly speculated. -The idea of being killed and buried where -Paquette might perhaps pass near my grave, was -even soothing to my now morbid soul, for I knew -that she had loved me long before <i>that man</i> -came between us with his wealth of gold -napoleons; so she must love me still—Carl, whose -heart had never wandered from her. -</p> - -<p> -But there is something great and inspiring in -war and its adjuncts, after all. I remember that -on the day we left our beautiful Hamburg, when -I heard the crash of the brass bands and saw the -North German colours waving in the wind, above -the long, long column of glazed helmets and -bright bayonets, as our regiment, with the -Forty-seventh Silesians, the Fifty-third Westphalians, -and the Eighty-eighth Nassauers, defiled through -the Damthor, and past the Esplanade towards -the Bahnhof, I became infected by the enthusiasm -around me, and found myself joining in the mad -shouts of "Hurrah, Germania!" and in the old -Teutonic song which the advanced guard of -Uhlans struck up, brandishing their lances the -while— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "O Tannebaum, O Tannebaum, wie grün sind deine Blatter!"<br> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -as we marched for the Rhine, towards which we -were forwarded fast by road and rail. -</p> - -<p> -We were soon face to face with the gallant -French, and how fast those terrible battles -followed each other at Weissenburg, Forbach, -Spicheren, and elsewhere, the public prints have -already most fully related. Though I did not -seek death any more than others my comrades, -I cared little for life, yet (until one night in -October) I escaped in all three of those bloody -conflicts, and many a daily skirmish, without a -wound, though the chassepot balls whistled -thickly round me, and more than once the fire of -a mitrailleuse, a veritable stream of bullets, swept -away whole sections by my side. I have had -my uniform riddled with holes, my helmet grazed -many times, and part of my knapsack shot away; -yet somehow fate always spared poor Carl Steinmetz; -for he had no enmity in his heart towards -the poor fellows who fell before his needle-gun. -At last we rapidly pushed on, and reduced many -fortified places as we advanced to blockade Metz. -Then Lorraine lay around us, and I gazed on -the scenery with emotions peculiarly my own, -for I thought of Paquette, of her animated face -and all her pretty ways, and of all she had told -me of her native province, its dense forests where -wolves lurked, its wild mountains, its salt springs -and lakes—Lorraine now, as in centuries long -past, a subject for dispute between France and -Germany. -</p> - -<p> -The Seventy-sixth, under the Graf von Hamilton, -formed part of the army which, under Prince -Frederick Carl, blockaded Metz with such cruel -success; and we had severe work in the wet -nights of October, while forming the <i>feld-wacht</i> -in the advanced rifle-pits. Often when lying -there alone, in the damp hole behind a sand-bag -or sap-roller, waiting for a chance shot in the -early dawn at some unfortunate Frenchman, I -thought bitterly and sadly of our once happy -home, of Paquette, my lost wife, and wondered -where she was <i>now</i>, or if, when she saw the -Prussian columns, with all their bright-polished -barrels and spiked helmets shining in the sun, -she could dream that I, Carl Steinmetz, was a -unit in that mighty host. Then I would marvel -in my heart whether I, with the spiked helmet -and needle-gun, loaded with accoutrements and -spattered with mud, was the same Carl Steinmetz -who, but a few months before, sat daily at his -desk in the Admiralitatstrasse, and had the -sweet smiles of Paquette to welcome him home -and listen to his news from the Bourse. Was -this military transformation madness or witchcraft? -It was neither, but stern reality, as an -unexpected shot from a hedge about four hundred -yards distant, tore the brass eagle from my -helmet and fully informed me. -</p> - -<p> -This was just about daybreak on the morning -of the 26th October last, and when I could see -all the village quarters, from Mars-la-Tour to -Mazières, lit up, and all the bivouac fires burning -redly on our left and in the rear. -</p> - -<p> -With a few others I started from the rifle-pits, -and we made a dash at the hedge, which we -believed to conceal some of those Francs-tireurs, -whom we had orders to shoot without mercy, -though they were only fighting for home and -country. We were on the extreme flank of the -blockading force, and the hedge in question -surrounded a villa which stood somewhat apart from -the road to Château Salins. Led by the Graf's -son, a young captain, we rushed forward, and -found it manned by some fifty men of the French -line, who had crept out of Metz intending to -desert, for Bazaine permitted them to do so when -provisions began to fail. "A bas les Pru-essiens!" -cried their leader—a tall sub-officer in very -tattered uniform—thus accentuating the word in -the excess of his hatred. -</p> - -<p> -"Vorwarts—für Vaterland—hurrah, Germania!" -shouted the young Von Hamilton. A -volley that killed ten of our number tore among -us, but we broke through and fell upon them -with the bayonet. Clubbing his chassepot the -French sous-officier, with a yell on his lips, beat -down poor Hamilton; then he rushed upon me, -and what was my emotion—what my astonishment, -to find myself face to face with Graindorge—he -who had robbed me of Paquette—the same -beer-bloated and scurvy-looking fellow, with the -huge black mole, whom I had last seen in -Hamburg! I charged him with my bayonet breast -high, but agitation so bewildered me that he -easily eluded my point, and felled me to the -earth with his clubbed rifle. Now came a sense -of confusion, of light flashing from my eyes, the -clash of steel, the <i>ping</i> of passing balls; then -darkness seemed to envelop me, and death to -enter my heart as I became senseless. -</p> - -<p> -I remained long thus, for the sun was in the -west when full consciousness returned. The -thick leather helmet had saved my head from -fracture, but dried blood plastered all my face, -and I found my right arm broken by a bullet. -All the French in the rear of the hedge had been -shot down or bayoneted, and they presented a -terrible spectacle. All were dead save one—the -sous-officier, who lay near me, dying of many -bayonet wounds. Our wounded had been removed, -but ten of the Seventy-sixth lay near me -stiff and cold. What a scene it was in that -pretty garden, amid the rose-trees, the last -flowers of autumn, and the twittering sparrows, -to see all those poor fellows, made in God's fair -image, butchered thus—and for WHAT? My -wounds were sore, my heart was sad and heavy; -oh, when was it otherwise now? Staggering up -I turned to the Frenchman, whose half-glazing -eyes regarded me with a fiercely defiant expression, -for he doubted not that in this <i>guerre à la -mort</i> his last moment had come. I took off my -battered helmet, and then with a thrill of terror -he seemed to recognize me. -</p> - -<p> -"Carl Steinmetz of Hamburg!" said he, with -difficulty. -</p> - -<p> -"You know me then?" I asked grimly. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, yes—in God's name give me water—I -am dying!" -</p> - -<p> -My canteen was empty; but I found some -wine in that of a corpse which lay near. I -poured it down his throat and it partially -revived him. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, fellow," said I, "in me you see that -Steinmetz who was so happy till you came and -my wife fled; so we know each other, Monsieur -Baptiste Graindorge." -</p> - -<p> -"I am <i>not</i> Baptiste—<i>he</i> is lying quiet in his -grave on the shore of the Senegal river." -</p> - -<p> -"Who, in the name of Heaven, are you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Achille Graindorge—his cousin. I took -advantage of our casual but strong resemblance to -impose upon you—and—and get money—when -in Hamburg—acting——" -</p> - -<p> -"As a spy—eh?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes." -</p> - -<p> -"Has she—has Paquette seen you since?" -</p> - -<p> -"No—for she would at once have detected -the cheat." -</p> - -<p> -"And you know not where she is?" -</p> - -<p> -"As I have Heaven soon to answer—no," he -gasped out, and sinking back, shortly after -expired, his last breath seeming to issue from the -wounds in his chest. I had no pity for him, but -felt a glow of joy in my heart, as I turned away, -and crept—for I was unable to stand—towards -the door of the villa in search of succour, the -agony of my thirst and wounds being so great -that I cared little whether the inmates aided or -killed me. -</p> - -<p> -However, the coincidences of this day were -not yet over. -</p> - -<p> -The door, on which I struck feebly with my -short Prussian sword, was opened ultimately by -an old gentleman, beyond whom I saw a female, -shrinking back in evident terror. I recognized -M. de Champfleurie, my father-in-law; but -being now unable to speak, I could only point -to my parched lips and powerless arm, as I sank -at his feet and fainted. -</p> - -<p> -When I recovered, my uniform was open, my -accoutrements were off; I was lying upon a sofa -with my aching head pillowed softly—on -what?—The tender bosom of Paquette, my darling -little wife; for she had recognized me, though -disguised alike by dress and blood, and now her -tears were falling on my weather-beaten face. -</p> - -<p> -It chanced that, flying from place to place in -Lorraine, before our advancing troops, and -having failed to reach Metz, they had taken -shelter in that abandoned villa; and thus -happily I could reveal the secret of our separation -before the burial party bore away the body of -Achille Graindorge, who had actually been -quartered at Senegal when his cousin Baptiste -died there. -</p> - -<p> -My story is told. On the following day Metz -capitulated, and poor M. Champfleurie danced -with rage on learning that Bazaine had -surrendered with two other Marshals of the Empire, -173,000 prisoners and 20,000 sick, wounded, and -starving men. My fighting days were over now; -Paquette was restored to me, and happiness was -again before us. -</p> - -<p> -For their kindness in succouring me, the Graf -von Hamilton gave M. de Champfleurie and his -daughter a pass to the rear, and we speedily -availed ourselves of it, for I was discharged with -a shattered arm; and now I write these lines, -again in pleasant Blankenese, our dear home, -with the broad Elbe shining blue beneath our -windows, and the autumn leaves falling fast from -the thick woods that cover all its green and -beautiful shore. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap1001"></a></p> - -<p class="t3b"> -APPARITIONS AND WONDERS. -</p> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER I. -<br><br> -LEAVES FROM OLD LONDON LIFE: 1664-1705. -</h3> - -<p> -The Scottish newspaper recorded, not long ago, -some instances of mirages in the Firth of Forth -exactly like the freaks of the Fata Morgana in -the Straits of Messina, and on three distinct -occasions the Bass Rock has assumed, to the -eyes of the crowds upon the sands of Dunbar, -the form of a giant sugar-loaf crowned by -battlements, while the island of May seemed -broken into several portions, which appeared -to be perforated by caverns where none in fact -exist. -</p> - -<p> -Such optical delusions have been common at -all times in certain states of the atmosphere, and -science finds a ready solution for them; but in -the days of our forefathers, they were deemed -the sure precursors of dire calamities, invasion, -or pestilence. -</p> - -<p> -The years shortly before and after the -beginning of the last century seem to have been -singularly fruitful in the marvellous; and the -most superstitious Celtic peasant in the Scottish -glens or the wilds of Connemara would not have -believed in more startling events than those -which are chronicled in the occasional -broadsides, and were hawked about the streets of -London by the flying stationers of those days. -</p> - -<p> -To take a few of these at random: we find -that all London was excited by strange news -from Goeree, in Holland, where, on the evening -of the 14th of August, 1664, there was seen by -many spectators an apparition of two fleets upon -the ocean; these, after seeming to engage in -close battle for one hour and a half (the smoke -of the noiseless cannon rolling from their sides), -vanished, as if shown from a magic-lantern. -Then appeared in the air two lions, or the figures -thereof, which fought three times with great fury, -till there came a third of greater size, which -destroyed them both. Immediately after this, -there came slowly athwart the sky, as represented -in the woodcut which surmounted this veracious -broadsheet, the giant figure of a crowned king. -This form was seen so plainly, that the buttons -on his dress could be distinguished by the -awe-stricken crowd assembled on the sands. Next -morning the same apparition was seen again; -and all the ocean was as red as blood. "And -this happening at this juncture of time," -concludes the narrator, "begets some strange -apprehensions; for that, about six months before -Van Tromp was slain in war with England, there -was seen near the same place an apparition of -ships in the air fighting with each other."* -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* London: printed by Thomas Leach, Shoe Lane, 1664. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -Sixteen years later, another broadsheet -announced to the metropolis, that the forms of -ships and men also had been seen on the road -near Abington, on the 26th of August, 1680, "of -the truth whereof you may be fully satisfied at -the Sarazen's Head Inn, Carter Lane." It would -seem that John Nibb, "a very sober fellow," the -carrier of Cirencester, with five passengers in his -waggon, all proceeding to London about a quarter -of an hour after sunrise, were horrified to -perceive at the far horizon, the giant figure of a man -in a black habit, and armed with a broadsword, -towering into the sky. Like the spectre of the -Brocken, this faded away; but to add to the -bewilderment of Nibb and his companions, it was -replaced by "about a hundred ships of several -bigness and various shapes." Then rose a great -hill covered with little villages, and before it -spread a plain, on which rode thirty horsemen, -armed with carbine and pistol. -</p> - -<p> -The same document records that, on the 12th -of the subsequent September, a naval engagement -was seen in the air, near Porsnet, in -Monmouthshire, between two fleets, one of which -came from the northern quarter of the sky, the -other from the south. A great ship fired first, -"and after her, the rest discharged their vollies -in order, so that great flashings of fire, and even -smoak was visible, and noises in the ayr as of -great guns." Then an army of phantoms engaged -in "a square medow" near Porsnet, closing -in with sword and pistol, and the cries of the -wounded and dying were heard. On the 27th -of December, Ottery, near Exeter, had a visitation -of the same kind, when at five in the evening -two armies fought in the air till six o'clock. -"This was seen by a reverend minister and -several others to their great amazement." On the -2nd of the same month, the people in Shropshire -were, according to another sheet, sorely perplexed -by the sudden appearance of two suns in the -firmament, and it was duly remembered, that "such -a sign was seen before the death of that tempestuous -firebrand of Rome here in England, Thomas -Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury, and when -Queen Mary began her bloody reign." -</p> - -<p> -Then follow the death of the three lions in the -Tower, and a vast enumeration of fiery darts, -bullets, storms of hail, and floods, making up -that which the writer hopes will prove "a word -in season to a sinking kingdom."* -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* London: Printed for J. B., Anno Domini 1680; and -P. Brooksly, Golden Ball, near the Hospital Gate, 1681. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -Nor were ghosts wanting at this time, of a -political nature, too; for, in the same year, there -was hawked in London an account of an apparition -which appeared three several times to Elizabeth -Freeman, thirty-one years of age, on each -occasion delivering a message to his sacred -majesty King Charles the Second. As certified -before Sir Joseph Jorden, knight, and Richard Lee, -D.D., rector of Hatfield, her story was as follows, -and was, no doubt, a political trick: -</p> - -<p> -On the night of the 24th of January, 1680, she -was sitting at her mother's fire-side, with a child -on her knee, when a solemn voice behind her -said, "Sweetheart!" and, on turning, she was -startled to perceive a veiled woman all in white, -whose face was concealed, and whose hand—a -pale and ghastly one—rested on the back of her -chair. -</p> - -<p> -"The 15th day of May is appointed for the -royal blood to be poisoned," said the figure. "Be -not afraid, for I am only sent to tell thee," it -added, and straightway vanished. -</p> - -<p> -On Tuesday, the 25th of January, the same -figure met her at the house door, and asked -Elizabeth if she "remembered the message," but -the woman, instead of replying, exclaimed: "In -the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, -what art thou?" Upon this the figure assumed -"a very glorious shape," and saying, "Tell King -Charles, from me, not to remove his parliament, -but stand to his council," vanished as before. -Next evening the veiled figure appeared again, -when Elizabeth was with her mother, who, on -beholding her daughter's manifest terror, said: -"Dost thou see anything?" She was then -warned to retire, after which the spectre said, -sternly: "Do your message." "I shall, if God -enable me," replied Elizabeth. After this the -spectre appeared but once again, and remained -silent. "This was taken from the maid's own -mouth by me, Richard Wilkinson, schoolmaster -in the said town of Hatfield."* -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* London: Printed for J. B., Anno Domini 1680; and -P. Brooksly, Golden Ball, near the Hospital Gate, 1681. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -In 1683, as a variety, London was treated to -an account of a dreadful earthquake in Oxfordshire, -where the houses were rocked like ships -or cradles, while tables, stools, and chests -"rowled to and fro with the violence of the Shog."* -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* Printed for R. Baldwin, at the Old Bailey. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -The year 1687 brought "strange and wonderful -news from Cornwall, being an account of a -miraculous accident which happened near the -town of Bodmyn, at a place called Park. Printed -by J. Wallis, White Fryars Gate—next Fleet -St.—near the Joyners Shop." -</p> - -<p> -From this it would appear that on Sunday, -the 8th of May, Jacob Mutton, whose relations -were of good repute, and who was servant to -William Hicks, rector of Cordingham (at a house -he had near the old parish church of Eglashayle, -called Park), heard, on going into his chamber -about eight o'clock in the evening, a hollow voice -cry, "So hoe! so hoe! so hoe!" This drew him -to the window of the next room, from whence, to -the terror of a lad who shared his bed, he -disappeared, and could nowhere be found. -</p> - -<p> -According to his own narrative, he had no -sooner laid a hand upon an iron bar of the -window, which was seventeen feet from the ground, -than the whole grating fell into the yard below, -all save the bar which he had grasped. This bar -was discovered in his hand next morning, as he -lay asleep in a narrow lane beyond the little town -of Stratton, among the hills, thirty miles distant -from Park. There he was wakened by the -earliest goers to Stratton fair, who sent him -home, sorely bewildered, by the way of Camelford. -"On Tuesday he returned to his master's -estate, without any hurt, but very melancholy, -saying 'that a tall man bore him company all -the journey, over hedges and brakes, yet without -weariness.'" What became of this mysterious -man he knew not, neither had he any memory of -how the iron bar came to be in his hand. "To -conclude, the young man who is the occasion of -this wonderful relation, was never before this -accident accounted any ways inclinable to sadness, -but, on the contrary, was esteemed an airy, -brisk, and honest young fellow." -</p> - -<p> -But Mutton's adventure was a joke when compared -with that of Mr. Jacob Seeley, of Exeter, -as he related it to the judges on the western -circuit, when, on the 22nd of September, 1690, he -was beset by a veritable crowd of dreadful -spectres. He took horse for Taunton, in -Somersetshire, by the Hinton Cliff road, on which he -had to pass a solitary place, known as the Black -Down. Prior to this, he halted at a town called -Cleston, where the coach and waggons usually -tarried, and there he had some roast beef, with -a tankard of beer and a noggin of brandy, in -company with a stranger, who looked like a -farmer, and who rode by his side for three miles, -till they reached the Black Down, when he -suddenly vanished into the earth or air, to the -great perplexity of Mr. Jacob Seeley. This -emotion was rather increased when he found himself -surrounded by from one to two hundred spectres, -attired as judges, magistrates, and peasantry, the -latter armed with pikes; but, gathering courage, -he hewed at them with his sword, though they -threw over his head something like a fishing-net, -in which they retained him from nine at night -till four next morning. He thrust at the shadows -with his rapier, but he felt nothing, till he saw -one "was cut and had four of his fingers hanging -by the skin," and then he found blood upon his -sword. After this, ten spectre funerals passed; -then two dead bodies were dragged near him by -the hair of the head; and other horrors succeeded, -till the spell broke at cock-crow. -</p> - -<p> -It was now remembered that the house wherein -Mr. Seeley had his beef, beer, and brandy had -been kept by one of Monmouth's men (the spectre -farmer, probably), who had been hung on his own -sign-post, and the piece of ground where the net -confined the traveller, was a place where maay of -the hapless duke's adherents had been executed -and interred. Hence it was named the Black -Down, according to the sheet before us, which -was "Printed for T. M., London, 2nd Oct., -1690." -</p> - -<p> -A sheet circulated at the close of the preceding -year warns "all hypocrites and atheists to -beware in time," as there had been a dreadful -tempest of thunder and lightning in Hants, at -Alton, where the atmosphere became so obscure -that the electric flashes alone lighted the church -during the service, in which two balls of fire -passed through its eastern wall, another tore the -steeple to pieces, broke the clock to shreds, and -bore away the weathercock. The narrator adds, -that all Friesland was under water, and that a -flood in the Tiber had swept away a portion of -the Castle of St. Angelo. -</p> - -<p> -As another warning, London was visited, in -1689, by a tempest, which uprooted sixty-five -trees in St. James's Park and Moorfields, blew -down the vane of St. Michael's Church in Cornhill, -and innumerable chimneys, and injured many -well-built houses, and part of the Armourers' -Hall in Coleman Street. Several persons were -killed in Gravel Lane and Shoreditch; sixty empty -boats were dashed to pieces against the bridge; -three Gravesend barges full of people were cast -away, and the Crown man-of-war was stranded -at Woolwich.* -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* Printed for W. F., Bishopgate Without. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -But the warning seems to have been in vain, -for London, in 1692, was treated to an earthquake, -which—as another sheet records—spread -terror and astonishment about the Royal -Exchange, all along Cornhill, in Lothbury, and -elsewhere, on the 8th of September. All things -on shelves were cast down, and furniture was -tossed from wall to wall; the Spitalfields -weavers had to seek shelter in flight, and all -their looms were destroyed; these and other -calamities were, it was alleged, "occasioned by -the sins of the nation," and to avert such prodigies, -the prayers of all good men were invoked.* -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* J. Gerard, Cornhill, 1692. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -Two years later saw another marvel, when -"the dumb maid of Wapping," Sarah Bowers, -recovered her power of speech through the -prayers of Messrs. Russell and Veil, "two pious -divines," who exorcised and expelled the evil -spirit which possessed her; and in 1696 the -metropolis was treated to the "detection of a -popish cheat" concerning two boys who -conversed with the devil, though none seemed to -doubt the Protestant miracle. -</p> - -<p> -The close of the century 1700 saw "the dark -and hellish powers of witchcraft exercised upon -the Reverend Mr. Wood, minister of Bodmyn," -on whom a spell was cast by a mysterious paper, -or written document, which was given to him by -a man and woman on horseback (the latter probably -seated on a pillion), after which he became -strangely disordered, and wandered about in -fields, meadows, woods, and lonely places, -drenched the while with copious perspirations; -however, "the spell was ultimately found in his -doublet, and on the burning thereof, Mr. Wood -was perfectly restored," and wrote to his uncle -an account of the affair, which appeared in a -broadsheet published at Exeter, by Darker and -Farley, 1700. -</p> - -<p> -Rosemary Lane was the scene of another -wonder, when a notorious witch was found in a -garret there, and carried before Justice Bateman, -in Well Close, on the 23rd July, 1704, and -committed to Clerkenwell Prison. Her neighbour's -children, through her alleged diabolical power, -vomited pins, and were terrified by apparitions -of enormous cats; by uttering one word she -turned the entire contents of a large shop -topsy-turvy. She was judicially tossed into the river -from a ducking-stool, "but, like a bladder when -put under water, she popped up again, for this -witch swam like a cork." This was an indisputable -sign of guilt; and in her rage or terror -she smote a young man on the arm, where the -mark of her hand remained "as black as coal;" -he died soon after in agony, and was buried in -St. Sepulchre's churchyard.* Of the woman's -ultimate fate we know nothing. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* H. Hills, in the Blackfriars, near the waterside. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -In 1705, London was excited by a new affair: -"The female ghost and wonderful discovery of -an iron chest of money;" a rare example of the -gullibility of people in the days of the good -Queen Anne. -</p> - -<p> -A certain Madam Maybel, who had several -houses in Rosemary Lane, lost them by unlucky -suits and unjust decrees of the law: for a time -they were tenantless and fell to decay and ruin. -For several weeks, nay months past (continues -the broadsheet), a strange apparition appeared -nightly to a Mrs. Harvey and her sister, near -relations of the late Madam Maybel, announcing -that an iron chest filled with treasure lay in a -certain part of one of the old houses in the lane. -On their neglecting to heed the vision, the ghost -became more importunate, and proceeded to -threaten Mrs. Harvey, "that if she did not cause -it to be digged up in a certain time (naming it) -she should be torn to pieces." On this the -terrified gentlewoman sought the counsel of a -minister, who advised her to "demand in the -name of the Holy Trinity how the said treasure -should be disposed of." -</p> - -<p> -Next night she questioned the spectre, and it -replied: -</p> - -<p> -"Fear nothing; but take the whole four thousand -pounds into your own possession, and when -you have paid twenty pounds of it to one Sarah -Goodwin, of Tower Hill, the rest is your own; -and be sure you dig it up on the night of -Thursday, the 7th December!" -</p> - -<p> -Accordingly men were set to work, and certainly -a great iron chest "was found under an -old wall in the very place which the spirit had -described." -</p> - -<p> -One of the diggers, John Fishpool, a private of -the Guards, "has been under examination about -it, and 'tis thought that the gentleman who owns -the ground will claim the treasure as his right, -and 'tis thought there will be a suit of law -commenced on it." Many persons crowded to see -the hole from whence the chest had been -exhumed in Rosemary Lane, and, by a date upon -the lid, it would seem to have been made or -concealed in the ninth year of the reign of -Henry the Eighth.* -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* London: printed for John Green, near the Exchange, -1705. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -The dreadful effects of going to conjurers next -occupied the mind of the public. -</p> - -<p> -Mr. Rowland Rushway, a gentleman of good -reputation, having lost money and plate to a -considerable amount, Hester, his wife, took God -to witness, "that if all the cunning men in -London could tell, she should discover the thief, -though it cost her ten pounds!" -</p> - -<p> -With this view she repaired to the house of a -judicial astrologer in Moorfields, about noon, -when the day was one of great serenity and -beauty. After some preliminary mummery or -trickery, the wizard placed before her a large -mirror, wherein she saw gradually appear certain -indistinct things, which ultimately assumed "the -full proportion of one man and two women." -</p> - -<p> -"These are the persons who stole your -property," said the astrologer; "do you know -them?" -</p> - -<p> -"No," she replied. -</p> - -<p> -"Then," quoth he, "you will never have your -goods again." -</p> - -<p> -She paid him and retired, but had not gone -three roods from the house when the air became -darkened, the serene sky was suddenly overcast, -and there swept through the streets a dreadful -tempest of wind and rain, done, as she alleged, -"by this cunning man, Satan's agent, with diabolical -black art," forcing her to take shelter in -an ale-house to escape its fury. Many chairmen -and market folks were all cognizant of this -storm, which was confined to the vicinity of the -ale-house, and a portion of the adjacent river, -where many boats were cast away; and the -skirt of it would seem to have visited Gray's Inn -Walk, where three stately trees were uprooted. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap1002"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER II. -<br><br> -THE WILD BEAST OF GEVAUDAN. -</h3> - -<p> -In the year 1765, the French, Dutch, and Brussels -papers teemed with marvellous accounts of -a monstrous creature, called "The Wild Beast of -Gévaudan," whose ravages for a time spread -terror and even despair among the peasantry -of Provence and Languedoc, especially in those -districts of the ancient Narbonne Gaul which -were mountainous, woody, and cold, and where -communication was rendered difficult by the -want of good roads and navigable rivers. -</p> - -<p> -In the April of that year a drawing of this -animal was sent to the Intendant of Alençon, -entitled "<i>Figure de la beste</i> (sic) <i>feroce l'ou -nomme l'hyene qui a devoré plus que</i> 80 <i>personnes -dans le Gévaudan</i>." An engraving of this is now -before us, and certainly its circulation must have -added to the confusion of the nature of the original. -This print represents the beast with a huge -head, large eyes, a long tongue, a double row of -sharp fangs, small and erect ears like those of a -cat, the paws and body of a lion, with the tail -of a cow, which trails on the ground with a bushy -tuft at the end.* -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* The History of France records that there appeared a -wild beast in the Forest of Fontainebleau in 1653, which -devoured <i>one hundred and forty</i> persons, before it was -killed by twelve mousquetaires of the Royal Guards! -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -In December, 1764, it first made its appearance -at St. Flour, in Provence, and on the 20th -it devoured a little girl who was herding cattle -near Mende. A detachment of light dragoons, -sent in search of it, hunted in vain for six -weeks the wild and mountainous parts of -Languedoc. Though a thousand crowns were offered -by the province of Mende to any person who -would slay it, and public prayers were put up in -all the churches for deliverance from this singular -scourge, which soon became so great a terror to -those districts, as ever the dragon was of which -we read in the "<i>Seven Champions of Christendom</i>." -</p> - -<p> -No two accounts tallied as to the appearance -of this animal, and some of these, doubtless the -offspring of the terror and superstition of the -peasantry, added greatly to the dread it inspired. -French hyperbole was not wanting, and the -gazettes were filled with the most singular -exaggerations and gasconades. -</p> - -<p> -The groves of olive and mulberry trees, and -the vineyards, were neglected, the wood-cutters -abandoned the forests, and hence fuel became -provokingly dear, even in Paris. -</p> - -<p> -In the month of January we are told that it -devoured a great many persons, chiefly children -and young girls. It was said by those who -escaped to be larger than a wolf, but that previous -to springing on its victim, by crouching on the -ground, it seemed no longer than a fox. "At -the distance of one or two fathoms it rises on its -hind legs, and leaps upon its prey, which it seizes -by the neck or throat, but is afraid of horned -cattle, from which it runs away." -</p> - -<p> -It was alleged by some to be the cub of a -tiger and lioness; by others, of a panther and -hyena, which had escaped from a private menagerie -belonging to Victor Amadeus, duke of Savoy. -A peasant of Marvejols, who wounded it by a -musket shot, found a handful of its hair, "which -stank very much;" he averred it to "be the bigness -of a year-old calf, the head a foot in length, -the chest large as that of a horse, his howling in -the night resembled the braying of an ass." According -to collated statements, the beast was -seen within the same hour at different places, -in one instance twenty-four miles apart; hence -many persons naturally maintained that there -were <i>two</i>. -</p> - -<p> -On the 27th December, 1764, a young woman, -in her nineteenth year, was torn to pieces by it -at Bounesal, near Mende. Next day it appeared -in the wood of St. Martin de Born, and was -about to spring upon a girl of twelve years, -when her father rushed to her protection. The -woodman, a bold and hardy fellow, rendered -desperate by the danger of his child, kept it at -bay for a quarter of an hour, "the beast all the -while endeavouring to fly at the girl, and they -would both inevitably have become its prey if -some horned cattle which the father kept in the -wood had not fortunately come up, on which the -beast was terrified and ran away." -</p> - -<p> -This account was attested on oath by the -woodman, before the mayor and other civil -authorities of Mende, an episcopal city in -Languedoc. -</p> - -<p> -On the 9th of January an entire troop of the -10th Light Horse (the Volontaires Etrangers de -Clermont-Prince), then stationed at St. Chely, -was despatched under Captain Duhamel in quest -of the animal, which had just torn and -disembowelled a man midway between their quarters -and La Garge. On this occasion the Bishop of -Mende said a solemn mass, and the consecrated -Host was elevated in the cathedral, which was -thronged by the devout for the entire day; but -the beast still defied all efforts for his capture or -destruction, and soon after, "in the wood of -St. Colme, four leagues from Rhodez, it devoured a -shepherdess of eighteen years of age, celebrated -for her beauty." -</p> - -<p> -The English papers began to treat the affair of -"the wild beast" as a jest or allegory invented -by the Jesuits to render the Protestants odious -and absurd, as it was said to have escaped from -the Duke of Savoy's collection; and "this -circumstance is designed," says one journal, "to -point out the Protestants who are supposed to -derive their principles from the ancient Waldensee, -who inhabited the valleys of Piedmont, and -were the earliest promoters of the Reformation." -</p> - -<p> -A writer in a Scottish newspaper of the period -goes still farther, and announces his firm belief -that this tormentor of the Gévaudanois was nothing -more or less than the wild beast prophesied -in the Apocalypse of St. John, whereon the -scarlet lady was mounted. Another asserts that it -was typical of the whole Romish clergy, and that -its voracious appetite answered to another part of -Scripture, "conceived in the words <i>eating up my -people as they eat bread</i>,"—his favourite food -being generally little boys and girls of Protestant -parentage.* -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* <i>Edinburgh Advertiser</i>, 1764. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -After a long and fruitless chase, Captain -Duhamel, before returning to quarters at St. Chely, -resolved to make a vigorous attempt to destroy -this mysterious scourge of Languedoc; but his -extreme ardour caused his plans to miscarry. -</p> - -<p> -Posting his volontaires, some on horseback, -and some on foot, at all the avenues of a wood -to which it had been traced, it was soon roused -from its lair by the explosion of pistols and -sound of trumpets. There was a cry raised of -"<i>Voilà! Gardez la-Bête!</i>" and Duhamel, an -officer of great courage, who had dismounted, -rushed forward to assail it sword in hand, but -had the mortification to see it, with a terrible -roar, spring past the very place he had just -quitted. -</p> - -<p> -Two of his dragoons fired their pistols, but -both missed. They then pursued it on the spur -for nearly a league, and though seldom more -than four or five paces from it, they were unable -to cut it down, and ultimately it escaped, by -leaping a high stone wall which their horses were -unable to surmount; and after crossing a marsh -which lay on the other side, it leisurely retired -to a wild forest beyond. -</p> - -<p> -The baffled dragoons reported that it "was as -big as the largest park dog, very shaggy, of a -brown colour, a yellow belly, a very large head, -and had two very long tusks, ears short and erect, -and a branched tail, which it sets up very much -when running." Fear had no share in this strange -description, for the officers of Clermont's -regiment asserted that the two dragoons were as -brave men as any in the corps; but some -declared that it was a bear, and others a wild -boar! -</p> - -<p> -On the 12th of January it attacked seven -children (five boys and two girls) who were at -play near the Mountain of Marguerite. It tore -the entire cheek off one boy, and gobbled it up -before him; but the other four, led by a boy -named Portefaix, having stakes shod with iron, -drove the beast into a marsh, where it sunk -up to the belly, and then disappeared. That -night a boy's body was found half devoured in -the neighbourhood of St. Marcel; on the 21st -it severely lacerated a girl, and (according to -the <i>Paris Gazette</i>) "next day attacked a woman, -and <i>bit off her head</i>!" -</p> - -<p> -The four brave boys who put it to flight -received a handsome gratuity from the Bishop of -Mende, and by the king's order were educated -for the army; the <i>Gazette</i> adds that the king gave -the young Portefaix a gift of four hundred livres, -and three hundred to each of his companions. -</p> - -<p> -As females and little ones seemed the favourite -food of the beast, Captain Duhamel now ordered -several of his dragoons to dress themselves as -women, and with their pistols and fusils -concealed, to accompany the children who watched -the cattle; and the King of France now offered -from his privy purse two thousand crowns, in -addition to the one thousand offered by the -province of Mende, for the head of this terrible -animal. -</p> - -<p> -Inspired by a hope of winning the proffered -reward, a stout and hardy peasant of Languedoc, -armed with a good musket, set out in search of -it; but on beholding the beast suddenly near -him, surrounded by all the real and imaginary -terrors it inspired, he forgot alike his musket -and his resolution; he shrieked with terror and -fled, and soon after "the creature devoured a -woman of the village of Jullange, at the foot of -the Mountain of Marguerite." -</p> - -<p> -As the terror was increasing in Gévaudan and -the Vivarez, the offered rewards were again -increased to no less than ten thousand livres; -by the diocese of Mende, two thousand; by the -province of Languedoc, two thousand; by the -king, six thousand; and the following placard -was posted up in all the towns and cities of the -adjacent provinces:— -</p> - -<p> -"By order of the King, and the Intendant of -the Province of Languedoc: -</p> - -<p> -"Notice is given to all persons, that his -Majesty, being deeply affected by the situation -of his subjects, now exposed to the ravages of -the wild beast which for four months past has -infested Vivarez and Gévaudan, and being -desirous to stop the progress of such a calamity, -has determined to promise a reward of six -thousand livres to any person or persons who -shall kill the animal. Such as are willing to -undertake the pursuit of him, may previously -apply to the Sieur de la Font, sub-deputy to the -Intendant of Mende, who will give them the -necessary instructions, agreeable to what has -been prescribed by the ministry on the part of -his Majesty." -</p> - -<p> -Still the ubiquitous beast remained untaken; -and a letter from Paris of the 13th February -relates the terror it occasioned to a party -consisting of M. le Tivre, a councillor, and two -young ladies, who were on their way to visit -M. de Sante, the curé of Vaisour. -</p> - -<p> -They were travelling in a berlingo, drawn by -four post-horses, with two postilions, and -accompanied by a footman, who rode a saddle-horse, -and was armed with a sabre. The first night, -on approaching the dreaded district, they halted -at Guimpe, and next morning at nine o'clock set -forth, intending to lunch at Roteaux, a village -situated in a bleak and mountainous place. -The bailiff of Guimpe deemed it his duty to -warn them, as strangers, "that the wild beast -had been often seen lurking about the Chaussée -that week, and that it would be proper to take -an escort of armed men for their protection." -</p> - -<p> -M. le Tivre and the councillor, being -foolhardy, declined, and took the young ladies -under their own protection; but they had -scarcely proceeded two leagues when they -perceived a post-chaise, attended by an outrider, -coming down the rugged road that traversed the -hill of Credi, at a frightful pace, and pursued by -the wild beast! -</p> - -<p> -The leading horse fell, on which the terrible -pursuer made a spring towards it; but M. le -Tivre's footman interposed with his drawn sabre, -on which the beast pricked up its ears, stood -erect, and showed its fangs and mouth full of -froth, whisked round, and gave the terrified -valet a blow with its tail, covering all his face -with blood. The rest of the narrative is ridiculously -incredible, for it states, that, on perceiving -a gentleman levelling a blunderbuss (which -flashed in the pan), the beast darted right -through the chaise of M. le Tivre, smashing the -side glasses and escaped to the wood. "The -stench left in the shattered chaise was past -description, and no burning of frankincense, or -other method, removed it, so that it was sold for -two louis, and though burned to ashes, the -cinders were obliged, by order of the commissary, -to be buried without the town walls!" (<i>Advertiser</i>, 1765). -</p> - -<p> -Eluding the many armed hunters who were -now in pursuit of it, in the early part of -February the wild beast was seen hovering in -well-frequented places, on the skirts of the forests -adjoining the fields and vineyards, in the hamlets, -and on the highways. In Janols, the capital of -Gévaudanois, it sprang upon a child, whose cries -brought his father to his aid, but ere a rescue -could be effected, the poor little creature was -rent asunder. -</p> - -<p> -Three days afterwards, on the Feast of the -Purification, five peasants, going to mass at -Reintort de Randon, suddenly perceived it on -the highway before them. It was crouching, -and about to spring, when their shouts, and the -pointed staves with which they were armed, put -it to flight. On Sunday, the 3rd February, it -was heard howling in the little village of -St. Aman's during the celebration of high mass. -All the inhabitants were in church, "but as they -had taken the precaution to shut up the children -in their houses, it retired without doing any -mischief." On the 8th it was perceived within -a hundred yards of the town of Aumont. A -general chase through the snow was made by -the armed huntsmen; but night came on before -they came within range of the dreaded fugitive. -</p> - -<p> -In February and March we find it still -continuing its ravages through all the pleasant -valleys of the Aisne. At Soissons it worried a -woman to death and partly devoured her. Two -girls were brought to the Hospital of St. Flour -in a dying state from wounds it had inflicted: -</p> - -<p> -"Catherine Boyer, aged twenty years, who -was attacked on the 15th of January at -Bastide-de-Montfort; all that part of the head on which -the hair grew is torn away, with a part of the os -coronæ, and the whole pericranium with the -upper part of the ear is lost. The occipital bone -is likewise laid bare. The other girl belongs to -St. Just; the left side of her head and neck is -carried away, with part of her nose and upper lip." -</p> - -<p> -On the 1st of March, a man boldly charged it -on horseback, but was thrown, and leaving his -nag to its mercy, scrambled away and found -refuge in a mill, where it besieged him for some -time, till a lad of seventeen appeared, whom it -lacerated with teeth and claws and left expiring -outside the door. On the road near Bazoches, it -tore to pieces a woman who attempted to save a -girl on which it was about to spring; and four -men of that place, armed with loaded guns, -watched all night, near the mangled body, in the -hope that it might return; but the animal was -several miles distant, and after biting several -sheep and cows in a farm-yard, was at last -severely wounded by Antoine Savanelle, an old -soldier, who assailed it with a pitchfork, which -he thrust into its throat, and he was vain enough -to declare that the wound was mortal and that -he must have killed it. -</p> - -<p> -This boast, however, was premature, for it soon -reappeared, biting, tearing, and devouring, and -though a man of Malzieu wounded it by a musket -shot, making it roll over with a hideous cry, it -was able on the 9th to drag a child for two -hundred yards from a cottage door. It dropped its -prey unhurt; but on the same evening, we are -told that it partly devoured a young woman near -the village of Miolonettes, and committed other -ravages, the mere enumeration of which would -weary rather than astonish, though it was stated -that not less "than twenty thousand men" (a sad -exaggeration surely), noblesse, hunters, woodmen, -and soldiers, were in pursuit of it, under the -Count de Morangies, an old maréchal de camp, -who passed a whole night near the body of the -half-devoured girl, in the vain hope that the -monster would return within range of his musket. -</p> - -<p> -Great astonishment and ridicule were excited -in England by these continued details, and under -date of 13th March, a pretended letter from -Paris, headed "Wonderful Intelligence!" went -the round of the press. -</p> - -<p> -"The wild beast that makes such a noise all -over Europe, and after whom there are at least -thirty thousand regular forces and seventy -thousand militia and armed peasants, proves to be -a descendant on the mother's side from the -famous Dragon of Wantley, and on the father's -side from a Scotch Highland Laird. He eats a -house as an alderman eats a custard, and with -the wag of his tail he throws down a church. He -was attacked on the night of the 8th instant, in -his den, by a detachment of fourteen thousand -men, under the command of Duc de Valliant; -but the platoon firing, and even the artillery, had -only the effect of making him sneeze; at last -he gave a slash with his tail by which we lost -seven thousand men; then making a jump over -the left wing, made his escape." -</p> - -<p> -Elsewhere we find:—"Yesterday, about ten in -the morning, a courier arrived (in London) from -France, with the melancholy news that the wild -beast had, on the 25th instant, been attacked by -the <i>whole</i> French army, consisting of one hundred -and twenty thousand men, whom he totally defeated -in the twinkling of an eye, swallowing the -whole train of artillery and devouring -twenty-five thousand men." -</p> - -<p> -But still in Languedoc, lovers who had lost -their brides, brothers their sisters, and parents -their children, armed with guns and spears, beat -the mountain sides and wild thickets for this -animal, the existence of which was considered -nearly or quite fabulous in London. -</p> - -<p> -It would seem to have been deemed so in -Holland, too, for the <i>Utrecht Gazette</i>, after -detailing how bravely a poor woman of La -Bessiere, name Jane Chaston, defended her little -children against the beast, which appeared in -her garden and tore one with its teeth, states -that whatever scoffers might say, its existence -was no longer doubtful, adding, "that unless we -believe in the accounts of it which come from -France, we must reject the greatest part of the -events to which we give credit, as being of much -less authority." -</p> - -<p> -Louis XV gave a handsome gratuity to Jane -Chaston for her courage and tenderness in -defending her children, but we are not informed -how or with what she was armed. -</p> - -<p> -The Duc de Praslin received a report from the -Comte de Montargis, who commanded the troops -in the neighbourhood of La Bessiere, to the -effect that, three days after the adventure of -Jane Chaston, a party of eighty dragoons, <i>en -route</i> to join their regiment, fell in with the -beast, and rode at full speed towards it. When -first discovered it was one hundred and fifty -yards distant, and fled into a hollow place, which -was environed by marshes and water, and then -they endeavoured to hunt it forth by dogs. They -opened a fire upon it with their carbines; but as -the rain was falling in torrents, all these flashed -in the pan, save <i>one</i>, which went off without -effect. "The rain," continues the report, which -is not very flattering to M. le Comte's cavalry, -"not only hindered aid from coming to the -troopers (the explosion of the carbine and their -incessant cries of 'the beast! the beast!' having -alarmed the whole neighbourhood), but by filling -up the hollows with water, made them unable -any longer." -</p> - -<p> -Three-quarters of an hour after this the beast -appeared in a field where tiles were made, at the -base of Mount Mimat, where there is a hermitage -dedicated to St. Privat, partly hewn out of the -rock. This was then inhabited by an aged recluse -and an officer of artillery, a reformed <i>roué</i>, -who had dwelt with him for eighteen months, by -way of penance. From the window they could -plainly see the beast gambolling playfully on -the grass, and climbing up the trees like a -squirrel; but being without arms, they shut and -made fast the door of the grotto, near which it -remained watching for half an hour. This time -the officer employed in making a sketch of it, -which next day he sent to the Bishop of Mende; -and here, perhaps, we have the startling -engraving which was produced by the Intendant of -Alençon. -</p> - -<p> -The Comte de Montargis forwarded this sketch -to the Duc de Praslin, to whose office the people -flocked in multitudes to behold it; but public -opinion was divided as to whether the animal -was a lynx or a bear; "but I am certain," adds -the writer of the news, "that if it was brought to -the fair of St. Germain, it would draw more -spectators than the famous Indian bird." -</p> - -<p> -This celebrated fair was then held in a large -meadow contiguous to the ancient Abbey of -St. Germain-des-Prés, and was the grand rendezvous -of all the dissipated society of Paris, to whom its -gaming-tables, booths, theatres, cafes, cabarets, -formed a never-ending source of attraction. -</p> - -<p> -In April the beast devoured a young woman -of twenty, who was watching some cattle. After -that event the country became quite deserted; -though its preference for the fair sex seemed -very decided, no men would work in the fields, -herd the flocks, or go abroad, save in armed -bands. -</p> - -<p> -The <i>Brussels Gazette</i> of May records a new -phase in the history of the beast. Of eighteen -persons whom it had bitten, thirteen are stated -to have died raving mad. One patient began -to howl like a dog, on which he was bled -copiously, and chained hand and foot. Endued -with terrible strength, he burst his bonds, and -raved about in wild frenzy, destroying everything -that came in his way, until he was shot -down by an officer with a double-barrelled gun, -when attempting, with a crowbar, to break into -a country-house near Broine, where thirty -persons had taken refuge from him. -</p> - -<p> -About six in the evening of the 1st of May, -the Sieur Martel de la Chaumette, whose château -was at St. Alban's, in the bishopric of Mende, -perceived, from a window, an animal which he -was certain could be no other than the wild -beast of Gévaudan. It was in a grass meadow, -seated on its hind legs, and was gazing steadfastly -at a lad, about fifteen years of age, who -was herding some horned cattle, and was all -unaware of its vicinity and ulterior views. The -Sieur de la Chaumette summoned his two brothers, -and armed with guns they issued forth in -pursuit of the animal, which fled at their -approach. -</p> - -<p> -The youngest overtook it in the forest, and -put a ball into it at sixty-seven paces; it rolled -over three times, which enabled the elder Chaumette -to put in another ball at fifty-two paces, -on which it fled, and escaped, losing blood in -great quantities. Night came on, and the pursuit -was abandoned; but next day the Chaumettes -were joined by the Sieurs d'Ennival, father and -son, and a band of hunters. Its trail and traces -of blood were found, and followed for a great -distance, but they tracked it in vain. -</p> - -<p> -The Sieur de la Chaumette, who had slain a -great many wolves, declared that the animal he -had seen in the meadow was <i>not</i> one; but his -description of its appearance coincided exactly -with that given by the Sieur Duhamel of the -10th Light Horse, and with the sketch made by -the military hermit of St. Privat. The -Chaumettes were in great hopes that the two bullets -had slain the monster; but on the day following, -at five in the evening, at a spot five leagues -distant from the château, it devoured a girl fourteen -years of age, and the terror of the people -increased, as the beast seemed to have a charmed -life, and to be almost bullet-proof. -</p> - -<p> -The picked marksmen of fifty parishes now -joined in the chase. Two remarkably fine dogs -of the Sieur d'Ennival were so eager in the -pursuit, that they left the hunt far behind, and, as -they were never seen again, were supposed to -have been killed and eaten. The society of the -knights of St. Hubert, in the city of Puy, -composed of forty men, joined in the crusade against -this denizen of the wilds of Languedoc; but it -was not until the end of September, 1765, that it -was ultimately vanquished and slain by a -game-keeper and the Sieur Antoine de Bauterne, a -gentleman of Paris, who set out for Gévaudan on -purpose to encounter it. -</p> - -<p> -After a long, arduous, and exciting chase, -through forest and over fell, on bringing it to -bay at fifty yards, he shot it in the eye. Mad -with pain and fury, it was crouching prior to -springing upon him, when his companion, -M. Rheinchard, gamekeeper to Louis, Duke of -Orleans (son of Philip, so long regent of France), -by a single bullet, in a vital spot, shot it dead. -</p> - -<p> -It was then measured, and found to be five -feet seven inches long, thirty-two inches high, -and only one hundred and thirty pounds in -weight. On the 4th of October, the Sieur de -Bauterne, who was extolled as if he had been -the victor of another Steenkirk or Fontenoy, -arrived triumphantly in Paris, and had the -honour to present it to the king; and then -great was the astonishment and the disappointment -of all who saw this animal—the terrible -wild beast of Gévaudan, whose sanguinary career -had for so many months excited such dismay -there and wonder elsewhere—and found that it -was only a wolf after all, and not a very large -one! Horace Walpole, fourth Earl of Orford—the -brilliant and witty Walpole of Strawberry Hill—saw -the carcass as it lay in the queen's antechamber -at Versailles, and asserts that it was simply a -common wolf. Its nature accounted for some -of the peculiarities it exhibited during its -ravages, as the wolf, according to Weissenborn, -destroys every other creature it can master, and, -on a moderate calculation, consumes during the -year about <i>thirty times</i> its own weight of animal -substance; and to increase the list of its crimes, -it has, he adds, in many instances, communicated -hydrophobia to man. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap1003"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER III. -<br><br> -"THERE WERE GIANTS IN THOSE DAYS." -</h3> - -<p> -Among many other strange things, our unlettered -ancestors believed in the past existence of -those tall fellows, giants (individually, or even -collectively as nations), quite as implicitly as -they, worthy folks, did in the pranks and -appearances of contemporary witches and ghosts; but -even among the learned a more than tacit belief -in a defunct class of beings, whose bulk and -stature far exceeded those of common humanity, -found full sway until the beginning of the -present century. -</p> - -<p> -A love of the marvellous is strong; and even -Buffon, the eminent naturalist, fell into the old -and vague delusion that "there were giants in -those days," and he made the bones of an elephant -to figure as the remains of a man of vast stature. -</p> - -<p> -With Scripture for a basis to their assertions, -it was difficult, no doubt, for the over-learned, -and still more for the unlearned, of past times to -subdue their belief in the existence of such foes -as were encountered by our old friend Jack of -gallant memory—veritable giants, tall as steeples, -to whom such men as Big Sam of the Black -Watch, O'Brien the Irish giant (whose skeleton -is in the museum of the College of Surgeons), -even the King of Prussia's famous grenadiers, -and the girl fifteen years old and more than -seven feet high, "who was presented to their -majesties at Dresden,"* were all as pigmies and -Liliputians by comparison. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* <i>Gentleman's Magazine</i>, 1753. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -The Bible gives us four distinct races of giants, -the chief of whom were the Anakims, or sons of -Anak, the people of the chosen land, to which -Moses was to lead the children of Israel, who -were unto them but as grasshoppers in size. Og, -the king of this tall race and of Bashan, however, -if judged by the measurement of the present day, -was not taller than eight feet six inches, as his -brazen bedstead measured just nine Jewish -cubits; but the Rabbis maintain that the bed -described was only his <i>cradle</i> when an infant. -The Anakims are referred to in the fifth chapter -of the Koran, which speaks of Jericho as a city -inhabited by giants. The father of Og is also -asserted to have been of stature so great, that he -escaped the Flood by—<i>wading</i>! -</p> - -<p> -When told (as we are) in 1 Samuel that Goliath -was in height six cubits and a span, that -his coat of mail weighed five thousand shekels -of brass, that the staff of his spear was as a -weaver's beam, and that its head weighed six -hundred shekels of iron, it was difficult for the -simple people of past days, when, in some remote -cavern or river's bed, or fallen chalk cliff, the -monster bones of the elephant, the mastodon, or -the rhinoceros came unexpectedly to light, not -to believe that there might have been many -Goliaths in the world once. -</p> - -<p> -Josephus records that in <i>his</i> time there were -to be seen in Gaza, Gath, and Azoth the tombs -of those mighty men of old, the sons of Anak, -who had been slain when Joshua marched into -the land of Canaan, and slew the people of -Hebron and Dabir. -</p> - -<p> -According to the Moslems, even Joshua was a -man of prodigious stature; and the highest -mountain on the shores of the Bosphorus is at this -hour called by the Turks the Grave of Joshua,—<i>Juscha -Taghi</i>,—or the Giant's Mountain.* -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* The grave is fifty feet long, and has been called the -tomb of Amycus and of Hercules. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -Tradition ascribes the origin of the name of -Antwerp to a giant whose abode was in the -woody swamps through which the Scheldt then -wandered to the German Sea, and who used to -cut off the hands and feet of those who -displeased him; "and to prove this" (vide <i>Atlas -Geographus</i>, 1711) "they show there a tooth, -which they pretend to be his. It is a hand's-breadth -long, and weighs six ounces. Moreover, -the city has hands cut off as part of its arms." -</p> - -<p> -Giants figure largely among the earlier fables -of Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, the two latter -contending still for the nationality of the famous -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "Finn MacCoul,<br> - Wha dung the deil, and gart him yowl,"<br> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -and who, by the famous causeway of his own -construction, could cross the Irish Channel to -Britain whenever he chose. -</p> - -<p> -Fiannam is probably the same personage. -He is said to have lived in the time of Ewen -II. of Scotland, a potentate who, according to -Buchanan, "reigned in the year before Christ 77, -and was a good and civil king;" and local story -connects with his name the Giant's Chair, a rock -above the river Dullan, in the parish of Mortlach. -</p> - -<p> -England, too, is not without traces of some -interest in the sons of Anak. We have the Giant's -Grave, a long and grassy ridge in the beautiful -Fairy Glen at Hawkstone, in Salop; another -place so named on the coast of Bristol, and a -third at Penrith, where two stone pillars in the -churchyard, standing fifteen feet asunder at the -opposite ends of a grave, and covered with runes -or unintelligible carving, mark the size and tomb -of Owen Cæsarius. Near these pillars is a third -stone, called the Giant's Thumb. -</p> - -<p> -Two miles below Brougham Castle, on the -steep banks of the Eamont, are two excavations -in the rock, having traces of a door and window, -and of a strong column indented with iron; and -these caves are assigned by tradition to a giant, -who bore the classic name of Isis. -</p> - -<p> -The vast stature of the Patagonians was long -the subject of implicit belief, until it passed into -a proverb. Antonio Pagifeta, who accompanied -the adventurous Ferdinand Magellan on his -famous voyage in 1519, records that on the coast -of Brazil they found wild and gigantic cannibals -so nimble of foot, that no man could overtake -them. Bearing on thence to south latitude 49°, -the land seemed all desolate and uninhabited, for -they could see no living creature. At last a giant -came singing and dancing towards them, and -threw dust on his head. He was so tall, that the -head of a Spaniard reached only to his waist. -His apparel was the skin of a monstrous beast. -All the inhabitants were men of the same kind, -wherefore "the admiral called them Patagons." -</p> - -<p> -This absurd story was corroborated a hundred -years later by Jacob le Maire, in a voyage to the -same region, and by the Dutch navigator -Schouten, when they relate that at Port Desire they -found graves containing human skeletons from -eleven to twelve feet long. However, the -Spanish officers of Cordova's squadron, by -accurate measurements, reduced the utmost stature -of the real Patagonian to seven feet one and -a half inches, and their common height to six -feet. -</p> - -<p> -Premising that, of course, the great bones about -to be referred to were those of the mammoth, -the mastodon and other antediluvian animals, -perhaps the most amusing instance of the credulity -and gullibility even of the learned in such -matters was a <i>mémoire</i>, read seriously to the -Royal Academy of Sciences at Rouen, in the -middle of the last century, by a savan named -M. le Cat. -</p> - -<p> -Therein he asserted and affected to give proof -that Ferragas, who was slain by Orlando, the -nephew of Charlemagne, was eighteen feet in -height; that Isoret, whose tomb lay near the -chapel of St. Pierre, in the suburbs of Paris, had -been twenty feet high; and that in the city of -Rouen, when digging near the convent of the -Jacobins in 1509, during the reign of Louis XII., -there was found in a tomb of stone a skeleton, -the skull of which would hold a bushel (thirty-eight -pounds weight) of corn. The shin-bones -were entire, and measured four feet long. On -this astounding tomb was a plate of copper, -bearing the epitaph, "In this grave lies the -noble and puissant Lord Riccon de Valmont -and his bones." He then proceeds to tell us -that Valence in Dauphiné possesses the bones -of the giant Buccart, tyrant of the Vivarais, -whom his vassal, the Count de Cabillon, slew by -a barbed arrow, the iron head of which was -found in his tomb when it—with all his bones -intact—was discovered in 1705, at the base of -the mountain of Crussol, whereon the giant dwelt, -and whence he used to come daily to drink of -the river Merderet. The skeleton when -measured was twenty-two feet six inches long.* -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* "In the Dominican Church there's the picture of a -giant called Buard, who they pretend, by his bones dug -up in their monastery, was fifteen cubits high and seven -broad."—<i>Atlas Geographus</i>, 1711, 4to. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -"Father Crozart assured me," continued the -veracious M. le Cat, "that the physicians who -were in the train of the princes who passed -through Valence all acknowledged the bones to -be human, and offered twenty-two pistoles for -them." He farther appends a copy of the -epitaph of this personage, forwarded to him by the -same Father Crozat in 1746, and beginning, -"Hæc est effigiis gigantis Baardi Vivariensis -tiranni in Montis Cressoli Stantis," &c. -</p> - -<p> -This tall personage, a second whose bones -were exposed by the waters of the Rhone in -1456, and a third whose skeleton, nineteen feet -long, was found near Lucerne in 1577, were all -jokes and swindle when compared with others -that were found in later years, particularly the -remains of Teutobochus, king of the Teutones, -which were discovered near the ruined castle of -Chaumont in Dauphine, in the year 1613, by -some masons who were digging a well. At the -depth of eighteen feet, in light sandy soil, they -came upon a tomb built of brick; above it was -a stone inscribed, "Teutobochus Rex." Five -years afterwards Mazurier, a surgeon, published -his <i>Histoire Véritable du Géant Teutobochus</i>, -which excited keen controversy, and brought all -Paris—the Paris of Louis the Just and of -Richelieu—rushing in crowds to see the bones of the -mastodon, or whatever it was, whose tomb bore -a royal inscription. -</p> - -<p> -This king of the Teutones, who is said to have -been vanquished and slain in battle a few miles -from Valence, and to have been buried with all -honour by Marius, his conqueror, was carefully -measured, and found to be twenty-five feet six -inches long, ten feet across the shoulders, and -five from breast to back-bone. His teeth were -each the size of an ox's foot. All France heard -of this with wonder, and a belief which the -anatomist Riolan sought in vain to ridicule and -expose. -</p> - -<p> -Sicily was peculiarly the favourite abode of -giants. -</p> - -<p> -At Mazarino, a town near Girgenti, there were -found in 1516 the bones of a giant whose skull -was like a sugar-hogshead, with teeth each five -ounces in weight; and in the Val di Mazzara, -thirty years after, the alleged remains of another -were found, whose stature was the same! -</p> - -<p> -Patrick Brydone, in his <i>Tour to Sicily and -Malta</i>, in 1773, mentions some of these -marvellous discoveries. -</p> - -<p> -"In the mountain above it (<i>il Mar Dolce</i>) they -show you a cavern where a gigantic skeleton is -said to have been found; however, it fell to dust -when they attempted to remove it. Fazzello -says its teeth were the only part that resisted -the impression of the air; that he procured two -of them, and that they weighed near two ounces. -There are many such stories to be met with in -the Sicilian legends, as it seems to be a universal -belief that this island (Sicily) was once inhabited -by giants; but, although we have made diligent -inquiry, we have never yet been able to procure a -sight of any of those gigantic bones which are said -to be still preserved in many parts of the island. -Had there been any foundation for this, I think -it is probable they must have found their way -into some of the museums. But this is not the -case; nor indeed have we met with any person -of sense and credibility that could say they have -seen them. We had been assured at Naples -that an entire skeleton, upwards of ten feet high, -was preserved in the museum at Palermo; but -there is no such thing there, nor I believe -anywhere else in the island." -</p> - -<p> -This Palermitan giant is gravely referred to -in the <i>mémoire</i> of M. le Cat, as well as -"another thirty-three feet high, found in 1550." -</p> - -<p> -According to Plutarch, Serbonius had the -grave of Antæus (the Libyan giant and antagonist -of Hercules) opened in the city of Tungis, -and, finding his body to be "sixty cubits long, -was infinitely astonished," as well he might be, -and gave orders for the tomb to be closed, but -added new honours to his memory. The bones -of a giant, forty-six cubits in length, were laid -bare by an earthquake in Crete, as Pliny states -with implicit faith; and it was disputed whether -they were those of Otus, son of Neptune, who -built a city in his ninth year, or of the equally -fabulous Orion. But all that we have noted are -overtopped by the giant found at Thessalonica -in 1691, who was ninety-six feet high (as -certified by M. Quoinet, consul for France), and by -another found at Trepani, in Sicily—the ancient -<i>Drepanum</i>. The latter, Boccaccio states the -learned of his time to have taken for the skeleton -of Polyphemus, the son of Neptune and -Thoosa—the one-eyed Cyclop of the <i>Odyssey</i>. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "A form enormous! far unlike the race<br> - Of human birth, in stature and in face;"<br> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -and on being measured, the bones proved to be -exactly <i>three hundred feet</i> long! -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap1004"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER IV. -<br><br> -BURIED HEARTS. -</h3> - -<p> -It is natural enough that the human heart—deemed -by poets and philosophers to be the -seat of our affections and passions, of our -understanding and will, courage and conscience, by -some men looked upon as the root of life -itself—should have been considered by many of the -dying in past times as a votive gift peculiarly -sacred. And this feeling has been the cause in -many instances of the burial of the heart apart -from the place where the ashes of the body -might repose. -</p> - -<p> -Among the earliest instances of the separate -mode of heart-burial is that of Henry the Second -of England. After this luckless monarch -expired in a passion of grief, before the altar of the -church of Chinon, in 1189, his heart was interred -at Fontevrault, but his body, from the nostrils -of which tradition alleges blood to have dropped -on the approach of his rebellious son Richard, -was laid in a separate vault. From Fontevrault -his heart, according to a statement in a public -print, was brought a few years ago to Edinburgh, -by Bishop Gillis, of that city. If so, -where is it now? -</p> - -<p> -When Richard Cœur de Lion fell beneath -Gourdon's arrow at the siege of Chaluz, the -gallant heart, which, in its greatness and mercy, -inspired him to forgive, and even to reward the -luckless archer, was, after his death, preserved -in a casket in the treasury of that splendid -cathedral which William the Conqueror built -at Rouen; for Richard, by a last will, directed -that his body should be interred in Fontevrault, -"at the feet of his father, to testify his sorrow -for the many uneasinesses he had created him -during his lifetime." His bowels he bequeathed -to Poictou (Grafton has it Carlisle), and his heart -to Normandy, out of his great love for the people -thereof. Above the relic at Rouen there was -erected an elaborate little shrine, which was -demolished in 1738, but exactly a hundred years -later the heart was found in its old place, and -reinterred. It was again exhumed, however, -cased in glass, and exhibited in the Musée des -Antiquités of the city; but December, 1869, -saw it once more replaced in the cathedral, -with a leaden plate on the cover, bearing the -inscription: -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "Hie jacet cor Ricardi Regis Anglorum."<br> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -So there finally lies the heart of him who, in -chivalry, was the rival of Saladin and Philip -Augustus, the hero of the historian, and the -novelist, and who was the idol of the English -people for many a generation. -</p> - -<p> -When this great crusader's nephew, Richard, -Earl of Cornwall, and King of the Romans, -died, after a stirring life—during which he -formed a conspiracy against the king his father, -then, like all the wild, pious, and bankrupt lords -of those days, took a turn of service in the Holy -Land, and next drew his sword in the battle -fought at Lewes between Henry the Third and -the confederate barons—his body was interred -at Hayles, in Gloucestershire, but his heart was -deposited at Rewley Abbey, near Oxford, while -the heart of his son, who died before him, and -for whose tragical fate he died of grief, was laid -in Westminster Abbey in 1271. -</p> - -<p> -Two successive holders of the see of Durham -made votive offerings of their hearts to two -different churches. The first of these was -Richard Poore, previously Dean of Salisbury, -Bishop of Chichester, and then of Durham, from -1228 to 1237. He was buried in the cathedral -of his diocese, but his heart was sent to Tarrant, -in Dorsetshire. A successor in the episcopate, -Robert de Stitchell, who had formerly been -Prior of Finchale, dying on his way home from -the Council of Lyons, in 1274, was buried in -Durham, but, at his own request, his heart was -left behind, as a gift to the Benedictine convent -near Arbepellis, in France. At Henley, in -Yorkshire, in the old burial vault of the noble -family of Bolton, there lies the leaden coffin of -a female member of the house, who had died -in France, and been brought from thence -embalmed, and cased in lead. On the top of the -coffin is deposited her heart in a kind of urn. -The heart of Agnes Sorel was interred in the -abbey of Jumieges. -</p> - -<p> -In Scotland there have been several instances -of the separate burial of the human heart. The -earliest known is that connected with the -founding and erection of Newabbey, or the abbey of -Dulce Cor, in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright, -by Derorgilla, daughter of Alan the Celtic Lord -of Galloway, and wife of John Baliol, of Barnard -Castle, father of the unpopular competitor for -the Scottish crown. Baliol, to whom she was -deeply attached, died an exile in France in -1269; but Derorgilla had his heart embalmed, -and as the Scotichronicon records, "lokyt and -bunden with sylver brycht;" and this relic so -sad and grim she always carried about with her. -In 1289, as death approached, when she was in -her eightieth year, she directed that "this silent -and daily companion in life for twenty years -should be laid upon her bosom when she was -buried in the abbey she had founded;" the -beautiful old church, the secluded ruins of which -now moulder by the bank of the Nith. For five -centuries and more, in memory of her untiring -affection, the place has been named locally the -Abbey of Sweet-heart. -</p> - -<p> -History and song have alike made us familiar -with the last wish of Robert Bruce, the heroic -King of Scotland, when, after two years of peace -and contemplation, he died in the north, at -Cardross. He desired that in part fulfilment of -a vow he had made to march to Jerusalem, a -purpose which the incessant war with England -baffled, his heart should be laid in the church -of the Holy Sepulchre, and on his death-bed he -besought his old friend and faithful brother -soldier, the good Sir James Douglas, to undertake -that which was then a most arduous journey, -and be the bearer of the relic. "And it is my -command," he added, to quote Froissart, "that -you do use that royal state and maintenance in -your journey, both for yourself and your -companions, that into whatever lands or cities you -may come, all may know that ye have in charge, -to bear beyond the seas, the heart of King -Robert of Scotland." -</p> - -<p> -Then all who stood around his bed began to -weep, and Douglas replied: -</p> - -<p> -"Assuredly, my liege, I do promise, by the -faith which I owe to God and to the order of -knighthood." -</p> - -<p> -"Now praise be to God," said the king, "I -shall die in peace." -</p> - -<p> -It is a matter of history how Douglas departed -on this errand with a train of knights, -and, choosing to land on the Spanish coast, -heard that Alphonso of Leon and Castile was at -war with Osman, the Moorish king of Granada. -In the true spirit of the age, he could not resist -the temptation of striking a blow for the Christian -faith, and so joined the Spaniards. He led -their van upon the plain of Theba, near the -Andalusian frontier. In a silver casket at his -neck he bore the heart of Bruce, which rashly -and repeatedly he cast before him amid the -Moors, crying: -</p> - -<p> -"Now pass on as ye were wont, and Douglas, -as of old, will follow thee or die." -</p> - -<p> -And there he fell, together with Sir William -Sinclair, of Roslin, Sir Robert and Walter Logan, -of Restalrig, and others. Bruce's heart, instead -of being taken to Jerusalem, was brought home -by Sir Simon of Lee, and deposited in Melrose -Abbey. Douglas was laid among his kindred -in Liddesdale, and from thenceforward "the -bloody heart," surmounted by a crown, became -the cognizance of all the Douglasses in Scotland. -Bruce was interred at Dunfermline; and when -his skeleton was discovered in 1818, the -breast-bone was found to have been sawn across to -permit the removal of the heart, in accordance -with the terms of his last will. -</p> - -<p> -But of all the treasured hearts of the heroic -or illustrious dead, none perhaps ever underwent -so many marvellous adventures as that of -James, Marquis of Montrose, who was executed -by the Scottish Puritans in 1650. -</p> - -<p> -On his body being interred among those of -common criminals, by the side of a road leading -southward from Edinburgh, his niece, the Lady -Napier, whose castle of Merchiston still stands -near the place, had the deal box in which the -trunk of the corpse lay (the head and limbs had -been sent to different towns in Scotland) opened -in the night, and his heart, "which he had -always promised at his death to leave her, as a -mark of the affection she had ever felt towards -him," was taken forth. It was secretly -embalmed and enclosed in a little case of steel, -made from the blade of that sword which -Montrose had drawn for King Charles at the battles -of Auldearn, Tippermuir, and Kilsythe. This -case she placed in a gold filigree box that had -been presented by the Doge of Venice to John -Napier, of Merchiston, and she enclosed the -whole in a silver urn which had been given to -her husband by the great cavalier marquis before -the Civil War. She sent this carefully guarded -relic to the second marquis, afterwards first -Duke of Montrose, who was then in exile with -her husband; but it never reached either of -them, being unfortunately lost by the bearer on -the journey. -</p> - -<p> -Years after all these actors in the drama of -life had passed away, a gentleman of Gueldres, -a friend of Francis, fifth Lord Napier (who died -in 1773), recognized, in the collection of a -Flemish virtuoso, by the coat-armorial and other -engravings upon it, the identical gold filigree -box belonging to the Napiers of Merchiston. -The steel case was within it; but the silver urn -was gone. The former "was the size and shape -of an egg. It was opened by pressing down -a little knob, as is done in opening a watch-case. -Inside was a little parcel containing all -that remained of Montrose's heart, wrapped in -a piece of coarse cloth, and done over with a -substance like glue." Restored by this friend -to the Napiers, it was presented to Miss Hester -Napier, by her father, Lord Francis, when his -speculations in the Caledonian Canal and elsewhere -led him to fear the sale of his patrimonial -castle of Merchiston, and that he would lose all, -even to this relic, on which he set so much store. -Miss Napier took it with her on her marriage -with Johnstone of Carnsalloch, and it -accompanied her when she sailed for India with her -husband. Off the Cape de Verd Isles their ship -was attacked by Admiral de Suffrien, who was -also bound for the East with five French sail of -the line. In the engagement which ensued, -Mrs. Johnstone, who refused to quit her -husband's side on the quarter-deck, was wounded -by a splinter in the arm, while carrying in her -hand a reticule in which she had placed all her -most valuable trinkets, and, among these, the -heart of Montrose, as it was feared that the -Indiaman would be taken by boarding; Suffrien, -however, was beaten off. -</p> - -<p> -At Madura, in India, she had an urn made -like the old one to contain the heart, and on it -was engraved, in Tamil and Telegu, a legend -telling what it held. Her constant anxiety -concerning its safety naturally caused a story to be -spread concerning it among the Madrassees, who -deemed it a powerful talisman. Thus it was -stolen, and became the property of a chief; so -the loyal heart that had beat proudly in so many -Scottish battles, hung as an amulet at the neck -of a Hindoo warrior. The latter, however, on -hearing what it really was, generously restored -it to its owner, and it was brought to Europe by -the Johnstones on their return in 1792. In that -year they were in France, when an edict of the -revolutionary government required all persons -to surrender their plate and ornaments for the -service of the sovereign people. Mrs. Johnstone -intrusted the heart of Montrose to one of her -English attendants named Knowles, that it might -be secretly and safely conveyed to England; but -the custodian died by the way; the relic was -again lost, and heard of no more. -</p> - -<p> -In the wall of an aisle of the old ruined church -of Culross, there was found, not long ago, -enclosed in a silver case of oval form, chased and -engraved, the heart of Edward Bruce, second -Lord Kinloss (ancestor of the Earls of Elgin), in -his day a fiery and gallant young noble, who -fought the famous duel with a kindred spirit, -Sir Edward Sackville, afterwards Earl of Dorset, -a conflict which is detailed at such length, and -so quaintly, in No. 133 of the <i>Guardian</i>. Bruce -was the challenger, and after a long and careful -pre-arrangement, attended by their seconds and -surgeons, they encountered each other, with the -sword, minus their doublets, and in their -shirtsleeves, under the walls of Antwerp, in August, -1613. Sackville had a finger hewn off, and -received three thrusts in his body, yet he -contrived to pass his rapier twice, mortally, through -the breast of his Scottish antagonist, who fell -on his back, dying and choking with blood. -</p> - -<p> -"I re-demanded of him," wrote Sir Edward, -"if he would request his life; but it seemed he -prized it not at so dear a rate to be beholden -for it, bravely replying that 'he scorned it,' which -answer of his was so noble and worthy, as I -protest I could not find in my heart to offer him -any more violence." -</p> - -<p> -As Sackville was borne away fainting, he -escaped, as he relates, "a great danger. Lord -Bruce's surgeon, when nobody dreamt of it, -came full at me with his lordship's sword, and -had not mine, with my sword, interposed, I had -been slain, although my Lord Bruce, weltering -in his blood, and past all expectation of life, -conformable to all his former carriage, which -was undoubtedly noble, cried out, 'Rascal, hold -thy hand!'" -</p> - -<p> -Sackville was borne to a neighbouring monastery -to be cured, and died in 1652 of sorrow, it -was alleged, for the death of Charles the First. -Kinloss died on the ground where the duel was -fought, and was buried in Antwerp; but his -heart was sent home to the family vault, in the -old abbey church, which lies so pleasantly half -hidden among ancient trees, by the margin of -the Forth; and a brass plate in the wall, with a -detail of the catastrophe engraved upon it, still -indicates its locality to the visitor. -</p> - -<p> -Still more recently there was supposed to be -found in the vault of the Maitlands, at St. Mary's -Church, in Haddington, an urn containing the -heart of the great but terrible duke, John of -Lauderdale, the scourge of the Covenanters, a -truculent peer, who, for his services to the powers -that were, was created Baron Petersham and -Earl of Guildford, and who died at Tunbridge -Wells in 1682. He was buried in the family -aisle, amid the execrations of the peasantry, to -whom his character rendered him odious, and -his coffin on tressels was long an object of -grotesque terror to the truant urchin who peeped -through the narrow slit that lighted the vault -where the lords of Thirlstane lie. The heart of -the unhappy king, James the Second of England, -which was taken from his body, and interred -separately in an urn, in the church of Sainte -Marie de Chaillot, near Paris, was lost at the -Revolution, in 1792, while the heart of his queen, -Mary d'Este, of Modena, and that of their -faithful friend and adherent, Mary Gordon, daughter -of Lewis, Marquis of Huntley, and wife of James, -Duke of Perth (whilom Lord Justice-General, -and High Chancellor of Scotland), were long -kept where the ashes of the latter still repose, -in the pretty little chapel of the Scottish -College, at Paris, in the Rue des Fosses St. Victoire, -one of the oldest portions of the city. -</p> - -<p> -When the body of the Emperor Napoleon -was prepared for interment at St. Helena, in -May, 1821, the heart was removed by a medical -officer, to be soldered up in a separate case. -Madame Bertrand, in her grief and enthusiasm, -had made some vow, or expressed a vehement -desire, to obtain possession of this as a precious -relic, and the doctor, fearing that some trick -might be played him, and his commission be -thereby imperilled, kept it all night in his own -room, and under his own eye, in a wine-glass. -The noise of crystal breaking roused him, if not -from sleep, at least from a waking doze, and he -started forward, only in time to rescue the heart -of the emperor from a huge brown rat, which -was dragging it across the floor to its hole. It -was rescued by the doctor, soldered up in a -silver urn, filled with spirits, by Sergeant -Abraham Millington, of the St. Helena Artillery, and -placed in the coffin. -</p> - -<p> -During the repair of Christ's Church, at Cork, -in 1829, a human heart, in a leaden case, was -found embedded among the masonry; but to -whom it had belonged, what was its story, the -piety or love its owner wished to commemorate, -no legend or inscription remained to tell. -</p> - -<p> -In 1774, Sir Francis Dashwood, Lord Le -Despenser, seems to have received the singular -bequest of a human heart, as the obituaries of that -year record, that when "Paul Whitehead, Esq., -a gentleman much admired by the literati for -his publications, died at his apartments in -Henrietta-street, Covent Garden, among other -whimsical legacies was his heart, which, with fifty -pounds, he bequeathed to his lordship." But of -all the relics on record, perhaps the most -singular, if the story be true, is that related in the -second volume of the memoirs of the Empress -Josephine, published in 1829, when the Duc de -Lauragnois had not only the heart of his wife, -to whom he was tenderly devoted, but her entire -body, "by some chemical process reduced to a -sort of small stone, which was set in a ring, that -the duke always wore on his finger." After this, -who will say that the eighteenth century was not -a romantic age? -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap1005"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER V. -<br><br> -PHANTASMAGORIA. -</h3> - -<p> -On the 29th of January, 1719, a Scottish -gentleman, named Alexander Jaffray, Laird of -Kingswells, was riding across a piece of wide -and waste moorland to the westward of Aberdeen, -when, about eight o'clock in the morning, -he beheld—to his great alarm and bewilderment, -as he states in a letter to his friend, Sir -Archibald Grant of Monymusk (printed by the -Spalding Club)—a body of about seven thousand -soldiers drawn up in front of him, all under -arms, with colours uncased and waving, and the -drums slung on the drummers' backs. A clear -morning sun was shining, so he saw them -distinctly, and also a commander who rode -along the line, mounted on a white charger. -</p> - -<p> -Dubious whether to advance or retire, and -sorely perplexed as to what mysterious army -this was, the worthy Laird of Kingswells and a -companion, an old Scottish soldier, who had -served in Low Country wars, reined in their -horses, and continued to gaze on this unexpected -array for nearly two hours; till suddenly the -troops broke into marching order, and departed -towards Aberdeen, near which, he adds, "the -hill called the Stockett tooke them out of sight." -</p> - -<p> -Nothing more was heard or seen of this phantom -force until the 21st of the ensuing October, -when upon the same ground—the then open and -desolate White-myres—on a fine clear afternoon, -when some hundred persons were returning home -from the yearly fair at Old Aberdeen, about two -thousand infantry, clad in blue uniforms faced -with white, and with all their arms shining in the -evening sun, were distinctly visible; and after a -space, the same commander on the same white -charger rode slowly along the shadowy line. -Then a long "wreath of smoak apiered, as if they -had fired, but no noise" followed. -</p> - -<p> -To add to the marvel of this scene, the -spectators, who, we have said, were numerous, saw -many of their friends, who were coming from the -fair, pass <i>through</i> this line of impalpable shadows, -of which they could see nothing until they came -to a certain point upon the moor and looked -back to the sloping ground. Then, precisely as -before, those phantoms in foreign uniform broke -into marching order, and moved towards the -Bridge of the Dee. They remained visible, -however, for three hours, and only seemed to -fade out or melt gradually away as the sun set -behind the mountains. "This will puzzle thy -philosophy," adds the laird at the close of his -letter to the baronet of Monymusk; "but thou -needst not doubt of the certainty of either." -</p> - -<p> -Scottish tradition, and even Scottish history, -especially after the Reformation, record many -such instances of optical phenomena, which were -a source of great terror and amazement to the -simple folks of those days; and England was -not without her full share of them either; but -science finds a ready solution for all such -delusions now. They are chiefly peculiar to -mountainous districts, and may appear in many shapes -and in many numbers, or singly, like the giant -of the Brocken, the spectator's own shadow cast -on the opposite clouds, and girt with rings of -concentric light—or like the wondrous fog-bow, -so recently seen from the Matterhorn. -</p> - -<p> -Almost on the same ground where the Laird -of Kingswells saw the second army of phantoms, -and doubtless resulting from the same natural -and atmospheric causes, a similar appearance -had been visible on the 12th of February, 1643, -when a great body of horse and foot appeared as -if under arms on the Brimman Hill. Accoutred -with matchlock, pike, and morion, they looked -ghost-like and misty as they skimmed through -the gray vapour about eight o'clock in the -morning; but on the sun breaking forth from a bank -of cloud, they vanished, and the green hill-slopes -were left bare, or occupied by sheep alone. -Much about the same time, another army was -seen to hover in the air over the Moor of Forfar. -"Quhilkis visons," adds the Commissary Spalding, -"the people thocht to be prodigious tokens, -and it fell out owre trew, as may be seen -hereafter." -</p> - -<p> -Many such omens are gravely recorded as -preceding and accompanying the long struggle -of the Covenant, and the fatal war in which the -three kingdoms were plunged by Charles I. and -his evil advisers. -</p> - -<p> -Indigestion, heavy dinners, and heavier drinking -had doubtless much to do in creating some -of the spectral delusions of those days; and -inborn superstition, together with a heated fancy, -were often not wanting as additional accessories. -But in the gloomy and stormy autumn that -preceded the march of the Scottish Covenanters -into England, omens of all kinds teemed to a -wonderful extent in the land. When Alaster -Macdonnel, son of Coll the Devastator, as the -Whigs named him, landed from Ireland, at the -Rhu of Ardnamurchan, in Morven, to join the -Scottish cavaliers under the Marquis of Montrose, -then in arms for the king, it was alleged that -the <i>hum</i> of cannon-shot was heard in the air, -passing all over Scotland from the Atlantic to -the German Sea; that many strange lights -appeared in the firmament; and that, on a -gloomy night in the winter of 1650, a spectre -drummer, beating in succession the Scottish and -English marches, summoned to a ghostly conference, -at the castle-gate of Edinburgh, Colonel -Dundas of that Ilk, a corrupt officer, who, on -being bribed by gold, afterwards surrendered to -Cromwell the fortress, together with some sixty -pieces of cannon. -</p> - -<p> -All the private diaries and quaint chronicles, -of late years published by the various literary -clubs in England and Scotland, teem with such -marvels, but the latter country was more -particularly afflicted by them; omens, warnings, and -predictions of coming peril rendering it, by their -number and character, extremely doubtful -whether Heaven or the <i>other place</i> was most -interested in Scottish affairs. -</p> - -<p> -In 1638, fairy drums were heard beating on -the hills of Dun Echt, in Aberdeenshire, according -to the narrative of the parson of Rothiemay; -in 1643, we hear of the noise of drums "and -apparitions of armyes" at Bankafoir in the same -county. "The wraith of General Leslie in his -buff-coat and on horseback, carrying his own -banner with its bend <i>azure</i> and three buckles <i>or</i>, -appeared on the summit of a tower at St. Johnstown. -Science now explains such visions as the -aerial Morgana, produced by the reflection of -real objects on a peculiar atmospheric arrangement; -but then they were a source of unlimited -terror." Law, in his <i>Memorials</i>, records that, in -1676, a wondrous star blazed at noon on the hill -of Gargunnock, and a great army of spectres -was seen to glide along the hills near Aberdeen. -</p> - -<p> -A folio of <i>Apparitions and Wonders</i>, preserved -in the British Museum, records that, at Durham, -on the 27th September, 1703, when the evening -sky was serene and full of stars, a strange and -prodigious light spread over its north-western -quarter, as if the sun itself was shining; then -came streamers which turned to armed men -ranked on horseback. J. Edmonson, the writer -of the broadsheet, adds: "It was thought they -would see the apparition better in Scotland, -because it appeared a great way north; the -same," he continues gravely, "was seen in the -latter end of March, 1704," and the battle of -Hochstadt followed it. This must refer to the -second battle fought there, which we call -Blenheim, when Marshal Tallard was defeated and -taken prisoner by Marlborough. But this -wonderful light which turned to armed men at -Durham was outdone by a marvel at Churchill, -Oxfordshire, where (in the same collection) we -find that, on the 9th January, 1705, <i>four suns</i> -were all visible in the air at once, "sent for signs -unto mankind," adds the publisher, Mr. Tookey -of St. Christopher's Court, "and having their -significations of the Lord, like the hand-writing -unto his servant Daniel." -</p> - -<p> -In 1744, a man named D. Stricket, when -servant to Mr. Lancaster of Blakehills, saw one -evening, about seven o'clock, a troop of horse -riding leisurely along Souter Fell in Cumberland. -They were in close ranks, and ere long quickened -their pace. As this man had been sharply ridiculed -as the solitary beholder of a spectre horseman -in the same place in the preceding year, he -watched these strange troopers for some time -ere he summoned his master from the house to -look too. But ere Stricket spoke of what was -to be seen, "Mr. Lancaster discovered the aerial -troopers," whose appearance was as plainly -visible to him as to his servant. "These -visionary horsemen <i>seemed</i> to come from the -lowest part of Souter Fell, and became visible at -a place named Knott; they moved in successive -troops (or squadrons) along the side of the Fell -till they came opposite to Blakehills, where they -went over the mountain. They thus described -a kind of curvilinear path, their first and last -appearances being bounded by the mountain." They -were two hours in sight; and "this -phenomenon was seen by <i>every person</i> (twenty-six -in number) in every cottage within the -distance of a mile," according to the statement -attested before a magistrate by Lancaster and -Stricket, on the 21st of July, 1745. -</p> - -<p> -During the middle of the last century, a -toll-keeper in Perthshire affirmed on oath, before -certain justices of the peace, that an entire -regiment passed through his toll-gate at midnight; -but as no such force had left any town in the -neighbourhood, or arrived at any other, or, in -fact, were ever seen anywhere but at his particular -turnpike, the whole story was naturally treated -as a delusion; though the Highlanders sought in -some way to connect the vision with the unquiet -spirits of those who fought at Culloden, for there, -the peasantry aver, that "in the soft twilight of -the summer evening, solitary wayfarers, when -passing near the burial mounds, have suddenly -found themselves amid the smoke and hurly-burly -of a battle, and could recognize the various -clans engaged by their tartans and badges. On -those occasions, a certain Laird of Culduthil was -always seen amid the fray on a white horse, and -the people believe that once again a great battle -will be fought there by the clans; but with whom, -or about what, no seer has ventured to predict." -</p> - -<p> -Shadowy figures of armed men were seen in -Stockton Forest, Yorkshire, prior to the war with -France, as the <i>Leeds Mercury</i> and local prints -record; and so lately as 1812, much curiosity -and no small ridicule were excited by the alleged -appearance of a phantom army in the vicinity of -hard-working prosaic Leeds, and all the -newspapers and magazines of the time show how -much the story amused the sceptical, and -occupied the attention of the scientific. -</p> - -<p> -It would appear that between seven and eight -o'clock on the evening of Sunday, the 28th -October, Mr. Anthony Jackson, a farmer, in his -forty-fifth year, and a lad of fifteen, named -Turner, were overlooking their cattle, which were -at grass in Havarah Park, near Ripley, the seat -of Sir John Ingilby, when the lad suddenly -exclaimed: "Look, Anthony; what a number of -beasts!" "Beasts? Lord bless us!" replied the -farmer with fear and wonder, "they are <i>men</i>!" And, -as he spoke, there immediately became -visible "an army of soldiers dressed in white -uniforms, and in the centre a personage of -commanding aspect clad in scarlet." These phantoms -(according to the <i>Leeds Mercury</i> and <i>Edinburgh -Annual Register</i>) were four deep, extended over -thirty acres, and performed many evolutions. -Other bodies in dark uniforms now appeared, -and smoke, as if from artillery, rolled over the -grass of the park. On this, Jackson and Turner, -thinking they had seen quite enough, turned and -fled. -</p> - -<p> -Like the spells of the Fairy Morgana, which -were alleged to create such beautiful effects in -the Bay of Reggio, and which Fra Antonio -Minasi saw thrice in 1773, and "deemed to exceed -by far the most beautiful theatrical exhibition -in the world," science has explained away, or -fully discovered the true source of all such spectral -phenomena. The northern aurora was deemed -by the superstitious, from the days of Plutarch -even to those of the sage Sir Richard Baker, as -portentous of dire events; and the fancies of the -timid saw only war and battle in the shining -streamers; but those supposed spectral armies -whose appearance we have noted, were something -more, in most instances, than mere <i>deceptio -visus</i>, being actually the shadows of <i>realities</i>—the -airy reproductions of events, bodily passing -in other parts of the country, reflected in the -clouds, and imaged again on the mountain slopes -or elsewhere, by a peculiar operation of the sun's -rays. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap1006"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VI. -<br><br> -A STRING OF GHOST STORIES. -</h3> - -<p> -A belief in the ghost of vulgar superstition is as -much exploded in England now as are the -opinions advanced by King James in his -"Demonologie." Yet the learned Bacon admitted -that such things might be. Luther, Pascal, Guy -Patin, Milton, Dr. Johnson, and even Southey, -believed in the existence of such mediums with -the unseen world. "My serious belief amounts -to this," wrote the latter: "that preternatural -impressions are sometimes communicated to us -for wise purposes; and that departed spirits are -sometimes permitted to manifest themselves." And -had Pope not entertained some similar idea, -he had not written: -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "'Tis true, 'tis certain, man, though dead, retains<br> - Part of himself; the immortal mind remains:<br> - The <i>form</i> subsists without the <i>body's</i> aid,<br> - Aerial semblance and an empty shade."<br> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Upon the truth or falsehood, the theories or -rather hypotheses, of such alleged appearances, -we mean not to dwell; but merely to relate a -few little anecdotes connected with them, and -drawn—save in Lord Brougham's instance—from -sources remote and scarce. -</p> - -<p> -In the memoirs of the celebrated Agrippa -d'Aubigné, grandfather of Madame de Maintenon, -the wife of Louis XIV., a man famous for -his zeal in Calvinism and disbelief in the spiritual -world, and one whose integrity was deemed -alike rigid and inflexible, we read the following -of a spectre like that of a nursery tale: -</p> - -<p> -"I was," he wrote, "in my bed, and entirely -awake, when I heard some one enter my -apartment; and perceived at my bedside a woman, -remarkably pale, whose clothes rustled against -my curtains as she passed. Withdrawing the -latter, she stooped towards me, and giving me a -kiss that was cold as ice, vanished in a moment!" -</p> - -<p> -D'Aubigné started from bed, and was almost -immediately after informed of the sudden death, -of his mother, to whom he was tenderly attached. -</p> - -<p> -In a letter of Philip, second Earl of Chesterfield, -we find a curious story of a double apparition -occurring at the same moment, and which, -though it somewhat illustrates Ennemoser's -theory of polarity, is beyond the pale of modern -philosophy. -</p> - -<p> -In the gray daylight of an early morning in -1652, the earl saw a figure in white, "like a -standing sheet," appear within a yard of his -bedside. He attempted to grasp it; but, eluding -him, the figure slid towards the foot of the bed, -and melted away. He felt a strange anxiety; -but his thoughts immediately turned to the -Countess (Lady Anne Percy), who was then at -Networth with her father, the Earl of -Northumberland, and thither he immediately repaired. -On his arrival a footman met him on the staircase, -with a packet directed to him from his lady; -whom he found with her sister, the Countess of -Essex, and a Mrs. Ramsay. He was asked why -he had come so suddenly. He told his motive, -his alarm and anxiety; and, on perusing the -letter in the sealed packet, he found that the -countess had written to him, requesting his -return; "as she had seen a thing in white, with a -black face, by her bedside." These apparitions -were identically the same in appearance, and -were seen by the earl and countess <i>at the same -moment</i>, though they were in two places forty -miles apart. No catastrophe followed. The -earl, however, survived his lady, and lived till the -year 1713. -</p> - -<p> -In the <i>St. James's Chronicle</i> for 1762 we find -a strange story of an apparition being the means -of revealing a murder, and bringing the guilty -parties to the fatal tree at Tyburn. The -narrative was said to have been found among the -legal papers of a counsellor of the Middle Temple, -then recently deceased. -</p> - -<p> -"In the year 1668 a young gentleman of the -West Country, named Stobbine, came to London, -and soon after, as ill luck would have it, he -wedded a wife of Wapping, the youngest daughter -of a Mrs. Alceald; and in the space of fifteen -months the providence of God sent them a -daughter, which (<i>sic</i>) was left under the care of -the grandmother, the husband and his wife -retiring to their house in the country." -</p> - -<p> -In 1676, when the daughter was six years old, -Mrs. Alceald died, and the child was sent home, -and remained there till 1679, when a -Mrs. Myltstre, her maternal aunt, "having greatly -increased her means, forsook the canaille and low -habitations of Wapping, came into a polite part -of the town, took a house among people of -quality, and set up for a woman of fashion," and -thither did she invite the Stobbines and their -daughter to spend the winter with her. Among -her visitors were her husband's brother, who had -the title or rank of captain, and who seems to -have been a bully and gamester—a "blood," in a -flowing wig and laced coat—and there was -another relation, who practised as an apothecary. -</p> - -<p> -All these five persons dined together on the -birthday of the little girl Stobbine, when a -terrible catastrophe ensued. In a spirit of play, -it was presumed, she took up a sword that was in -the room, and pointing it at Mr. Stobbine, cried, -"Stick him, stick him!" -</p> - -<p> -"What!" said he, "would you stab your father?" -</p> - -<p> -"You are not my father; but Captain Myltstre is." -</p> - -<p> -Her father, upon this, boxed her ears, and was -instantly run through the body by the captain. -"Down he dropped," we are told, and then his -wife, her sister, the captain, and the apothecary, -all trampled upon him till he was quite dead, -and interring him secretly, gave out that he had -returned to the West Country. Time passed on, -and though inquiries were made, and messengers -sent after the missing Stobbine, he was heard of -no more for a time. His daughter was sent to a -distant school, and her mother, "who pretended -to go distracted, was sent to a village a few miles -out of town, where the captain had a pretty little -box for his convenience." -</p> - -<p> -A memory of the terrible scene she had -witnessed haunted the daughter, she had nightly -horrible dreams and frights, to the terror of a -young lady who slept with her; and she always -alleged that a spectre haunted her, a spectre -visible to her only, and on these occasions she -would exclaim, with every manifestation of -horror, -</p> - -<p> -"There is a spirit in the room! It is -Mr. Stobbine's spirit. Oh, how terrible it looks!" -</p> - -<p> -These appearances and her paroxysms led to -an inquiry before a justice of the peace; and -without any warning given, the whole of the -guilty parties were apprehended and committed -to the Gate-house, tried at the Old Bailey, "and -condemned, to the entire satisfaction of the -county, the court, and all present." -</p> - -<p> -After this, Stobbine's troubled spirit appeared -no more. Mrs. Myltstre was hanged, and her -body was thrown into the gully-hole near her old -house in Wapping; Mrs. Stobbine was strangled -and burned. The captain and the apothecary -were hanged at Tyburn, and the latter was -anatomized; and so ended this tragedy. -</p> - -<p> -Another remarkable detection of murder -through the alleged appearance of a ghost, -occurred in 1724. -</p> - -<p> -A farmer, returning homeward from Southam -market in Warwickshire, disappeared by the -way. Next day a man presented himself at the -farmhouse, and asked of the wife if her husband -had come back. -</p> - -<p> -"No," she replied; "and I am under the utmost -anxiety and terror." -</p> - -<p> -"Your terror," said he, "cannot surpass mine; -for last night as I lay in bed, quite awake, the -apparition of your poor husband appeared to me. -He showed me several ghastly stabs in his body, -which is now lying in a marl-pit." -</p> - -<p> -The pit was searched, the corpse was found, -and the stabs, in number and position, answered -in every way to the description given by the -ghost-seer, to whom the spectre had named a -certain man as the culprit; and this person was -committed to prison and brought to trial at -Warwick for the crime, before a jury and the -Lord Chief Justice, Sir Robert (afterwards Lord) -Raymond, who was succeeded in 1733 by Sir -Philip Yorke. The jury would speedily have -brought in a verdict of guilty; but he checked -them by saying, -</p> - -<p> -"Gentlemen, you lay more stress on the allegations -of this apparition than they will bear. -I cannot give credit to these kind of stories. We -are now in a court of law, and must determine -according to it; and I know not of any law which -will admit of the testimony of an apparition; -nor yet if it did, doth the ghost appear to give -evidence. Crier," he added, "call the ghost." -</p> - -<p> -The farmer's spirit being thrice summoned in -vain, Sir Robert again addressed the jury on the -hitherto unblemished character of the man -accused, and stoutly asserted a belief in his perfect -innocence; adding, "I do strongly suspect that -the gentleman who saw the apparition was -himself the murderer, and knew all about the stabs -and the marl-pit without any supernatural -assistance; hence I deem myself justified in committing -him to close custody till further inquiries are -made." -</p> - -<p> -The result of these was, that on searching his -house sufficient proofs of his guilt were found; -he confessed his crime, and was executed at the -next assize. -</p> - -<p> -In the list of the officers of the 33rd Regiment, -when serving under Lord Cornwallis in America, -and then called the 1st West York, will be found -the names of Captain (afterwards Sir John Coape) -Sherbrooke and Lieutenant George Wynward. -The former had recently joined the 33rd from the -4th, or King's Own Regiment. These young -men, being similar in tastes and very attached -friends, spent much of their time in each other's -society, and when off duty were seldom apart. -One evening Sherbrooke was in Wynward's -quarters. The room in which they were seated -had two doors, one that led into the common -passage of the officers' barrack, the other into -Wynward's bedroom, from which there was no -other mode of egress. -</p> - -<p> -Both officers were engaged in study, till -Sherbrooke, on raising his eyes from a book, suddenly -saw a young man about twenty years of age -open the entrance door and advance into the -room. The lad looked pale, ghastly, and thin, -as if in the last stage of a mortal malady. -Startled and alarmed, Captain Sherbrooke -called Wynward's attention to their noiseless -visitor; and the moment the lieutenant saw -him he became ashy white and incapable of -speech, and, ere he could recover, the figure -passed them both and entered the bedroom. -</p> - -<p> -"Good God—my poor brother!" exclaimed Wynward. -</p> - -<p> -"Your brother!" repeated Sherbrooke in great -perplexity. "There must be some mistake in -all this. Follow me." -</p> - -<p> -They entered the little bedroom—it was -tenantless; and Sherbrooke's agitation was certainly -not soothed by Wynward expressing his conviction -that from the first he believed they had seen -a spectre; and they mutually took note of the -day and hour at which this inexplicable affair -occurred. Wynward at times tried to persuade -himself that they might have been duped by the -practical joke of some brother officer; yet his -mind was evidently so harassed by it, that when -he related what had occurred, all had the good -taste to withhold comments, and to await with -interest the then slow arrival of the English -mails. When the latter came, there were -missives for every officer in the regiment except -Wynward, whose hopes began to rise; but there -was one solitary letter for Sherbrooke, which he -had no sooner read than he changed colour and -left the mess table. Ere long he returned and -said, -</p> - -<p> -"Wynward's younger brother is actually no -more!" The whole contents of his note were as -follows: "Dear John, break to your friend -Wynward the death of his favourite brother." -</p> - -<p> -He had died at the very moment the apparition -had appeared in that remote Canadian -barrack. Strange though the story, the veracity -of the witnesses was unimpeachable; and -Arch-deacon Wrangham alludes to it in his edition of -Plutarch, who, like Pliny the younger, believed -in spectres. Of Wynward, we only know that -he was out of the regiment soon after his -brother's death; and of Sherbrooke, that he -lived to see the three days of Waterloo, became -Colonel of the 33rd, Commander of the Forces in -North America, and died a General and G.C.B. -</p> - -<p> -Prior to accompanying his regiment, the 92nd -Highlanders, in the Waterloo campaign, the -famous Colonel John Cameron, of Fassifern, a grandson -of the Lochiel of the "Forty-five," dined with -Lieutenant-colonel Simon Macdonell, of Morar, -who had formerly been in the corps when it was -embodied at Aberdeen as the old 100th, or -Gordon Highlanders. On the occasion of this -farewell dinner there were present other officers of -the regiment, some of whom died very recently, -and it occurred in the house of Morar, at Arasaig, -a wild part of Ardnamurchan, on the western -coast of Inverness-shire. -</p> - -<p> -As the guests were passing from the drawing-room -towards the dining-room, old Colonel -Macdonell courteously paused to usher in -Cameron before him, and in doing so he was observed -to stagger and become pale, while placing his -hands before his face, as if to hide something -that terrified him. Cameron saw nothing of this, -though others did; and all were aware that -subsequently, during dinner, their host seemed -disconcerted and "out of sorts." -</p> - -<p> -Those unbidden visions known as the <i>taisch</i>, -or second-sight, were alleged to be hereditary in -the family of Morar; and hence when Cameron -fell at Quatre Bras a few weeks afterwards, the -old Colonel asserted solemnly, that at the -moment when Cameron passed before him he -saw his figure suddenly become enveloped in a -dark shroud, which had blood-gouts upon it -about the region of the heart; but no shroud -enveloped the gallant Cameron when his foster-brother -buried him in the <i>allée verte</i> of Brussels, -where his body lay for six months, till it was -brought home to Kilmalie, and buried under a -monument on which is an inscription penned by -Scott. -</p> - -<p> -One of the latest testimonies of the existence -of a spiritual world is that given in the <i>Life and -Times of Henry Lord Brougham</i>, written by himself. -</p> - -<p> -In volume first, he tells us that after he left -the High School of Edinburgh to attend the -University, one of his most intimate friends -there was a Mr. G——, with whom, in their -solitary walks in the neighbourhood of the city, -he frequently discussed and speculated on the -immortality of the soul, the possibility of ghosts -walking abroad, and of the dead appearing to the -living; and they actually committed the folly of -drawing up an agreement, written mutually <i>with -their blood</i>, to the effect, "that whichever died -first should appear to the other, and thus solve -any doubts entertained of the life after death." -</p> - -<p> -G—— went to India, and after the lapse of a -few years Brougham had almost forgotten his -existence, when one day in winter—the 19th -of December—as he was indulging in the half -sleepy luxury of a warm bath, he turned to the -chair on which he had deposited his clothes, and -thereon sat his old college-chum G——, looking -him coolly, quietly, and sadly in the face. Lord -Brougham adds that he swooned, and found -himself lying on the floor. He noted the -circumstance, believing it to be all a dream, and yet, -when remembering the compact, he could not -discharge from his mind a dread that G—— -must have died, and that his appearance even in -a dream, was to be received as a proof of a -future state. Sixty-three years afterwards the -veteran statesman and lawyer appends the -following note to this story of the apparition: -</p> - -<p> -"Brougham, Oct. 16, 1862.—I have just been -copying out from my journal the account of this -strange dream, <i>certissima mortis imago</i>. Soon -after my return there arrived a letter from India -announcing G——'s death, and stating that he -died on the 19th of December! Singular -coincidence! Yet when one reflects on the vast -number of dreams which night after night pass -through our brains, the number of coincidences -between the vision and the event are perhaps -fewer and less remarkable than a fair calculation -of chances would warrant us to expect." -</p> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<p class="t3"> -THE END. -</p> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<p class="t4"> -BILLING, PRINTER, GUILDFORD, SURREY. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br><br></p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE QUEEN'S CADET AND OTHER TALES ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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