f-, 
 o 
 
 ^/2&iA&nJ 
 
ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE; 
 
 S U V E N I E S 
 
 CONNECTED WITH 
 
 THIKTY YEAES' SERVICE. 
 
 BY 
 
 LIEUT.-COL. a. POULETT CAMERON, 
 
 C.B. K.C.T.S. &c. &c. 
 
 AUTHOR OF ADVENTURES AND EXCURSIONS IN GEORGIA, CIRCASSIA, 
 AND RUSSIA. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 G. COX, 18, KING STREET, COVENT GARDEN. 
 1853. 
 
6 
 
 HENRY MORSE. STEFHEt 
 
 LONDON : 
 . CLAY, PBINPER, BREAD STREET HILL. 
 
INTRODUCTION, 
 
 THERE are few persons who, after a stirring and 
 active life of upwards of a quarter of a century, 
 no matter to what profession they may belong, 
 as the course of life advances, do not frequently 
 glance back upon many events connected with 
 their past career, with a mixture of feelings it 
 would be difficult to describe. This observation 
 the more particularly applies to persons belonging 
 to the " United Service;" and were many of the 
 reminiscences and occurrences in life of those of 
 its members who have passed through a period of 
 service even comparatively of the tamest and most 
 commonplace character revealed, it is beyond all 
 question that some history or event possessed of 
 more than ordinary interest would be found en* 
 gendered in its relation. 
 
 514775 
 
iv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 In the following pages my object is to give an 
 outline of incidents that have occurred, either 
 under my own observation, or of narratives that 
 have been imparted to me by brother officers and 
 others, my companions in many wild and stirring 
 adventures ; the whole forming a melange of sketches 
 of travel, history, descriptive scenes, and anecdote, 
 the mere etchings of a wanderer, relative to the 
 various climes and countries in which the course of 
 military service, employment of a special nature 
 or other circumstances, may have led him. 
 
 As the early period of my life was passed in 
 India, during which time opportunities presented 
 themselves of traversing nearly the whole of that 
 vast empire, I have commenced my narrative with 
 a few passages regarding that country. The tragic 
 event that forms the subject of the first chapter 
 occurred two or three years previous to my landing 
 on its shores; but a century must elapse before the 
 sickening horror it occasioned will have wholly 
 passed away from the minds of the people in the 
 provinces where it took place, who revert to the 
 subject but to curse with all the intensity of 
 Oriental hatred those who were parties to the deed, 
 
INTRODUCTION. V 
 
 in which they do not scruple to include the British 
 Government, from the protection, or at least indul- 
 gence, they extended to the perpetrators. 
 
 In a prefatory note to the extraordinary and 
 eventful narrative, given under the name of Har- 
 court, I have mentioned that I am indebted for the 
 details it contains, to a brother officer with whom 
 I was formerly associated on a particular service, 
 A period of twelve years has elapsed since he 
 imparted to me the incidents it embodies, but in 
 the early part of 1850, I saw in an English 
 newspaper, an extract from a French Official 
 Journal, published by order of the Judicial Tri- 
 bunal in one of the Northern Departments (in all 
 probability for the purpose of affording general 
 information upon the subject, to enable any other 
 claimants that might be in existence to come 
 forward), stating, that. demands had been made, 
 and inquiries instituted by distant relatives, (or 
 foreigners who declared themselves to be such,) 
 regarding several large sums of money, and other 
 funds, derived from the property of an officer, who 
 had served in the armies of France with con- 
 siderable distinction tip to the period of the 
 
vi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Consulate, when, owing to a domestic calamity of 
 a frightful and most painful nature, which en- 
 tailed the necessity of his being confined in a 
 Maison de Sant, from which he subsequently 
 succeeded in escaping, the amount in question, no 
 one coming forward to establish any right to its 
 succession, had been appropriated by the Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 An additional note gave a slight biographical 
 memoir, containing an outline of the singular 
 vicissitudes which had attended the varied exist- 
 ence of the officer alluded to. It sketched briefly 
 his career under Napoleon, glanced but slightly 
 at the interval which elapsed between his leaving 
 the French service, and proceeding to India, as a 
 period of which very little with any degree of 
 certainty was known, and terminated with a detail 
 of several eventful circumstances, which distin- 
 guished the short time he remained in that 
 country ; his storming the hill fortress, and release 
 of the captives it contained, the sudden, and 
 bitter, and persevering enmity of the Mahratta 
 ruler towards him, his concealment in the very 
 Zenana of the Kajah, and subsequent marriage 
 
INTRODUCTION. Vll 
 
 with the high-born Rajahpootne' Princess, who at 
 the risk of her own life, had preserved his, her 
 early death, and his eventual disappearance, from 
 which date, though it was known he had survived 
 for several years afterwards, no authentic informa- 
 tion was ever obtained as to what was his actual 
 fate. 
 
 In perusing the narrative I have submitted to 
 him, the reader will in all probability arrive at a 
 similar conclusion to myself, namely, that the facts 
 and circumstances alluded to are the same as 
 those on which it is founded, and relate to the 
 singular fortunes of the individual whose history 
 it is intended to pourtray. 
 
 In submitting this little volume to the Public, I 
 trust I may be pardoned for intimating in conclu- 
 sion, that if the narration of the facts and incidents 
 it contains is found to merit a sufficient degree of 
 interest and attention, a further series will be 
 hereafter added to those at present given. 
 
 G. P. C. 
 
 GORITZ, ILLYEIA, 
 
 10th July, 1853. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 KlSHEN KOWER 1 
 
 THE OUTLAW 24 
 
 A TOUR THROUGH THE DfiCCAN 68 
 
 THE BHEEL 89 
 
 HARCOURT . . 102 
 
f o/wv*y f i 
 
 of Iflmtarij 
 
 KISHEN KOWER; 
 
 OB, THE MAID OF ODEYPOOR. 
 
 NEVER were the fatal effects of feudal warfare so 
 dreadfully felt by a wretched peasantry as at the 
 period of 18 . The once flourishing country of 
 Rajapootana was almost a desert ; the contest was 
 still undecided, and appeared to have the effect 
 of ruining both parties, without determining the 
 superiority of either. The powerful states of 
 Joudpoor and Jeypoor had for centuries been 
 engaged in a constant state of hostility, which, 
 though checked and restrained by the power and 
 vigour of the Mogul emperors, often showed 
 itself in acts of the greatest violence, and most 
 sanguinary conflicts. 
 
 On the present occasion, the war was carried on 
 with an animosity and bitterness of hatred, that 
 the distracted state of the country unfortunately 
 
2 ' 1 . BOKAftPB OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 gave them but; loo; rjiany opportunities of exer- 
 cising : depredations and' inroads were made by 
 one party into the country of the other; towns 
 and villages burnt and plundered, and the people 
 slaughtered, quarter on either side never being 
 asked for or obtained ! The cause of the present 
 contest between the two Rajahs was the hand of 
 Kishen Kower, the daughter of the Rana of 
 Odeypoor, a princess described by every Hindoo 
 minstrel and historian as a being of such perfect 
 loveliness, that in comparison the beauty of the 
 celebrated Jayadevi* was as a mountain rivulet to 
 the holy Gunga ! f In point of courage, activity, 
 and military knowledge, perhaps Maun Sing, the 
 Rajah of Joudpoor, possessed the advantage over 
 his rival ; this, however, was more than counter- 
 balanced by Jugguth Sing, the Prince of Jeypoor, 
 having engaged the notorious Ameer Khan, at the 
 head of a numerous and desperate body of Patans, 
 to espouse his quarrel. 
 
 A series of bloody but indecisive battles, with 
 the ruined and desolate appearance which both 
 
 * Jayadevi, the daughter of Jy Sing, Rajah of Kanooj, the 
 subject of many a minstrel's tale and lay, was eagerly sought for 
 in marriage by the Princes of Hindostan. Prithee Lai, the 
 young and gallant Rajah of Delhi, to whom she was passionately 
 attached, decided the contest by carrying her off ! 
 
 t Ganges. 
 
KISHEN KOWER. 3 
 
 countries now exhibited, rendered it advisable, 
 however unwilling both parties may have been to 
 such a termination, that peace should be concluded 
 on any terms, in preference to the utter depopulation 
 of the whole country, and rendering it a complete 
 desert, which, if the struggle lasted but even a 
 short time longer, would inevitably be its fate ! 
 Ameer Khan also, finding no further plunder was 
 to be obtained, and extremely solicitous regarding 
 the arrears of pay due to his troops, which unless 
 quiet was restored he was well aware never could 
 be paid, was urgent for peace : but now that the 
 contest had reached its present height, how was it 
 to be effected? 
 
 It was on a cold, bright, moonlight evening in 
 December, in the year above mentioned, that a 
 solitary horseman arrived at a small choultry,* 
 three miles distant from the village of Koora. 
 Not a single tree was visible, and rich and fertile 
 as the soil undoubtedly was, it lay uncultivated, 
 while the bones of men and horses scattered 
 around, intermixed occasionally with the frag- 
 ments of spear, and sabre, and broken matchlocks, 
 afforded melancholy proofs of its having been the 
 field of one of the late desperate conflicts between 
 the two belligerents. 
 
 * Place of reception for travellers, 
 
4 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 The horseman had no sooner arrived, than 
 dismounting, and tying his horse to one of the 
 pillars of the building, he cast a scrutinising and 
 somewhat anxious glance into the interior, as if 
 in search of some object or person it contained, 
 and then, as if disappointed, commenced slowly 
 pacing up and down in front of his charger. At 
 times he stopped and appeared buried in profound 
 thought ; the moon, which shone with the brilliancy 
 of an eastern hemisphere, disclosing in the person 
 of the stranger, a tall, and apparently stout, and 
 powerfully set man ; his chudder, though folded 
 round his turban, did not conceal his countenance, 
 which was dark, but extremely handsome. A 
 something, however, would have appeared to a keen 
 observer that did not please, a covert sneer, and 
 a perhaps somewhat sinister expression seemed to 
 lurk beneath it: in fact, in no way can I find 
 words to describe it so well as the expression of 
 an Irish officer, who saw him a short time after 
 the incident about to be related took place, and 
 who declared " he never saw so handsome a fellow 
 with such an ugly look /" 
 
 In a short time the neighing of his charger 
 announced the approach of another horseman, who 
 was seen advancing at full speed towards the spot. 
 Hastily examining his pistols, the stranger drew 
 
KISHEN KOWEK. 5 
 
 them from the holsters, and having placed them in 
 his sash, awaited the new arrival. A few minutes 
 brought him to the choultry, when, 
 
 " Ameer Khan!" " Adjeit Sing!" pronounced 
 by each in a low, cautious whisper, proclaimed the 
 mutual recognition. The new-comer was a stout, 
 strongly-built man, inclined to corpulency, the 
 expression of whose countenance was heavy and 
 unintelligent, and on the whole the very reverse of 
 what would have been looked for in a person 
 to whose name is attached the stigma of so many 
 deeds of perfidy and cruelty. The complexion 
 was extremely fair, and the deep black eye round 
 and full, but of the same unmeaning character as 
 the rest of his features. Such is the outline of 
 the celebrated predatory leader, Ameer Khan, 
 whose apologists assert that the crimes imputed to 
 him were committed by his troops, which he at all 
 times possessed inclination, but wanted the power 
 to restrain. 
 
 " Adjeit Sing," said the latter, " by the soul of 
 the Prophet, well met. I have attended your 
 summons, and " 
 
 " Before we proceed further," said the Rajapoot, 
 abruptly interrupting his companion, " do me the 
 favour to follow me a few steps ; conferences of 
 this nature," he added as he proceeded eighty or 
 
6 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 a hundred yards from the building, to a spot 
 where it was utterly impossible they could be 
 overheard, " should never be held where there is 
 any chance, however remote, of a third party being 
 present. And now, Ameer Khan," he concluded, 
 as he stopped short, and looked stedfastly in the 
 face of his confederate, " what I have to commu- 
 nicate is of a nature that three words will suffice to 
 explain ALL is LOST!" 
 
 " How, when?" said the Mussulman aghast. 
 
 " Simply this the Rana is inflexible ; the Eajah 
 of Kooradoor, Sugeram Sing, by what means I 
 know not, has obtained information of what our 
 intentions are ; his own bands are already in the 
 saddle, and he is urging him at once to decide in 
 favour of one of the rival princes, who, aided by 
 the troops of Odeypoor, will soon terminate the 
 contest; so that unless some measures are taken, 
 and those of a decided nature, my head falls, and 
 you will be driven back to your barren plains 
 of Afghanistan, if indeed the British Govern- 
 ment do not prevent the necessity of such a move- 
 ment." 
 
 " And this," said Ameer Khan, " is the result 
 of your boasted influence over the Rana?" 
 
 ."I perhaps was wrong," said Adjeit Sing, 
 coolly, " in supposing he actually had one feeling, 
 
KISHEN KOWER. 7 
 
 possessed even by the wild beasts of the forest, 
 a regard for his own offspring. But instead of 
 idling away time in useless recrimination, let us 
 devise some expedient to extricate ourselves from 
 our present predicament." 
 
 " By the beard of the Prophet," said Ameer 
 Khan, " nothing can I think of: my followers are 
 already in a state of open mutiny, and if the money 
 is not very shortly forthcoming, in their present 
 humour they might perchance mistake the country 
 of Odeypoor for their own, and exercise their 
 rights accordingly." 
 
 " And much that would avail them, opposed in 
 their present rabble state, with their half-starved 
 horses, to men led by such a soldier as Sugeram 
 Sing, not to mention the probability, even sup- 
 posing he were worsted, of his calling upon the 
 British officer commanding the troops encamped 
 
 at M , who, I have good reason to know, has 
 
 received the orders of his Government to march at 
 his requisition." He paused for a moment, and 
 scanned the countenance of his companion with 
 intense eagerness, when, perceiving his words had 
 produced the desired effect, he continued, " Come, 
 my friend, we understand each other, the districts 
 you have promised, my office of Dewan,* and 
 
 * Chief Minister. 
 
8 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 even life itself is forfeited, should our plans be 
 discovered before they are ripe for execution." 
 
 " But how, in the name of Eblis, has this sudden 
 turn occurred?" 
 
 " Listen, and you shall hear. We both thought 
 we had a weak, imbecile old man to contend with, 
 to whom we need only make a proposition, no 
 matter of what nature, to have it acceded to. 
 When, after reverting to the probability of the 
 utter extinction of the Rajapoot name and honour, 
 if the present contest continued, I hinted at the 
 death of his daughter as the only way of ter- 
 minating it, I wish you had seen him, by 
 Ishwar! it seemed as if the slumbering spirit of 
 fourscore years had been aroused, and started up 
 in that one single moment. ' Adjeit Sing/ said 
 the old man, ' is it thus thou treatest thine over- 
 indulgent sovereign, and proposest to him the 
 death of the child of his bosom ? he who hath 
 made thee what thou art, and hath so often 
 shielded thee from thy deserved portion death? 
 Out from my sight, thou man of blood ! 1 am old 
 and feeble but mark me, the avenger is not far 
 distant ! .' The spirit of death itself, indeed, ap- 
 peared to speak from the mouth of the old man. 
 I retired from his presence, and a short time 
 afterwards was informed of a despatch having 
 

 KISHEN KOWER. 9 
 
 been sent off to Sugeram Sing of Kooradoor, to 
 raise his followers, and come at their head to the 
 Durbar* to-morrow, for what purpose I am too 
 well assured: it was to tell thee this my signet 
 reached you. And now for our plans to counteract 
 the doom that is about to descend on our heads." 
 
 Ameer Khan looked blank with dismay, as he 
 replied falteringly, " What can be done at this short 
 warning, far surpasses my ability to conceive." 
 
 " A truly wise and sagacious leader is he," said 
 the Rajapoot chieftain with a sneer, " who, because 
 his spear misses at the first cast, gives up the 
 attempt ! But answer me ; know you not of another 
 Eajapoot female in the Anderoonf of the Rana?" 
 
 " None that I am aware of, unless it is the old 
 Chand Bhye,J in whom Alia in his wisdom has 
 vested the soul of Eblis, as some amends for the 
 female spirit with which he has imbued her 
 brother ; but she, methinks, is not likely at three- 
 score years of age to be accepted as a substitute 
 for the young Peri ? " 
 
 "It is to her that I allude, and she may be of 
 more service to us in this matter than you are 
 aware of. You are right in the conclusion you 
 have drawn regarding her; whatever her brother the 
 
 * Court or Council. f Haram, or female apartments. 
 
 + Princess. 
 
10 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 Eana lacks of the old Kajapoot spirit is more than 
 compensated by what she possesses; haughty, 
 high-minded, with a blind devotion to all the 
 customs and manners of her race, to her we must 
 trust for the accomplishment of our plans : the 
 princess, too, herself, is not deficient in a high, 
 visionary sense of honour ; and this feeling, worked 
 upon by her aunt, will in all probability prove 
 successful." He took a few turns, and then again 
 stopped short, and addressing his companion, said 
 in a low, suppressed voice, " To-morrow our des- 
 tinies will be decided ; long before the time for the 
 assembly of the Durbar I will see her." 
 
 "But what," said Ameer Khan hesitatingly, 
 "if she will not drink the potion?" 
 
 "Then," returned the Rajapoot fiercely, "my 
 dagger must speed the business ONE of us must 
 perish !" 
 
 With a cold thrill of mingled joy and horror, 
 the Mussulman saw the traitor depart, and shortly 
 after, mounting his horse, returned to his own 
 camp. 
 
 The sun rose with his usual splendour, and as 
 its rays pierced the apartments of the Zenana 
 appropriated to the young princess, it beheld her 
 descend to the gardens of the palace to which they 
 
KISHEN KOWEK. 11 
 
 adjoined. It was impossible to conceive a creature 
 more beautiful, or one who walked in such unparal- 
 leled loveliness, the half opened, rich, full coral 
 lip disclosed two rows of teeth, that rivalled in 
 whiteness the ivory of the desert, or the pearls of 
 Bassein ; while her full, large, dark eye excelled in 
 tenderness and expression the antelope of Yemen ;* 
 her hair falling in clusters of jetty and luxuriant 
 tresses down her neck and shoulders, completed the 
 picture of the Eastern beauty. She was deadly 
 pale, and though somewhat calmed by the cold of 
 the morning air, still exhibited the agitation of a 
 person suffering from overwrought excitement. 
 
 This had been caused by a fearful dream the 
 night before, in which the goddess Mahadevi had 
 appeared to her, and in a dark and threatening 
 manner had announced an appalling and dreadful 
 doom as hovering over the whole family, unless 
 some propitiatory blood-offering was tendered on 
 her altars. As she wandered mid the shrubs and 
 flowers her thoughts reverted to the contest between 
 the two Rajahs for her hand, and the disastrous 
 consequences which had followed, some of the par- 
 ticulars of which had reached her, could she be 
 the sacrifice required by the Divinity for its termi- 
 nation ? She thought of her kind and affectionate 
 
 * Arabia Felix. 
 
12 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 father, of his brave and gallant nobles, and of his 
 loyal and chivalrous people, who would spurn the 
 execrable superstition. Reassured by these reflec- 
 tions, after a short ramble she returned to the 
 palace. 
 
 Seated in her luxuriant bower, adorned by her 
 doting parent with all the art and ornament of 
 Frangestan, while singing some of the wild songs 
 of her native hills, accompanying the melody of 
 her voice with the soft sweet notes of the kanioon,* 
 the princess was roused by an approaching foot- 
 step, she listened, a suppressed whisper was heard, 
 and the opening door gave entrance to her aunt, 
 the Chand By he, followed by the Dewan, Adjeit 
 Sing ! A feeling of dread, so often undefinable to 
 the many who experience it, shot across the unfor- 
 tunate girl as she beheld these ministers of evil. 
 
 Stern resolution, fixed and immovable, was pic- 
 tured in the eye of the elder princess, whose stately, 
 upright figure, unbent by age, and firm step, (the 
 which, had it not been for her hair of almost silvery 
 whiteness, would have led the spectator to have 
 supposed her at least thirty years younger,) formed 
 a singular contrast to the haggard look and 
 tottering step of her powerful and muscular com- 
 
 panion ! 
 
 * A kind of guitar. 
 
KISHEN KOWER. 13 
 
 As Kishen Kower gazed from one to the other, 
 and with a look of soul-moving 'entreaty towards 
 the chieftain to supplicate for his protection, which 
 not even the tiger of the forest could have dis- 
 regarded, her aunt advanced towards her, and 
 removing a cloth from a small covered tray which 
 the Dewan carried, disclosed a bowl and dagger ! 
 
 " Daughter of the Sun," said the Bhye in a firm 
 "but hollow tone, "at whose birth Adversity presided, 
 'tis thine to save from extinction the race of thy 
 divine ancestry; better that one life, though so be- 
 loved, should be sacrificed, than that Brahma's 
 chosen race upon earth should be exterminated!" 
 Adjeit Sing fixed his eyes upon his victim with 
 the deadly gaze of the rattle-snake, as he waited 
 her reply. " Dost thou hesitate, girl?" continued 
 the Bhye, fiercely, " Choose, degenerate minion ! 
 and that quickly." 
 
 "For mercy, mercy!" shrieked the unhappy 
 victim, " grant me but one short hour's respite, and 
 let me see my father." 
 
 " Thy father, " returned her aunt, " the dege- 
 nerate Eajapoot, the imbecile sovereign, the pitiful 
 representative of a long line of divine warriors, call 
 not upon him, thy hour is come ! " 
 
 " Yet hear me, cruel as thou art, let me but take 
 leave of my father my kind, indulgent father 
 
14 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 and then if my life can in any way benefit my race, 
 let it be given up." The Bhye paused irresolutely, 
 and looked towards the minister. 
 
 " Never," he exclaimed with ferocity, " never ! 
 what must be done, must be done speedily." 
 
 " Adjeit Sing, my father's favourite, and my 
 unprovoked enemy, you whom your sovereign has 
 loaded with honours, and exalted above his nobles, 
 what require you at my hands?" 
 
 " Your life," he said, with the same gloomy 
 fierceness, at the same time grasping the hilt of his 
 dagger, his fiend-like purpose utterly unmoved by 
 this pathetic appeal of his unfortunate victim. 
 
 " My child," said the Bhye with more gentle- 
 ness, but in the same firm tone she had hitherto 
 used, " the cause, however innocent, of this bloody 
 war, your evil destiny prevails, and you MUST die 
 there is no alternative : but remember the glories 
 of our race, and let not the vile passion Fear the 
 coward's portion disturb the few remaining mi- 
 nutes you have left." 
 
 "And is there no hope, no help near, Adjeit 
 Sing?" said the unhappy young girl, turning to 
 the minister: " art thou a father? hast thou any 
 children that look up to thee ? think, then, upon 
 what you would suffer were they to be torn from 
 you." She raised her streaming eyes to heaven as 
 
KISHEN KOWEE. 15 
 
 she concluded this appeal, which touched even his 
 obdurate heart. " Will you," she continued im- 
 ploringly, " consign to destruction one who never 
 injured you, the daughter of your sovereign? he 
 will require my blood at your hands, and though 
 old and feeble, still prove capable of avenging me. 
 Even should he fail," she continued with more 
 energy for a portion of the spirit of the haughty 
 race from which she drew her birth animated even 
 her gentle nature " some nobles of the Eajapoot 
 race will still be found who will not let this stigma 
 rest upon the name of the children of the Sun 
 unrequited." 
 
 A distant trampling of horse struck upon the 
 ear. " He is come ! now, or I am lost," exclaimed 
 the Dewan, as, rushing towards the unfortunate 
 princess, he brandished the dagger aloft. She 
 eluded his grasp, and shrieked for help, but Adjeit 
 Sing had previously removed all the guards to 
 a distance ; he seized her, the weapon was de- 
 scending, when by a desperate effort she extricated 
 herself from his hold ! 
 
 " Stop ! " she exclaimed, despair at length as- 
 suming its sway, while the flush of maddened fever 
 overspread her hitherto pallid countenance : " since 
 my fate is sealed, and I must die, let it be in a 
 manner worthy of my race: give me the cup." 
 
16 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 Her aunt advanced, and placed it in her hand, it 
 shook not ; whatever fear may have previously 
 possessed her, it now appeared to have subsided ; 
 she fixed her eyes upon them, the flush had dis- 
 appeared, and given way to more than her former 
 paleness ! " This, then, is the marriage to which 
 I was foredoomed, and this will be my bridal bed. 
 To you" addressing her aunt, " who are the cause 
 of my death from a mistaken sense of honour, I 
 pray that the great Brahma in his mercy may 
 extend his forgiveness. To you" looking towards 
 Adjeit Sing, " who cut short the life of an innocent 
 person who never injured you, the daughter of 
 the man to whom you owe everything in life ; to 
 you I leave the pangs of your own feelings as your 
 greatest punishment, and the fittest retribution. 
 Now, farewell to life farewell, oh! my father." 
 She raised the cup to her lips, and draining it to 
 the very bottom, almost immediately fell senseless 
 on the rich Persian carpet ! 
 
 The actors in this execrable business gazed first 
 on their hapless victim, and then on each other as 
 they hastily quitted the apartment, with mixed, 
 and very different feelings : on the harsh and in- 
 flexible features of the Bhye a degree of emotion 
 and sorrow might be traced, rarely, perhaps never 
 before, perceptible in that stern and forbidding 
 
KISHEN KOWER. 17 
 
 countenance; while a feeling of joy, mingled too late 
 with the bitterest feelings of remorse, found its way 
 to the heart of the cruel, ambitious minister. 
 
 There was a slight convulsive shudder, a faint 
 groan, and with a smile that irradiated her inno- 
 cent, angelic countenance, the pure spirit of the 
 unhappy victim escaped its earthly tenement, 
 and she lay a corpse ! The slave who first entered 
 the apartment, said, that during her life-time her 
 young and beautiful mistress had never appeared 
 so lovely, which made her at first inclined to dis- 
 believe the report of her death, and imagine she 
 was in a profound sleep, though three or four hours 
 afterwards the body changed colour, and was 
 covered with red and black spots, which left no 
 doubt as to the mode of her death. 
 
 A dead silence prevailed throughout the wide 
 and populous city : men gazed mournfully at each 
 other, but spoke not a word ; the shops were shut, 
 the bazaars and public places deserted, it seemed 
 as if some great national calamity had occurred ! 
 Begirt by his chieftains and nobles, the Rana sat 
 in the chamber where the Durbar held its meetings, 
 and here the same death-like silence prevailed. 
 The countenance of the Prince exhibited the ap- 
 pearance of the most perfect idiocy, the dreadful 
 c 
 
18 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 intelligence having proved too much for his reason 
 to sustain ; while in the features of those around, a 
 struggle of conflicting passions might be traced, 
 fear, distrust, and indignation mingling in the 
 breasts of some of the most daring, with the fierce 
 burning of revenge. 
 
 Adjeit Sing sat on the right of the Rana, his 
 countenance fixed on the ground, wearing an as- 
 sumed expression of humility and sorrow, though 
 the glance of exultation which at intervals flashed 
 from his eye expressed how ill the dissimulation 
 was sustained. 
 
 A heavy tread, as of some one approaching, was 
 the prelude to the entrance of a noble, martial^- 
 looking figure, on whose gallant bearing it was 
 impossible to gaze without awe and admiration. 
 His age might be about fifty; his fierce, dilating 
 eye, firm and haughty step, as he strode into the 
 hall, his erect, martial, and muscular built form, 
 showed him as a person of no common description ; 
 his dress was perfectly plain, without any ornament, 
 but the pistols arid dagger in his belt, with his 
 shield and sabre, were of the most splendid and 
 costly eastern manufacture, richly mounted in gold, 
 and inlaid with precious stones. He cast a stern 
 glance around, and then walking towards the 
 throne without any of the obeisances required by 
 
KISHEN KOWER. 19 
 
 oriental etiquette, demanded, " Sovereign of Odey- 
 poor, head of the divine race, is it true, what thy 
 people relate, and has the pride and flower of the 
 Eajapoot tribes been sacrificed on the altar of 
 assassination? 17 
 
 The Rana answered not, but turned on him a 
 vacant stare, as if unable to comprehend what was 
 addressed to him ; but the Dewan rising, whilst his 
 eyes glanced with malicious triumph, exclaimed, 
 " Who is it in the house of mourning that intrudes 
 with ill-timed clamour upon the grief of a parent 
 and his children?" 
 
 " Adjeit Sing," said the warrior with contemp- 
 tuous impatience, "it is I, I, Sugeram Sing, of 
 Kooradoor, that put the question, I demand to 
 know if the Princess Kishen Kower, of Odeypoor, 
 is alive?" 
 
 " She is not" said Adjeit Sing in reply, his voice 
 sinking almost to a whisper, while an universal 
 shudder of horror pervaded the whole room; " the 
 princess," he added, in a louder tone, " ever mind- 
 ful of the glory and honour of the Rajapoot race, 
 to prevent its utter extermination, hath undertaken 
 a voluntary death, with the sanction and approba- 
 tion of her father and sovereign." 
 
 " And this is true?" said Sugeram Sing, appeal- 
 ing to the assembly. 
 
20 EOMANCE OF MILITAEY LIFE. 
 
 " It is it is," he was answered throughout. 
 
 For one moment only he seemed paralysed with 
 horror ; in the next, unbuckling his arms, he 
 advanced, and laying them at the foot of the 
 throne, and addressing the Eana, pronounced with 
 stern dignity: " I was not fifteen years of age 
 when I first assumed those arms ; within a year 
 of that period the Affghan leader Affsool Khan 
 fell by my hand ; they were then, as they have 
 ever since been, devoted to your service; they 
 were the grateful tribute of his sovereign to my 
 ancestor, who singled out and slew the ablest 
 general of the great Acbar at Chittore,* in the 
 presence of both armies ; by him were they vowed 
 to the service of his prince and country, and 
 faithfully have his descendants performed that 
 vow. 'Tis past now, and I resign them into the 
 hands of those from whence they were given; 
 my career is ended, and I bid adieu for ever to 
 bright arms and glory : But why upbraid thee, 
 poor, desolate, heart- stricken old man, the mere 
 ool of a villain of the blackest die ! " His eyes 
 glared with fury. " Murderer! " he shouted, as with 
 the sure and deadly spring of the tiger he rushed 
 upon the terror-struck Adjeit Sing, and dragged 
 
 * For an account of this celebrated Siege, see Dow's History 
 of Hindostan. 
 
KISHEN KOWER. 21 
 
 him to the ground, while one universal execration 
 against the homicide echoed through the spacious 
 hall. " I will not kill thee," he continued, as he 
 gazed upon the pallid features of the Dewan ; " no, 
 the honour of the family of Kooradoor would be 
 stained by having the blood of such a miscreant 
 on its hands ; yet hear me" he released the grasp 
 on his throat, and spurned him with his foot 
 " hear me," he continued, " you who have wrought 
 this stigma on the Rajapoot name and honour, and 
 credit my words, for they are as true as if they 
 issued from the mouth of Brahma himself May 
 your life, sleeping or waking, be ever one per- 
 petual source of misery, both to yourself and all 
 connected with you ; may your heart be lacerated 
 by the keenest pangs remorse can inflict ; from 
 henceforth your marriage-bed shall be barren, and 
 your present offspring live but to curse their 
 execrable parent, and die ! " 
 
 He ceased a confused murmur ran through the 
 assembly, but he heeded it not, and turning upon 
 his heel strode out of the room ; the trampling of 
 the horses of his followers shortly after announcing 
 his departure. 
 
 The Rana did not long survive the loss of his 
 daughter, the affairs of his kingdom, from the 
 
22 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 period of her death, being left entirely to his 
 ministers and nobles. 
 
 The contest between the two Eajahs of Jeypoor 
 and Joudpoor, thus checked by the death of the 
 princess, was effectually concluded by the powerful 
 intervention of the British Government. 
 
 Ameer Khan was disappointed in the expecta- 
 tions he had formed upon the death of the princess, 
 by the advance of a British force. He subsequently 
 entered into a treaty, by which he engaged to 
 disband the hordes of predatory horse, of which 
 he was the leader, provided several valuable 
 and extensive districts, which he then held, were 
 secured to him and his descendants in perpetuity. 
 Unaccountable as it mav seem, this was acceded 
 to ; and this man, the most contemptible foe the 
 British Government ever encountered in India, 
 stained with every crime that debases human 
 nature, enjoyed for years the fruits of his villanies, 
 and resided at Tonk Ameerapoora, which he made 
 his capital, and where he subsequently died at an 
 advanced age. 
 
 Sugeram Sing, Raja of Kooradoor, lived to the 
 period of nearly thirty years after the event we 
 have related, but never could be prevailed upon 
 to resume his arms, or take any part in the 
 
KISHEN KOWER. 23 
 
 disturbances of the country. Faithful to his vow, 
 he resided at his hill-fort of Kooradoor, from which 
 he never stirred to mingle in public life, denying 
 himself even the pleasures of the sports of the 
 field. 
 
 Adjeit Sing survived but to experience the truth 
 of the curse pronounced against him. Driven from 
 his office of Dewan, and obliged to live in retire- 
 ment from the horror his presence everywhere 
 excited, he dragged on a wretched existence. His 
 family all died young, with the exception of one 
 son, in whom all his hopes were centered: he, 
 however, regarded his father with abhorrence, and 
 shortly afterwards died suddenly, without any 
 apparent illness. This event, which the super- 
 stitious people regarded as the fulfilment of the 
 award denounced against him for his crimes, proved 
 the death-warrant of the murderer himself, who, 
 haggard and attenuated by long sickness, and 
 gnawed by the acutest pangs of remorse, shortly 
 afterwards expired in the greatest agonies of mind 
 and body, the subject of universal execration ! 
 
THE OUTLAW. 
 
 THE evening was setting in with a light cool 
 breeze, towards the end of October 1815, upon one 
 of those numerous arid plains, between the Jumna 
 and the Sutlege. As usual in the interval between 
 the termination of the monsoon, or rainy season, 
 and the setting in of the cold weather, the day had 
 been intensely hot, and partaking of that oppres- 
 sive sultriness, which is the more severely felt by 
 the European resident in India, than even during 
 the period when the fiery land-winds prevail. A 
 gentle breeze, however, at this moment was wafted 
 across the wide expanse of land, which forms the 
 subject of the opening of our narrative, imparting 
 to the air a delicious and refreshing coolness. 
 Far as the eye could reach, with one exception 
 only, not a living object, not a tree was visible ; 
 while not a sound broke upon the stillness that 
 prevailed ; and as far as regarded any subject for 
 the attraction of passing remark or interest, a 
 person might as well have been on the broad 
 
THE OUTLAW. 25 
 
 bosom of the ocean itself, so complete was the 
 solitude that reigned around. On all sides the 
 horizon was clear and uninterrupted, except in the 
 one spot already alluded to, which, close on its 
 extreme verge in the north-west quarter, appeared 
 in the distance to be a belt of low thick jungle. 
 It was in the opposite direction to this that the 
 solitude was eventually broken by the appearance 
 of several figures on the scene. 
 
 First three or four were indistinctly visible ; these 
 were succeeded by others; and then followed by 
 what possessed the appearance of a dark, compact 
 mass. And now the sunbeams flashed upon 
 bright arms and accoutrements, the scarlet uniforms 
 became visible, and the whole party were distinctly 
 manifest as that of a subaltern's guard, forming a 
 treasure escort. From the strength of the detach- 
 ment, the amount was apparently in gold, contained 
 in two light tumbrils only, each drawn by six fine 
 strong bullocks. The soldiers were ranged so as 
 to envelop both in their march, with the exception 
 of a few forming the usual flanking parties, with 
 their advanced and rear guards. These, however, 
 in consequence of the wholly open nature of the 
 ground they were traversing, had gradually fallen 
 back so as to be within hearing of the song, or 
 narrative, with which some of the party in turn 
 
26 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 beguiled the tedium of the march, as they moved 
 merrily onward. 
 
 The road lay direct through the belt of jungle 
 we have previously alluded to, the foliage of which 
 seemed to loom in the distance much higher and 
 thicker as they approached it. The rays of the 
 setting sun were shining brightly on the summits 
 of the trees, as the detachment came within rather 
 more than a quarter of a mile of the entrance, 
 when the main body suddenly came to a halt, and 
 a momentary silence ensued. What has occurred? 
 Nothing the flanking parties and advanced guard 
 still kept moving onward, and a casual spectator 
 might have been led to suppose it was merely for 
 the purpose of creating a wider range of distance 
 between themselves and their comrades ; the 
 military eye, however, would at once have seen 
 that they were a well-trained band, and though 
 there may have been but little probability of 
 danger being near, the ground in front of them 
 was admirably adapted for concealing it, and 
 therefore it behoved them to be warily on the 
 alert, to unmask, or give due warning of its 
 approach. As they moved onward, therefore, with 
 no perceptible difference in their apparently care- 
 less, yet steady bearing, the occasional clank of 
 a ramrod was heard springing the musket, to 
 
THE OUTLAW. 27 
 
 ascertain that the charge was well-rammed home, 
 while the lock was keenly scrutinised, to see if the 
 flint was in order and the pan well filled. 
 
 Within a few minutes the word " Forward! " 
 again was issued, and the young subaltern com- 
 manding the party pushed forward his mettlesome 
 Arab to a hand-gallop. He is young in years, 
 eighteen summers have apparently scarcely yet 
 passed over him ; but he has the sharp, quick eye 
 of energy and daring, and the bronze colour of 
 his cheek, but little according with the blue eye, 
 and long, light, waving hair of his British father- 
 land, would seem to intimate that scenes of danger 
 and warfare to him, young as he is, are anything 
 but new. Eeining up his steed, and unslinging 
 his glass, he swept the scene before him, gazing 
 with intense earnestness, as if he would pierce 
 through the dense mass of foliage that darkened 
 in front. Apparently satisfied with his scrutiny, 
 he returned to his men. 
 
 They were now within two hundred yards of 
 the jungle ; the sun had disappeared behind the 
 trees, though occasionally its rays would burst 
 forth with a dazzling brightness in the interstices 
 of the dark mass before them. One of these, with, 
 a momentary brilliancy, almost resembling a flash 
 of lightning, apparently so peculiarly attracted the 
 
28 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 young Commander's notice, that he was on the 
 point of drawing the attention of his white-bearded 
 soubahdar, who rode a few paces behind him, 
 towards it, when on turning for that purpose, he 
 observed the veteran was also gazing upon the 
 spot from which it issued, with an earnestness 
 expressive of the strongest degree of suspicion ; 
 while almost at the same instant, the havildar 
 commanding the advance raised his fusee high in 
 air to a perpendicular position, as a signal of 
 alarm, a movement that was quickly followed by 
 some fifteen or twenty vivid flashes, which suc- 
 cessively parting in apparently quick, but deliberate 
 aim, terminated in a volley of matchlocks, the 
 leaden shower from which came crashing and 
 tearing among the main body of the detachment. 
 Close, and well-directed as the fire had been, it was 
 not so deadly in its effects as might have been 
 anticipated, though the reason of this was very 
 speedily explained in every one of the carriage 
 bullocks being at once struck to the ground, the 
 evident intention of the hidden assailant being, to 
 arrest the progress of the treasure and prevent its 
 escaping in the melee. 
 
 " Close up, my lads," shouted the young lieu- 
 tenant ; " bugles, recal skirmishers." 
 4 The shrill blast of the instrument had scarcely 
 
THE OUTLAW. 29 
 
 given forth the order, and the men from front and 
 rear had barely hurried up in breathless haste to re- 
 join their ranks, when the jungle seemed to be alive 
 with armed men, and the levelled lance blades and 
 gleaming sabres of at least three hundred horsemen 
 flashed out, as issuing forth with loud shouts, they 
 rode full speed towards the devoted little band, 
 scarcely numbering five and forty bayonets. Silent 
 and steady they stood, their eye glancing alter- 
 nately from their advancing enemy to their leader, 
 who had only time to whisper the old soubahdar, 
 " Our chance is indeed desperate, but our only plan 
 is to keep them from closing, for, if I mistake not, 
 these men are something more than ordinary 
 Decoits."* 
 
 The assailants had ranged up to within eighty 
 yards of their adversaries, when the word "Fire !" 
 rung out from the British detachment, the prelude 
 to a sheet of flame, the force of which told with 
 fearful effect upon the former. Upwards of twenty 
 saddles were vacant ; some of the party came to a 
 dead halt, while the speed of the rest was materially 
 diminished. But a tall, commanding figure sprang 
 with the rapidity of lightning from his dead 
 charger, which had fallen pierced to the heart by a 
 musket shot, and vaulting upon another that had 
 
 * Robbers. 
 
30 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 lost its rider, he waved his men onwards. There 
 was a tremendous rush, a fearful crash, another 
 volley, and then the sabre and bayonet came into 
 active and deadly play. 
 
 The Seapoys fought with all the vigour of des- 
 peration, animated by the example of their young 
 leader, who was evidently beloved by his men, as 
 more than one was cut down in endeavouring to 
 save him, instead of attending to his own immediate 
 adversary; but the odds were too great to hope 
 for either safety or retreat, and the fall of their 
 commander, who, after gallantly sabreing with his 
 own hand two of his assailants, was unhorsed and 
 severely wounded by a lance, induced the few 
 remaining men of the detachment left un wounded 
 to listen to the voice of the leader of their 
 assailants, who repeatedly called on them to cease 
 a useless resistance, and save their own lives, at 
 the same time shouting to his own followers to 
 forbear. 
 
 A single glance was sufficient to show that a 
 further continuance of the conflict was absolute 
 madness, not fifteen men of the whole detachment 
 remaining standing. The lieutenant was bleeding 
 profusely from a wound in his side, his features in 
 their pallor almost leading to the belief that his 
 young days were numbered ; the white locks of the 
 
THE OUTLAW. 31 
 
 old soubahdar were stained with blood, as lie lay 
 senseless from a severe sabre cut ; two of the non- 
 commissioned officers had fallen, and, with the 
 exception of the number above specified, the rest 
 of the detachment lay around the charge they had 
 so well defended ; while of their adversaries, though 
 they had suffered severely in their first onset, from 
 the moment the conflict had assumed its more 
 deadly and close character, scarcely a man had 
 fallen, and they now stood forth, at least two 
 hundred and fifty well-equipped and well-mounted 
 men. 
 
 Slowly and reluctantly the survivors recovered 
 their arms, the which they were not called upon to 
 surrender, and leaning sullenly upon them observed 
 the actions of their foes, which they no longer 
 possessed the power to oppose. They were prompt 
 and ready, evidently expressive of the whole affair 
 having been as skilfully and deliberately planned, 
 as it was boldly and daringly executed. A single 
 horseman rode from the party back into the jungle, 
 and a few minutes afterwards twelve horses in 
 artillery harness issued from it, six of which were 
 speedily attached to each of the tumbrils. During 
 this period, the chief of the band, and several of his 
 followers, had dismounted, and were occupied in 
 rendering what service they could to the wounded, 
 
32 KOMANCE OF MILITAKY LIFE. 
 
 the young officer in particular being the object of 
 especial care to the former, who, raising him from 
 the ground, placed him in a half sitting position 
 against a dead horse, and then unfolding his own 
 cummerbund,* wound it tightly round him, over 
 his wounded side. 
 
 On this being accomplished, the assailants, at 
 a signal from their chief, formed up round the 
 tumbrils, and as if careless of, or defying pursuit, 
 set off towards the jungle at a slow and deliberate 
 pace, carrying their killed and wounded with them, 
 he himself turning towards the detachment previous 
 to following them, and calling out in a fine, clear, 
 manly voice, " In three hours you will receive 
 assistance from your own people ; remain, there- 
 fore, tranquilly by your fallen comrades till it 
 arrives. On the head of the despoiler and oppressor 
 rest the blood that has been shed this day, and 
 not on mine ! " 
 
 The fame of this daring exploit soon became 
 noised throughout the whole of northern India; 
 the natives everywhere spoke of it as one of many 
 acts embodying a just retribution; Europeans 
 alluded to it with astonishment, and, spite of anger 
 and prejudice (especially among the military) 
 strongly intermingled with admiration, while in 
 
 * A fold of cloth wound round the body similarly to a sash. 
 
THE OUTLAW. 33 
 
 speaking of the author of an enterprise executed 
 with so much courage and intelligence, all parties 
 united with one voice in exclaiming, " Omeer 
 Sing." 
 
 And who was the being whose name had acquired 
 such extraordinary celebrity as a subject for terror 
 and wonder throughout the country, and who 
 treated with scorn and defiance alike the mandates 
 and the strength of that all-absorbing and won- 
 derful power, before which the mightiest princes of 
 Hindostan had been compelled to succumb ? 
 
 Omeer Sing was the petty Rajah of a tract of 
 territory bordering upon the Province of Rohlicund, 
 inhabited by a fierce and warlike race, devoted to 
 his interests. During the campaigns of Lord Lake 
 against the Mahrattas in 1803, he had served 
 against the British forces, though, as it was as- 
 serted, if not with reluctance, at least not with the 
 enterprising spirit which might have been expected 
 from his character, and most assuredly not with 
 the fierce and daring energy that he had recently 
 displayed. It was, indeed, very generally believed, 
 that like many of the Rajapoot chieftains, he was 
 not over friendly to their rulers of Northern India, 
 and if he acquiesced in their sovereignty, it was 
 more from policy, and the inability to maintain a 
 D 
 
I 
 34 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 successful resistance, than any other motive; a 
 supposition that was more than corroborated by 
 the alacrity with which he gave in his adhesion to 
 the British government, on the conclusion of the 
 brilliant and successful campaigns that terminated 
 in the expulsion of the Mahrattas. 
 
 How he subsequently first became embroiled 
 with the former power it is difficult to say, though 
 rumour ascribed it to claims on the part of soi-disant 
 distant relatives, (of whom till that moment the 
 chieftain had never heard,) upon the extensive 
 Zemindarry which he held, the which was followed 
 up by whispered insinuations of the discovery of 
 secret and treasonable correspondence by the En- 
 glish authorities, with the Mahratta confederacy, 
 even then preparing for a renewal of the desperate 
 struggle by which they sought, at a later period, 
 to regain the supremacy they had lost. 
 
 Whatever degree of truth may have been at- 
 tached to the reasons asserted, one thing was 
 certain, and this was, that the Rajah was suddenly 
 deprived of the whole of his extensive estates, the 
 which were assigned to the various claimants pre- 
 viously mentioned. Of this decree there seemed to 
 be but one opinion (except among the clique of Red 
 Tapists in whom it originated,) in regard to its im- 
 policy and indecent haste, if not positive injustice ; 
 
THE OUTLAW. 35 
 
 and several among the British authorities, whose in- 
 formation was deemed the surest in regard to its truth 
 and accuracy, remonstrated in the strongest terms 
 against the measure. As usual their representations 
 were unheeded, and when they were succeeded 
 by intimations of the evils which were likely to 
 prove the result, and which very speedily followed, 
 haughty reproof was the sole answer condescended 
 to be given in reply ; the which was the more parti- 
 cularly administered to the gentleman who exercised 
 the office of Assistant Political Agent of the district, 
 and was the Commanding Officer of the regiment 
 of irregular horse quartered on that part of the 
 frontier ; who, from having been employed there for 
 a series of years, and being very generally supposed 
 to be better informed upon the subject than any- 
 body else, was, as a natural consequence, deemed by 
 the Calcutta officials to be wholly unacquainted 
 with it, glossing over their own ignorant folly, and 
 the mischiefs arising from it, by the declaration, 
 that it appeared to them the intimacy subsisting 
 between the deposed chieftain and Major Treton, 
 the officer in question, had contributed greatly 
 to influence his opinion upon the question. 
 
 At first the prosecution against him was met on 
 the part of the Eajah with respectful remonstrance, 
 but this being totally unheeded, resistance quickly 
 
36 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 succeeded, at first passive, but speedily followed by 
 opposition of so vigorous a nature, that on the 
 decree for his deposition being issued, the presence 
 of a strong military force, with a battery of artillery, 
 was deemed requisite to enforce it. 
 
 Beloved by his retainers and dependents, as the 
 Rajah departed from the fort of his ancestors they 
 quitted their fields and villages. Sabres, lances, 
 and saddles were very quickly brought into vigorous 
 requisition, and the whole territory soon became an 
 absolute desert, for whoever settled themselves upon 
 it were either driven off by bands of horsemen too 
 numerous to be resisted, or their crops were laid 
 waste and destroyed. Detachments of the military 
 were ordered out, among them Treton's brilliant 
 horse; their leader, stung, perhaps, by the innuendo 
 conveyed in the last communication addressed to 
 him ; or no, actuated by that true spirit which 
 distinguishes the British soldier, which impels him 
 under any circumstances to fulfil his duty, straining 
 every nerve to put down his former friend and his 
 daring followers. All was, however, unsuccessful ; 
 matters proceeded from bad to worse, the chief- 
 tain had been outlawed, and a large price set 
 upon his head ; but so far from being crushed, his 
 followers seemed every day to increase in numerical 
 strength and courageous resolution ; valuable con- 
 
THE OUTLAW. 37 
 
 voys were captured, treasure detachments attacked, 
 and at length, on the successful issue of the daring 
 enterprise the relation of which opens our present 
 chapter, becoming known to the Government, the 
 which cost them upwards of ten lacs of rupees, or 
 more than 100,000?. sterling, a large corps d'armee, 
 in different brigades and regiments, were ordered 
 out against the outlawed Eajah, with orders to 
 capture or destroy himself and followers at every 
 risk. 
 
 This, however, had now become a task much 
 easier ordered than carried into effect ; the country 
 people had evidently entered into the chieftain's 
 cause, the impression being everywhere prevalent 
 that he had been treated with a harshness and in- 
 justice without example. In his various forays, 
 too, the peasantry had never on any occasion 
 experienced the remotest injury from his men 
 (save the intruders upon his own territory), while 
 they had often received the most abundant proof 
 of his liberality and kindness for any service 
 rendered or information imparted to him. Even 
 towards his British adversaries he had displayed a 
 humanity, forbearance, and chivalrous courtesy, 
 that rendered his name a theme for wonder and 
 admiration, and frequently were feelings expressive 
 of sympathy and regret manifested by those serving 
 
38 "ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 against him, conjoined with the sincere hope that 
 something would hereafter occur to terminate the 
 struggle, and restore the gallant exile to his rights ; 
 for, as the real facts of the history became more 
 generally known, the injustice which had Ibeen 
 rendered him appeared more glaringly manifest. 
 
 The rising sun of a clear, sharp, frosty morning 
 in the month of December fell upon an encampment 
 of horsemen, situated near a beautiful tope,* upon 
 the borders of an extensive tank, large enough 
 almost to have been taken for a lake. Before a 
 tent, pitched conspicuously in rear of the centre, the 
 folds of the broad banner of England waved in the 
 breeze, a signal expressive of the station of the 
 commander of the corps, as well as of the soldiery 
 it embodied belonging to the British service. But 
 of the regiment at least two-thirds were now absent, 
 the head-stalls and heel-ropes of the horses laying 
 upon the ground, in the lines of their respective 
 troops and squadrons, marking the places where 
 they had been picketed. The green alkaliks or 
 tunics, and red caftans and turbands of the men, 
 marked them as belonging to the irregular cavalry. 
 
 In the lines themselves a few horses were to be 
 seen, with some six or eight sentinels slowly 
 
 * Grove. 
 
THE OUTLAW. 39 
 
 parading their respective posts ; but about fifty 
 paces in front of the encampment, some sixty 
 men, fully armed and accoutred, lay beside their 
 horses, evidently prepared to act on the instant, 
 while on every rising ground in the vicinity, 
 videttes were posted, keeping a vigilant look out 
 around. A little in advance of the sleepers were 
 two persons on horseback, one of whom, from the 
 instrument in his hand, was the trumpeter ; while 
 the second, from the richness of his costume, and 
 the splendid animal he bestrode, was evidently the 
 native officer commanding the party, and who . 
 frequently swept the scene before him with a field 
 glass, as if in the expectation of some person or 
 persons appearing. 
 
 A faint sound bursts upon the ear, at first 
 indistinct, and scarcely audible even to the keenest 
 sense of hearing; but faint as it was, the watch, 
 ful partisan had caught it, and his keen gaze, and 
 that of his followers, was at once turned in the 
 direction from which it issued. It died away, 
 all again was still. Could he have been mistaken? 
 Hark ! once more it rings upon the ear, and this 
 time with a distinctness that makes its familiar 
 tones manifestly evident. It is the clear, sharp, 
 ringing notes of a trumpet, the which, at a sign to 
 his followers, is immediately answered by a blast 
 
40 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 that rolls in prolonged echoes throughout the entire 
 scene. The sleepers started from their slumbers, 
 and with the rapidity of lightning were in their 
 saddles. 
 
 In a quarter of an hour a large body of horse- 
 men were seen riding towards the encampment, 
 who were at once recognised as belonging to their 
 own regiment, headed by their commander, who 
 had departed upon a secret expedition the previous 
 evening. Whatever was the service upon which 
 they had proceeded, it had evidently proved un- 
 successful, men and horses being dead beat with 
 fatigue, the former scarce able to keep their 
 saddles, and many of the latter actually reeling 
 under their riders, an incident not to be wondered 
 at, considering both had been in constant and 
 incessant movement, without halt or refreshment 
 of any kind, for nearly seventeen hours. 
 
 " Dismiss the men to the lines at once, Russul- 
 dar,"* said Major Treton, a tall, fine, soldier-like 
 looking man, about three or four and thirty years 
 of age, addressing the native officer we have 
 previously alluded to, as he rode towards him. 
 
 * A rank in the regiments of the irregular cavalry in India, 
 difficult to define in relation to English European corps, but 
 very nearly answering to that of Adjutant Major as existing in 
 the French service. 
 
THE OUTLAW. 41 
 
 " Nothing," lie continued, in answer to his glance 
 of inquiry ; " nothing, as usual. We have half 
 killed our horses for no purpose whatever, if indeed, 
 as I suspect, we have not been well fooled into the 
 bargain." 
 
 He flung himself from his jaded charger as he 
 spoke, and entering his tent, within a quarter of 
 an hour afterwards the deepest stillness stole over 
 the whole encampment, the greater part of its 
 inmates being buried in profound slumber. 
 
 It was about two hours after midday, that, while 
 scanning a rough chart of the country in which he 
 was encamped, Major Treton's orderly entered the 
 tent, ushering in a villager, the bearer of a despatch 
 which had that moment arrived. The super- 
 scription was in the Persian character, and as the 
 Englishman laid the letter on the table, he care- 
 lessly inquired whence it came. The man in 
 reply stated, that it had been given him by a 
 horseman about two miles off, who called to him 
 as he was at work in the fields, and gave him two 
 rupees to proceed and deliver it to the British 
 Commandant, promising him a similar reward if 
 he quickly returned with an answer. This infor- 
 mation seemed in some measure to excite the 
 officer's curiosity, and he was about opening the 
 letter, when his eye fell upon the seal ; for a moment 
 
42 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 lie gazed as if doubtful of the reality of what he 
 beheld, then bursting it open, found a full con- 
 firmation of what he had deemed impossible. 
 
 It was the signet of the outlawed chieftain, 
 Omeer Sing, and the communication from no less 
 a person than the Rajah himself! After the usual 
 compliments, the letter adverted in terms of raillery 
 to the Major's unsuccessful chase the preceding 
 night, and concluded with mentioning, that as he 
 seemed so desirous of meeting him, if he would 
 pledge his word of honour, as an officer and soldier, 
 that no injury should be attempted towards him 
 for a given period, the Rajah would do himself the 
 pleasure of waiting upon his former friend and 
 present adversary, when they might have the 
 pleasure of a little chat together ! 
 
 For a moment the Englishman seemed almost 
 paralysed with the cool assurance the billet dis- 
 played. He was at first half disposed to believe 
 the whole to be an attempt at a practical joke on 
 the part of some of his brother officers ; but on 
 questioning the villager who brought the letter, 
 his story was so plain and straightforward, and 
 his evident impatience for an answer so great, that 
 he might not lose the remainder of the reward 
 promised him for his services, that he could no 
 longer doubt the authenticity of the extraordinary 
 
THE OUTLAW. 43 
 
 document that had been placed in his hands. 
 Then occurred the thought, what motive could 
 induce the chieftain to seek an interview? Was 
 it with any intention to surrender? A smile 
 crossed his features at the absurdity of the sup- 
 position, as he recalled to mind the chieftain's 
 recent successful exploit, and the courage and 
 ability with which he had baffled every attempt 
 to put him down. Could it be, that, wearied with 
 his present mode of life, he wished to ascertain if 
 his reconciliation could not be accomplished with 
 the English authorities, and was anxious to trans- 
 mit, through himself, proposals to that effect? 
 The idea, though not very probable, was not 
 wholly impossible, and if so, he felt he should be 
 acting right in acceding to the Rajah's demand, 
 not only from the opening it would afford for 
 putting an end to the harassing warfare in which 
 the troops were engaged, without any apparent 
 prospect of ever attaining a successful result, and 
 which entailed the severest losses, and very little 
 credit upon the Government itself; but from the 
 sincere friendship he formerly, shall we say, at 
 the present period, felt. for the bold chieftain, and 
 the inward conviction he could 'not but entertain of 
 the injustice with which he had been treated. 
 His resolution was soon taken, instigated, per- 
 
44 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 haps, in no slight degree by a lurking curiosity he 
 vainly endeavoured to disguise ; and seizing the 
 writing materials which lay on the table before 
 him, an answer was at once penned and de- 
 spatched, granting a truce from the time at which 
 it was sent off, till the conclusion of five hours 
 after the period when the interview should ter- 
 minate. 
 
 Lost in thought, Major Treton remained gazing 
 for some time in the direction his messenger had 
 taken ; he then re-entered his tent and sat down ; 
 but it was evident the nervous impatience which 
 pervaded him rendered any occupation out of the 
 question. The chart was allowed to roll itself 
 up ; papers were glanced at and then flung aside ; 
 books, after the perusal of a few lines, sharing the 
 same fate ! An hour only, however, had elapsed 
 since the departure of the villager, before three 
 horsemen rode up to the encampment at a hand 
 gallop, and proceeded direct towards the tent of its 
 commander. 
 
 " Salaam Treton Sahib, my friend," said he 
 who seemed to be their chief, as he flung himself 
 from a high-blooded, powerful, bright bay Arab, 
 and gave the reins to one of his attendants. 
 " Salaam Captain Holroyd Sahib," addressing the 
 second in command, who was standing by, and 
 
THE OUTLAW. 45 
 
 who started in utter amazement as the voice reached 
 his ears ; " Salaam Nuwuab Sahib," he continued, 
 turning to the Russuldar, who was also present. 
 The stately old Mussulman was as brave as a lion, 
 and moreover possessed in an eminent degree that 
 calm gravity and placid dignity so characteristic of 
 the higher orders professing the doctrines of the 
 Faithful ; but the words, uttered in clear, ringing 
 tones, simple as they were, had no sooner reached 
 him than he hastily stepped back, with an ex- 
 pression of positive dismay in his countenance, 
 and in a twinkling, his legs catching the tent 
 ropes, his tall, portly figure was sprawling on the 
 ground, with his heels most ingloriously in the 
 air, to his great discomfiture. " By your favour, 
 Treton Sahib, I will tell my servant to prepare my 
 hookah ; its fumes are ever grateful alike to the 
 wearied, or the vigorous and active." 
 
 Bold, calm, and self-confident, there was that in 
 the demeanour of the Rajah which indicated either 
 a sense of security, or indifference to danger, and 
 the which imparted a tone and bearing to his 
 mien that was evidently expressive of a naturally 
 joyous nature, as he frankly advanced towards his 
 enemies. Major Treton courteously extended his 
 hand, and entering the tent they sat down together. 
 
 For a few minutes each gazed upon the other 
 
46 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 with a lurking smile. The Englishman's coun- 
 tenance bore evident traces of the hard work and 
 harassing duty of the preceding night, but on that 
 of the Chieftain, no signs whatever of his having 
 undergone the least degree of fatigue were in any 
 way visible. He wore a snow-white quilted cotton 
 vest, girt round with a rich shawl, in which rested 
 a diamond-hilted dagger, while in his hand he 
 carried a long basket-hilted back-sword, his whole 
 appearance being expressive rather more of some 
 powerful and opulent noble proceeding to the 
 Durbar,* than a careworn, toil-hunted outlaw, 
 fighting for existence, on whose head a price was 
 set, and who was beleaguered with active and 
 vigilant enemies. 
 
 The carpet for the gorgeous hookah had been 
 spread, its curling fumes arose in the tent, im- 
 parting a delicious fragrance around, but some 
 time elapsed before Major Treton had sufficiently 
 recovered from his surprise to inquire the object of 
 the Eajah's visit. 
 
 " Nothing of any moment," was the prompt 
 reply. " Knowing that you would be detained 
 here for some hours, I was led to believe the face 
 of an old friend, and a talk of past times, would, 
 perhaps, not prove wholly unacceptable." There 
 
 * Court. 
 
THE OUTLAW. 47 
 
 was a slight touch of ironical malice in the 
 Chieftain's tones, in alluding to the regiment's 
 detention, as if he was well aware of its cause, 
 at least the Englishman thought so, as he bit 
 his lip at the observation. 
 
 " I entertained some hopes," said the latter 
 gravely, " that other reasons had actuated you in 
 seeking me ; this struggle cannot last for ever, and 
 while there is yet time, and the door of recon- 
 ciliation may not altogether be closed, is it not 
 better to enter upon some path more calculated for 
 your interests and safety, than following up a 
 pursuit which must eventually terminate in unmiti- 
 gated evil?" 
 
 The Rajah listened attentively as the English- 
 man spoke, and then fixed his eye steadily and 
 keenly upon him as he replied, " What evil have 
 I to look forward to, should it continue ? In the 
 intolerable oppression and injustice in which it 
 originated, no one knows better than Major Treton, 
 where, and to whom the blame is to be imputed. 
 Scarce eighteen months have elapsed since I was 
 driven like a felon from the home where my fathers 
 and forefathers before me had dwelt for centuries in 
 honour and security, unmolested in their rights by 
 either Turk, Affghan, or Mogul, as each successive 
 tide of conquest rolled over the land. It was for 
 
48 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 a Government to do this, which prided itself upon 
 its even-handed justice," he continued with intense 
 bitterness ; " but what have either they or their 
 minions gained by it?" 
 
 " It does not behove me as a soldier," replied 
 the Englishman, " to question the acts of my 
 superiors ; my duty is simply to receive orders 
 and obey them. That the Government have met 
 with severe and heavy losses from your followers 
 I freely admit ; but how long have you the capa- 
 bility of maintaining further resistance ? Troops 
 are everywhere assembling around you, and you 
 will eventually be hemmed in beyond the possibi- 
 lity of escape : Colonel Smith's brigade has been 
 ordered forward, and is already in the field ' 
 
 " Bah," said the Rajahpoot, in his usual joyous 
 tones ; "I am well aware of that, he always gives 
 me due notice of his movements by his bugles." 
 
 " Then the force under General Poggleson has 
 received an addition to its numbers of nearly two 
 complete regiments, and " 
 
 " Oh ! confound the old ass," said the chieftain, 
 with a yawn, "whenever I am near him, after 
 hunting your detachments through the night, he 
 not only fires his morning and evening gun, but 
 makes such an uproar with his infernal drums and 
 trumpets, that it is impossible for me to sleep : if 
 
THE OUTLAW. 49 
 
 he does this with the intention of apprising me 
 where he is encamped, or in what direction he is 
 moving, he might save himself the trouble, for 
 every action or movement on his part is made 
 known to me the instant it has occurred. Briefly," 
 continued the Chieftain in a graver tone ; " there 
 is but one adversary whose energy and activity 
 I have reason to fear, and although I could, if so 
 disposed, more than once have crushed him, I have 
 for many considerations preferred the milder, and 
 certainly to me the more amusing task of baffling 
 and outwitting him.' 7 
 
 The Major started, the Eajapoot smiled : " You 
 are doubtful, Treton Sahib," he said, " Ya Allah 
 il Allah, Mahomed resoul Allah ;" and the voice of 
 the high caste Hindoo chieftain became so changed 
 into that of the Mahomedan faquir,* that even the 
 sharpest among the ears and eyes of the Faithful 
 could never have detected the deception ; the 
 Englishman struck the table with his clenched fist, 
 as he shouted, with an oath, " You, then, were the 
 old faquir that led us the dance we have been 
 engaged in throughout the whole night, and so 
 suddenly disappeared among the bushes when we 
 were led to believe you had brought us upon our 
 prey?" 
 
 * Religious mendicant. 
 E 
 
50 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 The Rajah nodded; and, scarcely able to suppress 
 his anger and vexation at the facility with which 
 he had been duped, the Major was about to reply, 
 when a horseman rode up at full speed, and dis- 
 mounting at the tent, delivered in a large official 
 letter. The Major glanced at the superscription, 
 and then flung it upon the table, his present chafed 
 mood apparently but little disposing him to open 
 a communication that had reference, in all pro- 
 bability, to some dull routine of bureaucratic 
 stupidity. 
 
 The Rajapoot chieftain drew a long breath at 
 his hookah, and the water gurgled with a pro- 
 longed, loud, and clear echo through the tent. He 
 slowly blew the cloud of fragrant smoke into the 
 air, and said quietly, " You do not read your 
 letter, Treton Sahib, though for the matter of that 
 you may save yourself the trouble, as I can tell 
 
 you its contents it is from the Resident at L , 
 
 and intimates for your information, that at the 
 period it reaches you, the outlaw Omeer Sing will 
 be with you, under a guaranteed truce, in the which 
 case, the solemn and pledged word of honour of a 
 British Officer is not to be held binding when 
 given to a proscribed enemy of the State : you 
 are, accordingly, peremptorily enjoined to dis- 
 regard the oath you have plighted, and cause 
 

 THE OUTLAW. 51 
 
 the said Omeer Sing to be seized, and given up 
 to justice." 
 
 The Rajah delivered this intimation without in 
 the least deviating from his usual composure, and 
 at its conclusion very quietly resumed his hookah ; 
 but the Englishman, clutching the letter, broke 
 open the envelope, and as he perused its contents, 
 his countenance became pale with suppressed 
 passion. He tore the paper to pieces as he finished 
 reading it, and dashing it on the ground, trampled 
 upon the fragments with his heavy boot. 
 
 "You, at least," he said, addressing the Rajah, 
 " never believed me capable of such baseness ? ' 
 
 " I should have done my friend injustice," re- 
 plied the Chieftain gravely, " could I have deemed 
 the subject worthy even a moment's thought ; and 
 deep and bitter as the enmity may be subsisting 
 between your people and myself, and whatever I 
 may think of them in other respects, I will at least 
 do them the justice to say that not one in a thousand 
 would have acted otherwise than you have done 
 in the present instance. But you are, doubtless, 
 anxious to know," he continued, resuming his usual 
 tone and manner, " how I became acquainted with 
 the information I have imparted to you ; and I will 
 frankly tell you, that I myself apprised your re- 
 spectable Political Chief of my intended interview, 
 
52 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 receiving from* a friend at the Durbar a hint of 
 what I full well felt assured would be his course of 
 proceeding on the intelligence reaching him." 
 
 " It must cut short our interview," said the 
 Major, after a moment's reflection, " as I know not 
 what other measures he may have taken which 
 may compromise the truce I have given of five 
 hours after you have quitted our encampments." 
 
 " Set your mind at rest on that question," re- 
 turned the Rajah ; " within half an hour from this 
 time you are a free agent, to act in any way you 
 think proper." 
 
 He resigned his hookah as he spoke to his 
 attendants, whom he desired to bring round the 
 horses, and rising, proceeded to the door of the 
 tent, followed by his host. Loitering near were 
 many of the soldiery, including a number of their 
 officers, who gazed upon him with wonder, curiosity, 
 and respect. He courteously waved towards them 
 the usual salaam, and as his gallant charger came 
 up, once more tendered his hand to the Major, as 
 he said, " Farewell, Treton Sahib, may we once 
 more meet, under happier and better auspices than 
 the present." 
 
 The Englishman clasped the hand extended to 
 him, inwardly repeating the wish expressed with 
 hearty good will. The Eajah vaulted into the 
 
THE OUTLAW. 53 
 
 saddle, and again saluting those around, rode, 
 leisurely and quietly, followed by his attendants, 
 in the direction from whence he came, Major Treton 
 and his horsemen gazing after them till their 
 figures were no longer visible. 
 
 The place was surrounded, and the Outlaw 
 Chief had been tracked to the fortress of Sha- 
 poora, which for centuries had formed the strong- 
 hold of his family. Five complete regiments of 
 British cavalry were around, only awaiting the 
 arrival of their guns and infantry, expected the 
 following morning, either to carry the place by 
 assault, or to open a regular siege. The former 
 course was thought the most probable, since, strong 
 as the fort undoubtedly was, it was known to 
 be wholly unprepared for a prolonged resistance, 
 being destitute of magazines, and its ramparts 
 scarcely armed; while, however resolute the garrison, 
 they were known to be but few in number, and 
 cortld scarcely be deemed to have been reinforced 
 by the body of brilliant horsemen that entered the 
 gates with the Rajah, who were wholly unfitted for 
 such a service. 
 
 On two sides the fortress opened upon an ex- 
 tensive plain, covered with fertile fields, and dotted 
 with flourishing villages. On the third the broad, 
 
54 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 deep river ran under its very walls ; while on the 
 fourth was a dense, thick forest, some of the trees 
 of which seemed almost, in their closely spread 
 foliage, to overshadow the ramparts, as since the 
 decay of the Mogul empire, from the commence- 
 ment of the last century, when the utility of the 
 fort as a strong military post and place of refuge 
 had comparatively ceased to exist, the jungle had 
 been permitted to increase, from its forming a large 
 and excellent rumna* for the sports of the field, to 
 which the rulers of the country, like others of their 
 race, were passionately attached. 
 
 On the open space we have mentioned as forming 
 two sides of the fortress, a regiment of dragoons, and 
 two corps of regular Native cavalry were picketed, 
 a short distance beyond gun-shot range of the place. 
 A third, with a party of Skinner's Horse, skirted 
 the borders of the forest, while the remainder of 
 the latter were posted along the opposite banks of 
 the river, though there was little probability of 
 anything being attempted in that quarter, fromthe 
 stream at this time, in addition to its great depth, 
 running with extreme violence. 
 
 The out and in-lying pickets were placed, and 
 outposts thrown out connecting the different corps 
 with each other ; but throughout the force, though 
 
 * Preserve. 
 
THE OUTLAW. 55 
 
 the bits were withdrawn from the horses' mouths, 
 to enable them to feed, and the girths were slack- 
 ened, the saddles still remained upon the animals' 
 backs, a measure of precaution which the resolute 
 and energetic character of their daring enemy, now 
 brought to bay, had perhaps suggested might not 
 be wholly unnecessary. 
 
 On the extreme left front of the dragoons, in 
 the direction of the jungle, was a party of twelve 
 of the regiment, commanded by a serjeant, who 
 were seasoning a hasty evening meal, certainly not 
 of the most plentiful description, with anecdotes 
 of former campaigns, fun, and adventure, some 
 of which elicited no slight merriment among its 
 hearers. 
 
 "And by the powers, Mike," said Pat Donovan, 
 the serjeant, addressing one of the youngest 
 troopers, " you're not far wrong there ; in cam- 
 paigning, as elsewhere, some people contrive to 
 carry the silver spoons in their mouths along with 
 them, and in one instance, at least, I must say it 
 occurred to myself." 
 
 " Ay, indeed, Serjeant," said the whole party 
 with one voice, and in a tone of the most eager 
 curiosity, " do let's hear it." 
 
 " Well, boys," said Mr. Donovan, leaning on his 
 sabre with an air of the most patronising con- 
 
56 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 descension, " You must know that I first came to 
 this country in the 14th Foot, in which I served 
 two years previous to being transferred to l Ours.' 
 We were at Allighur, and tough work we had of 
 it before the place was taken from the stout-hearted, 
 one-armed old Frenchman who held it.* A few 
 days before the storming took place, Colonel 
 Skinner's Yellow Jackets those in the jungle 
 yonder entered the British service ; a good thing 
 for us, it was said, at the time, not only from our 
 enemy being minus such a splendid body of dashing 
 fellows, but from our then being desperately badly 
 off for cavalry, in consequence of which, and the 
 clouds of the enemy's horse, which hovered round 
 us, cutting off our commissariat supplies, short 
 commons was too often the order of the day. Well, 
 the storming took place, and the light company to 
 which I belonged was one of the first in, hard work 
 it was by the same, but once over, it was 
 1 Gentlemen, help yourselves ! ' the which our 
 fellows did pretty freely. I had well stuffed my 
 haversack with gold pieces, and had shoved several 
 gold bangles f and other ornaments into my cap ; 
 so with a large bag of rupees upon my shoulder, I 
 thought I might as well cut, and stow it away in 
 
 * General Perron. 
 
 f A description of heavy, massive bracelet. 
 
THE OUTLAW. 57 
 
 a place of safety. I accordingly made my way to 
 the gates, into which camp followers and rascals 
 of every kind were now pouring in crowds, some 
 of whom looked hardly at me as I passed out. 
 Somehow their looks did not please me, and I had 
 hardly got fifty yards from the fort, before mis- 
 givings came over me ; so I looked around to see if 
 none of our fellows, or indeed any red coat, was in 
 view, to whom I could offer to go halves if he 
 would accompany me to camp, and take an equal 
 chance of our having our throats cut. Not one, 
 however, could I see, and I had just sprung my 
 musket with the ramrod to see that the cartridge 
 was well home, and had looked to my flint and 
 priming, when I saw one of the Yellow Jackets, 
 our newly enlisted troops, sauntering leisurely 
 along. ' Hallo, comrade,' said I, ' you're all too 
 late, if you expect to get anything where you are 
 going ; all's up by this time, I can tell you ; but 
 you may see I'm not empty handed, and if you'll 
 just give me your escort to camp, for better for 
 worse, as they say, we'll go shares in the booty. 7 
 * With all my heart, my man,' he replied, in such 
 perfect English as made me stare ; ' you incur great 
 risk in proceeding, but rest assured I will stand by 
 you.' I looked at my new comrade as he spoke, 
 scarcely able to make him out; he was dark, and 
 
58 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 swarthy, dressed exactly as I had seen all the other 
 Yellow Jackets, but he had an eye like a hawk, 
 with a something about him which gave me the 
 idea of his being a fellow well up to his work, 
 and pluck to the bone. We moved on, and sure 
 enough what I had anticipated, and the stranger 
 foretold, very soon came to pass ; for within two 
 hundred yards of our camp, no less than seven 
 fellows well armed rushed at us. I dropped the 
 heavy bag of rupees at my feet, and let fly at the 
 foremost, who gave a tremendous spring and fell 
 for'ard, the shot having gone slap through his 
 brain ; a second received my bayonet in his heart, 
 but whether owing to its not having been greased, 
 or to its having carried along with it some of the 
 fellow's cotton jacket, it stuck fast for a minute, 
 and before I could withdraw it, the sabre of a 
 third glanced across my eyes, uplifted to cut me 
 down; but just as I thought it was all f Dickey' 
 with me, another flashed between us, and the head 
 of my friend, like a spent cannon ball, whisked 
 past me, having been promptly dismissed from its 
 shoulders by my new comrade, whom I now turned 
 to assist, a desperate tug having enabled me to 
 release my bayonet. Och! by the powers, it was 
 but little assistance he needed, heads with him 
 seemed like cabbage-stalks : the whole business, 
 
THE OUTLAW. 59 
 
 long as I have been relating it, was scarcely the 
 affair of a minute; it was just so, so, so, " 
 continued the Serjeant, describing with the minu- 
 test accuracy the first cuts of the sword exercise, 
 " and three other heads dropped with all the 
 rapidity and facility of the first, the owner of the 
 one remaining taking to his trotters as if the very 
 divil was after him. Well, my yellow jacketed 
 friend having carefully wiped and cleaned his 
 sword, the which he did with as much coolness and 
 composure as if he had been eating his breakfast, 
 I again took up the heavy bag, and we reached 
 our lines without any further attempt being made 
 upon us. Arrived in camp, I flung the bag and 
 everything else along with it upon the ground, 
 and said, ' I'll tell you what it is, brother, I'm blest 
 if it isn't you to give me what you like, instead 
 of my sharing with you, as but for your help 
 I should not only have lost everything, but have 
 stood a pretty fair chance of being in kingdom 
 come into the bargain.' ' Keep all you have got, 
 my good fellow,' he replied, in the same perfect 
 English as before, " I am happy in having had the 
 opportunity of rendering you so slight a service, 
 and only request you to drink your next glass to 
 
 the health and prosperity of " 
 
 " Who?" was the general query, in tones of the 
 most eager and impatient curiosity. 
 
60 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 "Who should you think, boys?" said the 
 Serjeant, as if he enjoyed the excited attention of 
 his auditory. 
 
 " Not ould Nick, please the saints ! " said Mike 
 Callaghan, doubtfully. 
 
 " Sure it was no other than Colonel Skinner 
 himself! but hallo," continued the Serjeant, "talk 
 of the devil, here come the Horse themselves, 
 where can they be going to?" 
 
 As he spoke a body of cavalry in the well-known 
 yellow tunics, and red turbaiids, and cummerbunds 
 of Skinner's Irregular Horse, issued from the wood, 
 and forming up in two lines, proceeded at a sharp trot 
 towards the spot where the dragoons were picketed. 
 The sun had set, and the evening was closing in 
 as the horsemen were about midway between the 
 fortress and the Europeans. 
 
 " By Saint Patrick," said Mike Callaghan, in 
 tones of unrepressed admiration, " thim fellows are 
 well mounted, serjeant, the pick of our whole 
 regiment would nivir come up to them, bother- 
 ation ! but this is a queer sort of a manoeuvre." 
 
 The interjection of Mr. Michael Callaghan had, 
 undoubtedly, some grounds for its assertion, and 
 was quickly followed by the voice of their com- 
 mander shouting out, " Stand by your horses." 
 
 The phenomenon which had caused this stir 
 was, certainly, of a most puzzling and perplexing 
 
THE OUTLAW. 61 
 
 nature. The horsemen who had debouched from 
 the wood were within musket shot of the dragoons, 
 the usual challenge being answered by the antici- 
 pated reply of " Skinner's Horse," given in a loud, 
 clear, ringing voice. It had, however, scarcely 
 issued from the mouth of the speaker, before a 
 second body of cavalry, in which were distinguished 
 the sky blue uniforms of the regulars, intermingled 
 with yellow tunics, and red turbands, came tearing 
 round the verge of the wood, as if in hot pursuit. 
 It was the singularity of this sudden appearance 
 which produced the sensation adverted to, and 
 which seemed the more particularly to impress 
 those moving in their front, as increasing their 
 pace to a sharp gallop, they ultimately terminated 
 in a furious rush in closing upon the line of the 
 dragoons, when all at once the same ringing voice 
 was heard in the cry of " Shumsheer be dust."* 
 With the rapidity of lightning the yellow costume 
 disappeared, each rider appearing clad in complete 
 mail, as they rushed like a whirlwind through the 
 ranks of their unsuspecting opponents, who were 
 knocked over, and ridden down before the greater 
 
 * A Persian expression, the literal translation of which is, 
 " By force of the Sword," but among the natives of India is used 
 as a signal of conflict, equivalent, perhaps, to the old English 
 phrase of " Fall on." 
 
62 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 part even could spring into their saddles. Through 
 and through they went, dashing along with a force 
 that nothing could withstand. The native regular 
 cavalry, in rear of the dragoons, were somewhat 
 better prepared, but before their horses could gather 
 into anything like the impetus of speed requisite 
 for a charge, their adversaries were upon them 
 with the force of a thunderbolt, bearing down all 
 before them, and in another instant were far far 
 away! 
 
 A hot pursuit was ordered, and for some time 
 continued, but fatigued with the long march they 
 had undergone previous to the investment of the 
 fortress, the horses became incapable of further 
 exertion, and the trumpets blew the recal ! Their 
 active enemy had escaped, and once again the 
 harassing, and it would appear futile efforts for 
 crushing him would have to be renewed, with, in 
 all probability, little better success than those 
 already attempted. 
 
 Joy and gladness reigned throughout Shapoorar ; 
 the bazaars were brilliantly illuminated, cannon 
 thundered, and musquetry rattled; myriads of 
 rockets flew into the air, the signal for a gorgeous 
 display of fireworks, throughout the entire range 
 of the old fortress ; troops of dancing girls dis- 
 
THE OUTLAW. 63 
 
 played their light and graceful movements to 
 crowds of spectators, the immense numbers of 
 whom would seem to intimate that the whole 
 population of the Jaghire had rushed to the place, 
 to participate in the exultation and rejoicing caused 
 by the restored rank and dignities, and honourable 
 return of the gallant and well-loved chieftain, their 
 hereditary ruler, the Rajah Omeer Sing Bahadoor! 
 no longer the outlawed and hunted fugitive, but 
 the trusty and highly esteemed tributary of the 
 all-powerful British sovereignty. 
 
 How this desirable and equitable, though cer- 
 tainly wholly unexpected event had occurred, was 
 owing to one of those providential checks which 
 Red Tape occasionally receives before its proceed- 
 ings have altogether terminated in irrevocable 
 disgrace or disaster to the State it professes to 
 serve, and which, in this instance, its imbecility 
 and folly had already created in a sufficient degree, 
 to attract in a particular manner the attention of 
 the then head of the Government. 
 
 The able, accomplished, and estimable nobleman, 
 who then ruled over our Eastern empire, (alas! 
 when will India see his like again !) had not very 
 long previous entered upon his high office. With 
 his usual profound sagacity and far-seeing wisdom, 
 he already discerned the clouds gathering in the 
 
64 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 distance, which foreboded the storm which, three 
 years later,* burst forth over the whole of India, 
 from the northernmost frontier to the most southern 
 provinces ; and while silently and surely collecting 
 his strength to be prepared for the shock, he cast 
 a glance of anxiety among the native princes and 
 tributaries of the British Government, to ascertain 
 upon whom among them he felt assured he could 
 place implicit reliance. 
 
 The daring courage, skilful and enterprising 
 conduct, united to the forbearance and humanity 
 displayed by the fugitive Rajah, Omeer Sing, in 
 his various forays and expeditions against the Bri- 
 tish forces, had for some time past attracted his 
 attention; and, coupled with the devoted and un- 
 shaken fidelity of his adherents and the peasantry, 
 gradually instilled doubts into his mind as to 
 whether the circumstances of the case as reported 
 to him had been diligently and searchingly in- 
 quired into. Doubt once engendered, in spite of 
 Red Tape assurances, and positive assertions as to 
 
 * The Mahratta Confederacy and Pindaree "War, the excesses 
 committed in which by the enemy were frequently too hideous 
 and revolting to be even mentioned. It was during this war 
 that terrible scourge the cholera first made its appearance, and 
 broke out in the Marquis of Hastings's camp in 1818, creating a 
 horror and panic which only those who remember it can suffi- 
 ciently portray. 
 
THE OUTLAW. 65 
 
 everything being right arid proper, the Governor- 
 General thought fit to make inquiries himself, and 
 those of so keen and scrutinising a nature, that 
 the real truth of the history became very quickly 
 divulged, and rendered it clearly evident, that if 
 Omeer Sing had been a rebel, a traitor, and a robber, 
 as his enemies had described him, it certainly was 
 only after unwearied and unceasing exertions on 
 their part that he had become so, since in all the 
 annals of spoliation and injustice with which Bri- 
 tish Indian history has too frequently been stained, 
 a more flagrant example than that manifested in 
 the present instance had rarely, if ever, occurred. 
 
 Convinced by the information which reached him 
 on all sides, now that the channel for obtaining it 
 was fairly opened, of the vindictive oppression to 
 which the Rajahpoot chieftain had been subjected, 
 the Governor-General, with his usual promptitude, 
 immediately entered upon measures for repairing 
 it. Orders were first of all sent to the different 
 military commanders to stop further hostilities, 
 and march the troops back to their respective 
 stations and cantonments. This measure accom- 
 plished, to the consternation of the Red Tapists, 
 overtures were made to the chieftain, commencing 
 with an expression of the deepest regret for the in- 
 juries he had sustained, from the false accusations 
 F 
 
66 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 brought against him, to which too much credit had 
 unfortunately been attached, but the true nature of 
 which had since been most satisfactorily established ; 
 and that as the Government were now made aware 
 of the wrong they had committed, they would 
 repair it to the utmost of their power by the Rajah's 
 restoration to all his former authority, honours, 
 and estates, only stipulating that he on his part 
 should renew his oath of fealty to the British power, 
 and restore to a certain extent the large amount 
 of treasure captured by his horsemen, during the 
 period hostilities prevailed. 
 
 As the character of the noble ruler of India was 
 well known, and these proposals were transmitted 
 through Major Treton, the Rajah at once as frankly 
 and honourably acceded to them ; and when true 
 and loyal intentions are entered upon in all truth 
 and sincerity, but little time is lost in carrying them 
 into execution. The result we have told ; and if 
 anything could add to the satisfaction of the Rajah 
 on the occasion, it was the resumption by his old 
 friend of his former political duties. By him on 
 the night in question was he invested with the 
 Khelaat,* in the name of the British Government, 
 and by him was presented, in that of its illustrious 
 head, with a beautiful sabre of great value, which the 
 
 * Dress of Honour. 
 
THE OUTLAW. 
 
 67 
 
 chieftain, with every mark of gratitude and reve- 
 rence, pressed to his head and heart. 
 
 It only remains to be added, that in the Pindarree 
 war, which the great statesman and soldier had 
 so truly foreseen, his policy, dictated by justice and 
 good faith, was well rewarded in the ally it secured ; 
 for, led by their active and enterprising Prince, few 
 troops under the British standard were so dreaded 
 by these marauders, from the terrible havoc they 
 made among them, as the brilliant horsemen of the 
 Rajah Omeer Sing. 
 
A 
 
 TOUR THROUGH THE DECCAN, 
 
 BY 
 
 THE RUINS OF BEEJAPOOR, BEEDER, AURUNGABAD, 
 ROZA, AND ELLORA. 
 
 THERE are, perhaps, few subjects possessing 
 so much interest to the traveller in India, as the 
 magnificent remains of former Moorish grandeur 
 visible in the decayed or ruined capitals of the 
 Mahometan sovereigns of former years. The vast 
 and colossal monuments of Hindoo or Bhuddist 
 architecture will remain, in all probability, like 
 their prototypes in Egypt, objects for the curiosity 
 and wonder of future ages, long, perhaps, after 
 the British rule will have ceased in India; but 
 the traces of the Mussulman sway, strong and 
 durable as many of them are, even in their gor- 
 geous elegance, seem destined to follow in the 
 track of their former power and greatness, and 
 wholly pass away. In no instance does this 
 
A TOUR THROUGH THE DECCAN. 69 
 
 observation so particularly, I may say so painfully 
 apply, as to the unrivalled and picturesque scene 
 presented by the city of Beejapoor, as the splendid 
 ruins of that once extensive capital, on approaching 
 from the south, burst as it were upon the view. 
 It stands upon the bottom of a long range of 
 undulating ground, of no great magnitude in point 
 of height, but which entirely conceals the whole, 
 from the abruptness of the ascent on the other 
 side. 
 
 It was about sunrise that our party, consisting 
 of three brother-officers and myself, gained the 
 crest of the ridge, and beheld the vast piles of 
 innumerable buildings that seemed to rise almost 
 by magic before us, domes with their gilded 
 crescents, minarets, towers, and palaces, intermixed 
 with lofty trees, extending everywhere, and on 
 every spot where the eye could rest; the whole 
 presenting a picture which fancy at the moment 
 could have imputed to the effect produced only by 
 mirage * on the disordered vision. As if actuated 
 by the same feeling, each on the instant reined up 
 his horse, and sat gazing on the scene before him. 
 
 * " Not the ruins of Palmyra itself were equal to the fantastic 
 visions of splendid cities, fertile groves, and magnificent rivers , 
 which, owing to mirage, a species of mist produced by the 
 extreme heat, seemed constantly presented to view in our journey 
 across the desert." D'Herbelot. 
 
 
70 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 It seemed that some of the fabled descriptions of the 
 Arabian Nights were about to be verified, and we 
 could almost, at the moment, have placed reliance 
 upon that part of Schehezerade's history relating to 
 the diamonds, wealth, and merchandise, as well as 
 power, extent, and magnificence of this once cele- 
 brated city! There is but one drawback to the 
 romance of the picture thus pourtrayed, which is, 
 that long before you even reach the gates admitting 
 you to its interior, you are well apprised of the 
 difference between what it was, and what it is ! 
 
 This melancholy truth every instant forced itself 
 upon our minds with the greater degree of con- 
 viction, as we pursued our way through its desolate 
 and noiseless streets, once resounding with the 
 busy hum of countless multitudes, to our quarters 
 at the Jumna Musjeed, or mosque, a building, 
 with its vast and spacious dome, (the third in the 
 world,)* which, from the powerful and massive 
 materials of which it is constructed, will in all 
 probability stand for centuries longer. From the 
 upper gallery of this magnificent structure you 
 have a full and complete view, not only of the 
 entire city, but the surrounding country; the whole 
 
 * They stand as follows: Saint Sophia's, Constantinople; 
 Saint Peter's, Rome ; the Mosque at Beejapoor ; the fourth is 
 Saint Paul's, in London. 
 
A TOUR THROUGH THE DECCAN. 71 
 
 of which to the northward exhibits a melancholy 
 state of barrenness and desolation, owing to the 
 reservoirs and wells of the capital, from which all 
 its supplies of water were drawn, being choked 
 up and destroyed. 
 
 The breaches made by the cannon of Aurungzebe, 
 when he besieged the city in 1689, are still the 
 same as when he drew off his army to Upper 
 Hindostan ; the various powers into whose hands 
 Beejapoor has since then fallen, whether owing to 
 the uncertain nature of their tenure or other causes, 
 never having repaired them. Though the wall 
 itself is of immense strength, being composed of 
 the most solid masonry, from constant neglect it 
 has fallen in many places, and even some of its 
 strong and massive towers have served, in more 
 instances than one, to fill the ditch which surrounds 
 the whole circuit of the fortifications. On every 
 side the eye rests upon the same picture of 
 desolation ; nor could I, from the spot where I 
 stood, discover one single building, with the excep- 
 tion of some few mosques and mausoleums, that 
 bore any impress of what it had been, unless from 
 the extent of its scattered ruins. 
 
 As there was no sporting of any kind in the 
 neighbourhood, the whole of the period of our stay 
 was given to rambling through the ruined city, and 
 
72 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 had either of us been possessed of a proper degree 
 of antiquarian research and enterprise, I have no 
 doubt the result would have been sundry learned 
 and eloquent disquisitions, which would have proved 
 of considerable benefit in enlightening all genuine 
 lovers of the antique. Unfortunately, however, 
 (if the truth must be told,) the moments of our 
 intermediate time, instead of being devoted to 
 study and reflections upon the data, strata, or any 
 other kind of " ata" of what we had a few minutes 
 previously witnessed, were chiefly devoted to the 
 discussion of sundry viands of cold meat, and a 
 highly refreshing liquid, composed of Hodgson's 
 pale ale, slightly intermixed with spices, and a 
 proportion of good old Madeira, and generally 
 known by the classical denomination of " Mug; " 
 a beverage, with which as I suppose most of my 
 readers are pretty well acquainted, I need not 
 trespass upon their time by entering into any 
 further discussion regarding its merits. 
 
 The fort exhibits considerable strength; its 
 interior was exclusively devoted to the palaces of 
 the sovereign and the nobility of his household. 
 Most of them were evidently constructed of the 
 most massive material; notwithstanding which, 
 however, the workmanship invariably exhibits that 
 minute elegance belonging to the Saracenic order 
 
A TOUR THROUGH THE DECCAN. 73 
 
 of architecture, intermingled with the richest mosaic 
 and enamel painting ; but the whole is at present 
 such a mass of heterogeneous ruin, that even the 
 site of one building is scarcely to be distinguished 
 from another. The most singular object of curiosity 
 in this part, is a representation (frightfully resem- 
 bling the reality) of the head of the unfortunate 
 Ram Rajah, the last Hindoo sovereign of the 
 neighbouring kingdom of Beejanuggur, whose 
 territories were invaded, and subsequently divided 
 between the four Mahomedan Sultans of the 
 Deccan,* the unfortunate Hindoo losing his life in 
 the contest. This peculiarly Asiatic ornament is 
 placed to the right of the gateway as you pass 
 over the bridge into the citadel. It exhibits the 
 appearance of being newly severed from the body, 
 still distilling gouts of blood, and the tout ensemble 
 of so ghastly a character, that had I been alive in 
 those days, I am pretty certain I never could have 
 passed the spot without feeling my head wag on 
 my shoulders. 
 
 In a small mosque, built, I believe, by Ali Adil 
 Shah, is a relic of the very highest order, being 
 nothing more nor less than a hair of the Prophet's 
 whisker ! Drapery of our Lady of Loretto (I have 
 
 * The kings of Beejapoor, Goleonda, Dawlutabad, and Ahmed- 
 nuggur. 
 
74 EOMANCE OF MILITAEY LIFE. 
 
 omitted terming it by its proper name, as I be- 
 lieve it is considered indelicate to mention ladies' 
 wearing apparel by their own especial cognisances,) 
 Saint Laurence's gridiron, or Saint Dunstan's tongs, 
 hide your diminished heads ! In what consist your 
 claims to sanctity in comparison with this? To 
 the extreme mortification of my companions, as 
 well as myself, we found that no Giaour could be 
 favoured with ocular demonstration of this most 
 precious and revered relic. Considerably disap- 
 pointed and by no means pleased at this declaration, 
 in a fit of spleen I hinted my belief that the relic 
 in question had its origin in the visionary districts 
 of the brain of the old Moollah who acted as 
 cicerone on the occasion. In a rage he replied 
 that no mind but that of a Christian could have 
 entertained so impious a thought, adding that the 
 Holy Prophet, (to whom all praise be due !) on the 
 occasion of having his beard trimmed, had be- 
 queathed the hair in question to one of his most 
 zealous followers, by whom it had been brought to 
 India, and at length subsequently found its way to 
 the immortal city of Beejapoor. 
 
 The mosque and adjoining tomb of Ibrahim 
 Adil Shah are still in considerable repair, notwith- 
 standing the ravages of the Mahrattas. This 
 magnificent structure, which these hordes of plun- 
 
A TOUR THROUGH THE DECCAN. 75 
 
 derers wantonly endeavoured to destroy, is Tbuilt 
 of stone, in a style of the very first order of 
 oriental architecture. It is asserted, (for I was 
 not scholar enough to ascertain myself.) that the 
 whole of the Koran, from the commencement 
 of the first chapter to the last, is cut on the 
 exterior of the building. It certainly is covered 
 with Arabic characters, and beautifully executed. 
 One of the pillars is nearly destroyed by an 
 enormous shot, which the Mahrattas fired from a 
 short distance into the building ; in all probability 
 they would have completed their work of destruction 
 had they not been compelled to retreat. 
 
 Perhaps the greatest curiosity in Bejapoor is the 
 immense gun, said to have been cast by Aurungzebe 
 to commemorate his conquest of the city, which 
 lies on one of the ruined bastions on the western 
 side. This tremendous piece of artillery is upwards 
 of one-and-thirty feet in length, with a diameter at 
 the muzzle upwards of nine. On inquiring of our 
 guide if it had ever been discharged, he pointed to 
 the ruined bastion, which, he assured us, tradition 
 said had fallen beneath the shock, while the waters 
 of all the neighbouring wells and reservoirs from 
 the same reason had fled, never to return ! Our 
 communicative cicerone was proceeding with a 
 further detail of marvellous circumstances connected 
 
76 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 with the incident in question, when an uproarious 
 shout of laughter from the whole of his assembled 
 audience caused him to pause; upon which ob- 
 serving, from the distended mouths and other 
 unequivocal signs of the mirth of his hearers, that 
 the valuable knowledge he was imparting had 
 merely afforded food for their heretical ridicule, 
 with an air of offended dignity, as a punishment 
 for their disbelief, he resolved that all further 
 information he was possessed of should be confined 
 to himself, and in no way given towards enlight- 
 ening persons who had treated the records of history 
 with such sceptical rudeness ! 
 
 In the Laul Baugh, or Red Garden, lies buried 
 one of the younger sons of the emperor Aurungzebe, 
 who died of a fever during the period his father 
 was engaged in the siege. The spot is merely 
 marked by a highly polished slab of red porphyry, 
 surmounted by a smaller one of white marble ; that 
 able, though unprincipled despot, whatever may 
 have been his passion for pomp and parade in life, 
 having always expressed the utmost contempt for 
 funereal pageantry. 
 
 After a stay of nearly three weeks, we moved 
 forward on our journey to Aurungabad, taking 
 the cities of Kulburga and Beeder en route. The 
 former exhibits but few traces of having been 
 
A TOUR THROUGH THE DECCAN. 77 
 
 the capital of a kingdom, with the exception of the 
 walls, which are of considerable extent, while the 
 population does not exceed that of a large village. 
 The latter still retains several very handsome 
 mosques and other buildings, both in the suburbs 
 and in the city itself, the architecture of many of 
 the former being of the first order. Beeder still 
 forms a nominal Soubadarry, or viceroyalty, but 
 the efforts of this functionary to uphold the 
 dignity of his office by occasionally surrounding 
 himself with all the rabble of the neighbourhood, 
 in lieu of the gay Suwarree* that formerly apper- 
 tained to his high station, form a picture painfully 
 ludicrous. 
 
 On the 13th we arrived at Aurungabad, whose 
 splendid tomb, as a Mussulman truly said, when 
 contrasting the state of the city at the present 
 period with its former flourishing prosperity under 
 the sway of the Mogul sovereigns, " stood like a 
 blooming rose in the midst of a desert;" and 
 never, certainly, was the figurative though energetic 
 description of the Asiatic more happily applied 
 than in the present instance. On emerging from 
 clouds of dust, amid long, dirty, narrow streets, 
 abounding in every description of squalid filth and 
 misery, you find yourself opposite the magnificent 
 
 * Retinue. 
 
78 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 gateway forming the entrance to the garden in 
 which this superb building is situated. 
 
 Truly indeed might Vitelli, an Italian artist, 
 say when he beheld it, " that a glass case to cover 
 the whole was only wanting to complete it." 
 Instead of gravel you tread upon a pavement of the 
 most highly polished porphyry, of which costly 
 material the walks of the garden are composed, the 
 various orange- trees, shrubs, and flowers being par- 
 titioned off by screens of a highly wrought descrip- 
 tion. Down the centre of each walk are white 
 marble fountains, the play of which, however, is 
 silent now, the pipes and communications leading to 
 them being either choked up or destroyed. Passing 
 up the middle one, you approach the mausoleum, 
 the whole of which, with its lofty minarets, is of 
 white marble. The central arch forms the entrance, 
 and by a small flight of steps you descend into the 
 interior, and then behold a picture well qualified 
 to strike the spectator with astonishment and admi- 
 ration ; for of so exquisitely wrought and highly 
 finished a character is the architecture, that, coupled 
 with the dazzling purity of the marble, you can at 
 the moment almost fancy the entire fabric to be 
 the produce of the loom instead of the chisel ! 
 
 Enclosed within a richly fretted screen, of a 
 character, if possible, of even a higher order than 
 
A TOUR THEOUGH THE DECCAN. 79 
 
 the rest, and covered with crimson velvet, is the 
 spot where lie the remains of a favourite daughter 
 of Aurungzebe, who died during the period of the 
 Emperor's expedition to the frontiers of Cashmere, 
 and over whom this superb edifice was erected by 
 the Viceroy of Aurungabad ; who, in adopting the 
 measure, however, met with the severest reprehen- 
 sion from his sovereign for this pompous but 
 useless expenditure of the public treasure. It is 
 singular the resemblance the whole bears to the 
 sarcophagi of the Medici at Florence : * that monu- 
 ment of the power of the merchant princes is still 
 unfinished, but were it otherwise, its classic beauty 
 and its costly material would be alike secondary 
 to the noble pile before you. 
 
 * " Beautiful as it is," says Major Scherer, in his Tour through 
 the North of Italy, in allusion to this beautiful specimen of 
 Florentine sculpture, " yet I have seen others of a far nobler 
 and richer character; need I say that I allude to those splendid 
 monuments of former grandeur left by the Mogul emperors hi 
 the plains of Hindostan ? " 
 
 There are many who assert that both the tombs at Agra and 
 Aurungabad must have been built under the superintendence of 
 Italians. Though this admits of probability, it by no means 
 amounts to a certainty. For the supersession of the Gothic, and the 
 introduction of a lighter and more graceful order of architecture, 
 Europe was indebted to her Saracen invaders; and, with the 
 exception of Saint Peter's at Rome and a few others, it may be 
 doubted if any buildings of a subsequent period will bear 
 comparison in elegance and beauty with the splendid remains of 
 Oriental structure still visible in Sicily and the south of Spain. 
 
80 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 On each side of the garden are serais, or public 
 places, devoted in former days to the use of the 
 followers of the Prophet for their rest and refresh- 
 ment; two of them are floored with red marble, 
 each slab having an alternate line of red and black 
 around it, which produces a very singular, though 
 not unpleasing effect. 
 
 Though no less than fifty thousand rupees are 
 annually given by the Nizam's government towards 
 keeping the establishment in repair, the whole is 
 fast going to ruin. The garden exhibits but one 
 continual scene of waste and desolation ; the trellis- 
 work and screens being on every side defaced and 
 destroyed, the shrubs and flowers torn up, and the 
 trees decayed. We were told, I know not with 
 what truth, that of the sum allowed for maintaining 
 the grounds and building, not one rupee was ever 
 appropriated to that purpose; that the Nizam, piqued 
 at the refusal of the British minister at his court 
 to concur in his project of pulling down the whole, 
 and transferring the materials to Hyderabad, for 
 the purpose of erecting a mausoleum for his own 
 family in the capital, had allowed the sum in 
 question to be embezzled by those to whose charge 
 the care of the building was entrusted, without even 
 instituting any inquiry as to how it was applied. 
 It surely would not be any stretch of arbitrary 
 
A TOUR THROUGH THE DECCAN. 81 
 
 power on the part of the British Government, nor 
 be deemed an unjust interference, were their 
 representative instructed to hint their wishes that 
 this noble structure, the second in India, should 
 not be left to fall a sacrifice at the shrine of 
 ignorance, caprice, and avarice. 
 
 On the 24th we resumed our route to Doulutabad, 
 which celebrated fortress, from the kindness of the 
 British resident at the Court of the Nizam, (who 
 forwarded us a pass for the occasion, without which 
 no one is ever permitted to enter the interior,) 
 we had every facility afforded us of viewing. This 
 old form is still strictly adhered to, and originated 
 in former days in the place having been the 
 deposit of immense treasures, from the consideration 
 of its being regarded as completely impregnable. 
 Its greatest curiosity is the extensive subterraneous 
 passage, which winds round the whole of the 
 fortifications, nearly to the summit of the rock, 
 a work of unparalleled, almost superhuman labour. 
 The gratification, however, derived from an in- 
 spection of this wonderful work of art is not without 
 its alloy ; as, what with the heat of the sun, which 
 playing constantly upon the rock from which the 
 passage is excavated, renders its temperature not 
 unlike that of an oven, together with the smoke 
 and smell from the torches, which you are 
 G 
 
82 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 necessarily compelled to take with you, the effect 
 almost amounts to actual suffocation ; and never 
 shall I forget the feeling as it were of new life that 
 shot through the whole frame on our once more 
 emerging into the light of day. 
 
 The town, situated at the base of the rock, was 
 formerly of considerable extent, and possessed a 
 large population ; indeed, one of the Mogul emperors 
 passed a considerable part of his reign there, and 
 once contemplated, it is said, making it his capital 
 in preference to Delhi. It is now entirely in ruins, 
 the only object worthy of observation being a 
 minaret of immense height, erected by Aurunzebe 
 after the surrender of the place to the Imperial 
 arms, but of which, from its rickety state, it is by 
 no means deemed safe to attempt the ascent. 
 
 From thence we moved on to the small though 
 beautifully situated town of Roza, a spot held in 
 the highest degree of reverence by the Mussulman 
 population of the country, from the number of 
 saints and holy men of that religion who are buried 
 there, and whose tombs, rising in the midst of the 
 bold and picturesque scenery around, form a tableau 
 at once striking and pleasing. The object that 
 most forcibly claims the attention of the passing 
 traveller is the plain red marble slab, which, 
 situated close to the rich shrine of one of the 
 
A TOUR THEOUGH THE DECCAN. 83 
 
 holiest of the Imaums, marks the spot which 
 forms the last resting-place of Aurunzebe, the 
 simple monument of that fearful and all-powerful 
 sovereign ; forming a striking contrast to the highly 
 wrought marble screen, inlaid with jasper, agate, 
 and cornelians, which surrounds the remains of the 
 being who, during his life-time, was as great an 
 object of ridicule and indifference as the former 
 was of dread, admiration, or terror. 
 
 The air was cold and bracing, and breakfast 
 over, we took our guns, resolved to range the 
 adjoining jungles till dinner-time, as game of 
 every description abounds here, though some of 
 a kind we by no means felt disposed to encounter ; 
 as sometimes, in pursuing a hare, the sportsman 
 should be on his guard lest he by chance stumble 
 upon a tiger an incident in this part of the world 
 by no means of uncommon occurrence : however, 
 we sallied forth, and after several hours' prosperous 
 sport, without meeting any forest adversaries dis- 
 posed to interfere with our pastime, we returned 
 to the old mosque, which we had constituted our 
 head-quarters and sitting-room, and around which 
 our tents were pitched. 
 
 After dinner we again moved out, though taking 
 a different route to that pursued in the morning. 
 We had arrived at a circular sheet of water, which 
 
84 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 had secured the classical designation of the " Punch 
 Bowl," from the circumstance of its being entirely 
 enclosed by a circle of small hills, when up sprang 
 two uncommonly fine large pea-fowl ; crack ! 
 crack ! went every fowling-piece on the instant ; 
 but, whether owing to the advance of evening, or 
 an optical delusion caused by the vigorous dis- 
 cussion during our recent period of mastication of 
 a more than usually excellent batch of Lafitte, or 
 some other cause which I cannot determine, certain 
 it is that everybody missed with the exception of 
 one of the party, who was some fifty or sixty yards 
 behind the rest, and of whose accuracy of aim we 
 soon received ample proof in the exclamation of 
 " Oh, Lord ! my ! " which, roared with sten- 
 torian energy, proceeded from my nearest neigh- 
 bour, who, with his hand applied to that part of 
 the human frame generally expressed by a very 
 simple, but somewhat anti-euphonious term, which 
 modesty compels us to leave blank, was executing 
 a variety of pirouettes and demi voltes, sufficient to 
 have excited the admiration and envy of the ablest 
 terpsichorist upon record. 
 
 It appeared that the sportsman from whom the 
 shot proceeded, who on most occasions bore great 
 reputation on the score of missing, had been left, 
 as before-mentioned, considerably behind. He 
 
A TOUR THROUGH THE DECCAN. 85 
 
 was enlivening the monotony of his walk by an 
 occasional hiccup, when the rapid and successive 
 discharge of so many fowling-pieces bursting upon 
 his ear, resolved him not to be behind-hand with 
 the rest in the exhilarating noise that added so 
 much to the interest of the scene : accordingly, 
 without losing time in going through the unmean- 
 ing ceremony of taking aim, he let fly both barrels, 
 which occasioned the forcible invasion of the system 
 of osteology of the sufferer previously alluded to, 
 the attack being aggravated by the circumstance 
 of the part in question being of a size arid calibre, 
 that would have even experienced some difficulty 
 in introducing itself into the capacious unmention- 
 able part of the wearing apparel of Hendric Hudson, 
 or some other equally celebrated Dutch navigator 
 of the North Atlantic, which was usually devoted 
 to covering that respected portion of the human 
 frame. Fortunately, however, the distance being 
 so great, little or nothing was the consequence, be- 
 yond the pain inflicted by the application, which 
 the person best qualified to judge declared he could 
 liken to nothing else but a huge bunch of thistles 
 in full, continued, and vigorous play ! 
 
 For several days after this we were occupied in 
 viewing the far-famed Caves of Ellora, which are 
 excavated from the bottom of the range of trap 
 
86 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 and granite hills upon which the town of Roza is 
 situated. These stupendous works of human art 
 and ingenuity (which Bishop Heber, in his inte- 
 resting Journal, has so truly termed as deserving 
 the first place among the Wonders of the world, 
 and a sight of which alone was in itself induce- 
 ment enough for a voyage to the Indian shores), 
 presenting so great a similarity to the architectural 
 monuments and colossal figures of Egypt, and 
 remarkable for an equal degree of remote antiquity 
 attached to them, afford an inexhaustible field 
 for the research of the enterprising antiquary and 
 historian. 
 
 Their history, the period when made, and the 
 object of such a work of superhuman labour, are 
 buried in the deepest obscurity, where it is to be 
 feared they must ever remain ; for no sooner does 
 the traveller arrive at what he deems, in his own 
 mind, satisfactory conclusions as to what he wit- 
 nesses in one part, than all his preconceived opinions 
 are at once thrown to the ground by what meets 
 his view in another ; for, singular as it may appear, 
 it is no less true, that in the very same excavated 
 chamber you will alike find emblems of the jarring 
 and conflicting religions of Brahma and Boodh. 
 
 The range extends for nearly a mile and a half, 
 the two Caves most remarkable being those of the 
 
A TOUR THROUGH THE DECCAN. 87 
 
 Temple of Keilas,.and the Carpenter's Cave. The 
 former is a complete building, standing by itself, 
 hewn out of the entire rock, of Hindoo origin, 
 and exhibiting sculpture of the very highest order, 
 with two colossal pillars of the most finished de- 
 scription, standing by themselves in advance of 
 the main body of the work. The latter, of an 
 inferior kind, causes however greater astonish- 
 ment in the mind of the western beholder, from 
 its being, in some degree, similar to the Gothic, 
 and its singular resemblance, in many points, to 
 the nave of a cathedral. 
 
 The Brahmins of the neighbourhood have so 
 many astonishing narratives connected with the 
 whole, that I cannot bring myself to publish even 
 one, lest the reputation of our own historic narrator 
 and traveller, Baron Munchausen, should be in- 
 jured by the recital; his wondrous adventures being 
 ordinary and everyday occurrences when placed in 
 comparison with those related by our Indian in- 
 formants. 
 
 A disagreeable adventure occurred on the even- 
 ing of the last day of our rambles among the caves, 
 that by no means tended to enhance the pleasure 
 of our excursion. We had all retired for the 
 night and, heartily fatigued, were buried in pro- 
 found sleep, when the most tremendous uproar 
 that ever burst upon mortal ears effectually 
 
88 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 aroused us from our slumbers. The shouts of 
 the servants, the bellowing of cattle, and the 
 yelping of curs, all forming an united chorus 
 better conceived than described. 
 
 I started up, and by the light of the moon, 
 which shone with considerable brilliancy, per- 
 ceived within fifteen yards of the tent a tiger of 
 the largest size, which had seized upon one of the 
 bullocks ! A shot struck him, and I pulled with 
 all the energy of desperation to the triggers of my 
 double barrel, in perfect agony at its singular 
 obstinacy in refusing to go off, a circumstance 
 which was afterwards accounted for in its not 
 being cocked. Fortunately, however, the wound 
 he had received, the full stretch of so many voices 
 joined in such tremendous yells, with a huge flame, 
 which suddenly shot up from the embers of a large 
 fire, originally kindled by the servants to defend 
 themselves from the cold of the night, all united 
 so completely to startle the monster, that he let go 
 his hold, and to our great relief scampered off, 
 apparently as much frightened as ourselves. 
 
 A few days more, occupied entirely with our 
 field sports, and marked with no further incident 
 deserving of any particular notice, terminated our 
 excursion, and found us again with our respective 
 regiments. 
 
THE BHEEL, 
 
 AN INCIDENT OF CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE. 
 
 IN the month of June, 1826, a young officer of 
 the regiment I belonged to was murdered under 
 circumstances of peculiar atrocity, at the village of 
 Nawur, in the northern part of the Deccan, only 
 eight miles distant from camp. An event so 
 unusual, for a circumstance of the kind had not 
 occurred within the last five or six years, and the 
 country was at peace, excited the highest degree of 
 astonishment and horror ; and never shall I forget 
 the dreadful appearance the body of the unfortu- 
 nate young man presented when it was brought in. 
 The neck and back of the head were laid open by 
 a fearful gash ; the blade-bone was bare, and that 
 of the right elbow almost cut in two ; there were 
 several other cuts also upon the back and arms, 
 He was still living when he arrived, borne on a 
 litter by some country people, but expired shortly 
 
90 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 afterwards, without being able to give one word 
 explanatory of the dreadful event. 
 
 A party of mat-makers, consisting of five men 
 and two women, whose small tents were pitched 
 only twelve or fourteen yards from where the 
 murder took place, were arrested on suspicion and 
 brought in for trial. 
 
 A court-martial assembled, and proceeded to 
 investigate the affair, the members of which sat 
 for some days, but were unable to obtain any 
 clue to unravel the mystery. A number of sus- 
 picious circumstances tended greatly to criminate 
 the accused persons, but others again intervened to 
 render it more than doubtful that they were the 
 murderers ; their peaceful habits, the general timi- 
 dity of all persons of this description, the absence 
 of a weapon of any kind, save a small crooked 
 knife used for the purposes of cutting bamboos for 
 their mats, were all urged in their favour. But, 
 on the other hand, blood was found on their 
 clothes in more places than one, even also on 
 one of their knives, and not a single human being 
 except themselves had been seen near the place 
 throughout the whole day. But what told against 
 them more than anything else, was the deposition 
 of the surgeon of the regiment who examined the 
 body, a gentleman of the highest judgment and ex- 
 
THE BHEEL. 91 
 
 perience, who stated, that although in his opinion 
 the blow on the head, with the greater part of the 
 others, were inflicted by some sharp instrument 
 similar to a sabre or cutlass, and as certainly dealt 
 by no inexperienced hand, still he was convinced 
 that the gash on the arm was caused by one of the 
 knives, or by one similar to those found in possession 
 of the accused. 
 
 He had, in presence of another officer, one of 
 the members of the court, applied one to the 
 wound, and found it to correspond in every respect ; 
 a part of the arm was jagged and bruised, par- 
 taking more of the nature of a violent dent than 
 a cut ; and this fitted the lower part of the knife 
 exactly, it being merely a piece of iron, and never 
 sharpened. 
 
 The only evidence of any importance in addition 
 to this was that of the deceased officer's servant, 
 which went to involve the affair in still greater 
 mystery. He deposed that his master had the 
 evening previous sent off his baggage and atten- 
 dants to the next stage, retaining only a small 
 sleeping tent and camp bedstead, with one servant, 
 himself intending to follow in the morning. About 
 three o'clock he was aroused by a volley of stones 
 being thrown apparently at the tent. He listened, 
 but heard nothing, and his master was still fast 
 
92 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 asleep. He had again composed himself to rest, 
 when he was aroused by a loud cry. On starting 
 up he beheld the tent filled with armed men, and 
 his master covered with blood lying on his bed; 
 he shouted for help ; the wounded man made an 
 attempt to reach the door, but fell quite exhausted. 
 What further occurred he could not remember, as 
 he himself was at that instant knocked down and 
 wounded ; and when he recovered his senses, he 
 found his master surrounded by the village people, 
 with the mat-makers in their custody. 
 
 When asked if he could identify any of them, 
 he closely examined the countenances of all, and 
 at length declared he could not. This rendered 
 it more difficult than ever to sift the affair, since 
 whatever actuated the murderers to the deed, it 
 was very evident plunder was not their object. 
 
 When called upon for their defence, the prisoners 
 protested their entire innocence of what they were 
 charged with ; that they saw the tent surrounded 
 with armed men, but were too much frightened 
 even to move from where they were ; that the 
 blood on their clothes, as well as on the knife, 
 proceeded from a sheep they had killed the pre- 
 vious evening ; and, finally, they appealed to the 
 Court to ask what motive could have induced them 
 to commit such a crime ? After long deliberation, 
 
THE BHEEL. 93 
 
 a verdict of " Not Guilty ! " was returned, which 
 excited a great degree of dissatisfaction at the time, 
 and the Commander-in-Chief, having severely ani- 
 madverted upon the conduct of the members, as 
 not having discharged their duty, dissolved the 
 Court. 
 
 Proclamations were issued, and large rewards 
 offered for the discovery of the murderers, but in 
 vain. Months rolled on ; by degrees the circum- 
 stance which caused such a sensation at first, like 
 all events in a military life, became less talked of, 
 and at length almost forgotten. 
 
 Before resuming my narrative, it will not per- 
 haps appear misplaced to offer a few observations 
 on circumstantial evidence. A learned judge, who 
 has been esteemed one of our ablest lawyers, pre- 
 vious to his elevation to the bench once declared, 
 that where any doubt existed, he preferred entering 
 into and sifting its minutiae, valuing it in its bear- 
 ings upon a case much more than testimony of a 
 more direct character; and I myself have heard 
 two or three military men, filling the office of 
 Judge Advocate General, persons of no ordinary 
 talent, declare the same. Surely this is erroneous, 
 or, at least, ought to be observed with considerable 
 reservation. I may be wrong, not being con- 
 versant with law theories ; but when I reflect upon 
 
94 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 the many innocent persons consigned to an unjust 
 sentence, convicted solely upon circumstantial evi- 
 dence, I cannot refrain from a wish that, should 
 these pages ever "be perused by one who at some 
 future period may be called upon to serve on a 
 jury, or sit as member of a court-martial, he may 
 well deliberate in his own mind before he gives a 
 verdict that may consign to an irrevocable doom 
 an innocent person, and to remember the saying 
 of that inestimable man who declared, " If there 
 is a doubt, let the prisoner benefit by it ; for better 
 is it that a hundred guilty beings should escape, 
 than one innocent person should suffer." 
 
 The mountains and thick impervious jungles of 
 Kandeish were at this time chiefly inhabited by 
 Bheels, a wild, savage, ferocious race of robbers. 
 Formerly they used to issue from their fastnesses 
 in considerable numbers, spreading terror and de- 
 vastation wherever they came ; but of late years, 
 by the attempts of the Bombay Government to 
 civilize them, aided by several strong examples 
 made of the ringleaders, their depredations are 
 seldom heard of. Many have been enlisted in the 
 Bheel corps which have been raised ; several have 
 turned husbandmen ; and numbers have left their 
 old haunts and habits, and, dispersing themselves 
 
THE BHEEL. 95 
 
 in the cities and towns of the various provinces 
 adjacent, have become peaceful inhabitants of the 
 places where they have settled. 
 
 A few small gangs, however, still issue from 
 their hiding places, (to which none can follow, as 
 the pestilental air of the jungles renders it almost 
 certain death to any but a Bheel to pass a night in 
 them,) laying the adjoining country, both Nizam's 
 and British, under contribution ; these are, how- 
 ever, becoming more rare, from the vigilance of 
 the irregular horse, whose sabres generally make 
 short work among the depredators, whenever they 
 fall in with them. 
 
 To partake of the annual feast held by his tribe, 
 a Bheel left the city of Aurungabad, where he had 
 resided for several years, and proceeded to a small 
 village about fifteen miles distant, the place ap- 
 pointed for the rendezvous. During the day he 
 remarked a handsomely wrought ivory-handled 
 clasp knife of English manufacture in possession of 
 one of the party ; and, somewhat surprised at the 
 circumstance, he questioned him as to where he 
 had obtained it. 
 
 "Oh!" replied the other, carelessly, either 
 thrown off his guard by the suddenness of the 
 question, or in the supposition that he was address- 
 ing a friend from whom no danger was to be 
 
96 KOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 apprehended, " I was one of those who assisted 
 at the murder of the British officer at Nawur two 
 years ago, and found this in the tent." 
 
 " Is that all?" said the other with indifference, 
 and the subject dropped. 
 
 That veiy night he posted back with all speed 
 to the city, and demanding an interview with 
 the British officer commanding the Nizam's force 
 stationed there, laid before him what he had heard. 
 No time was to be lost ; a party of the horse, 
 taking the Bheel with them as a guide, rode off, 
 and reached the village as morning dawned; the 
 man was pointed out, seized, tied on a horse with 
 saddle-girths, and brought in. For some time he 
 was sullen and obstinate, asserting that the charge 
 against him was a fabrication on the part of his 
 accuser to ruin him ; but threatened with death on 
 the one hand, and a handsome reward and free 
 pardon for the share he had taken in the transac- 
 tion, if he divulged all he knew, on the other, he 
 at length made the following confession. 
 
 Formerly he belonged to a gang headed by 
 a Bheel, who for many years had undergone a 
 rigorous confinement by order of the viceroy of 
 Aurungabad, in that city. This he imputed to 
 Mr. Canning, the then Resident British Commis- 
 sioner ; and, as his punishment had been an unjust 
 
THE BHEEL. 97 
 
 one, he vowed to be revenged. Two years ago 
 the greater part of the gang, led by this man, had 
 proceeded to the village of Nawur for the purpose 
 of plundering some merchants, who were proceed- 
 ing with a large quantity of grain to the city of 
 Hyderabad. On their arrival, late at night, they 
 discovered that it had been lodged inside the 
 village,* consequently their intention to plunder it 
 was rendered abortive. They were returning from 
 the place when they saw a light at a small dis- 
 tance, on moving towards which they found it 
 proceeded from a small open tent, in which a 
 British officer was lying asleep. The leader was 
 some paces in advance of the rest, when several 
 of the gang called out to him to keep back, as 
 there was nothing to be plundered. He still, 
 however, went forward, they following, till he 
 reached the door of the tent, when turning round, 
 and merely saying, " All Europeans are alike; I 
 have suffered from one, and now will have my re- 
 venge/ 7 he advanced towards the bed of the uncon- 
 
 * All villages in the Deccan, in fact almost throughout all 
 India north of the Kistna, are surrounded with a mud wall, 
 having a tower at each angle, forming, during the troublesome 
 period that preceded the British Empire in the East, a tolerable 
 security against petty freebooters and predatory horse, numerous 
 bands of which had spread themselves over, and devastated the 
 whole country. 
 
 H 
 
98 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 scions sleeper. In the next instant his sabre flew 
 from the scabbard, and he aimed a violent blow 
 at the unfortunate youth, intending to sever his 
 head from his body : it encountered, however, the 
 back of the skull, the officer started up, a second 
 blow was more fatal, and he sunk down again. 
 The whole of them now fell upon him, but he 
 struggled still, and at length succeeded in reaching 
 the door of the tent, when one of them felled him 
 to the earth with the blow of a knife which he 
 had picked up, belonging to a party of mat- 
 makers who were close by. They now thought 
 him dead, and fled hastily from the spot. 
 
 Scarcely was the deed perpetrated ere the mur- 
 derer became terror-struck at what he had done ; 
 not remorse, but the dread of its being discovered 
 seized him, while his feelings were aggravated by 
 the reproaches of his followers, who now accused 
 him of being the cause of destruction to the whole 
 body. He fled, and for some time his fate was 
 unknown to them ; but it was at last discovered 
 that, terrified at the large rewards held out for the 
 discovery of the murderer, he had escaped to a 
 remote part of the country, and building himself a 
 hut on a high and steep hill, which commanded a 
 full and extensive view for miles round, in this 
 spot, which he never quitted unless to procure a 
 
THE BHEEL. 99 
 
 few roots and a small quantity of grain for his 
 subsistence, he had ever since continued to drag on 
 a miserable existence. 
 
 Here finished the narrative. After some con- 
 sideration, a party of the horse, taking both Bheels 
 with them, were despatched to the place, with 
 strict injunctions to take him, if possible, alive. 
 From what had been said, it was easy to perceive 
 that the task of apprehending him would be very 
 difficult, if not altogether impossible, should he 
 take the alarm. It was resolved, therefore, that 
 the party should proceed to the foot of the hill by 
 night, the horsemen staying in a small but thick 
 clump of trees situated at the bottom, there to wait 
 till the morning, when the two guides should pro- 
 ceed up to his dwelling, and engaging him in 
 conversation, watch the favourable moment, and 
 call out to them to ride up and seize him. 
 
 Daylight dawned, and the miserable inmate 
 issuing from his hut, gazed keenly and anxiously 
 everywhere round him. His form was wasted ; and 
 however athletic and active it might formerly have 
 been, was now worn to an absolute skeleton. As 
 he threw his furtive glances around, he saw the 
 figures of two persons approaching from the trees at 
 the base of the hill. Hastily casting himself on the 
 ground, he watched their motions with a lynxean 
 
100 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 eye; they approached, and lie could perceive they 
 were unarmed, consequently did not come apparently 
 as foes. Still a feeling of terror shook him, and he 
 was turning to fly, when they called out to him : 
 somewhat reassured, he awaited their arrival. 
 
 " Is it you?" he exclaimed as they approached. 
 " Why do I feel troubled at your presence are 
 you come to betray me?" 
 
 They answered him soothingly, and produced 
 some provisions, upon which the unhappy object 
 seized with the utmost avidity. 
 
 " My days are then not yet closed," he con- 
 tinued, whilst the perpetual wandering of his eye 
 showed the unsettled state of his mind, " though 
 too well am I assured it will one day be dis- 
 covered ; for what is it makes me regard even you 
 with so much dread ? Ah ! they have come at 
 last," 
 
 He caught the flash from the carbine of one of 
 the horsemen, on the barrel of which the sun, 
 which had now risen, reflected. " Betrayed, be- 
 trayed!" he shouted, and rushed down the hill. 
 Calling to the soldiers, and pointing out the way 
 he had taken, the Bheels darted after him. The 
 horsemen galloped round the foot of the hill, 
 riding at and over everything ; the progress of the 
 miserable fugitive was soon arrested, and one of 
 
THE BHEEL. 101 
 
 them, as he came up, felled him 4 to "the eaiilrwith 
 the butt of his lance. 
 
 He was tried the very evening he arrived, and 
 the next morning led out to meet the doom 
 awarded him. Now that the worst had happened 
 he seemed perfectly indifferent to his fate. " I 
 have had my revenge," he said, " in taking the 
 life of one of your Sirdars, and now mine is 
 required in return blood for blood. Be it so; 
 it is valueless, and is nothing in my estimation 
 compared to the one I have taken." 
 
 He was conducted to a gibbet erected on a hill 
 overlooking the camp and its vicinity; and in a 
 few minutes after ceased to breathe, the body 
 being left suspended as a warning to others. 
 
HAKCOUBT. 
 
 [For the outline of the following singular and eventful history 
 I am indebted to a brother officer, whose name has attained 
 the highest degree of reputation for classic and antiquarian 
 research, not only in his own country, but throughout the 
 whole of Europe. It is to be regretted, perhaps, that no 
 trace has been left, or at least can be discovered, of incidents 
 that would have formed a complete chain for the connexion 
 of the entire narrative, though it is to be hoped that sufficient 
 has been given in the following pages to enable the reader to 
 form a tolerably correct estimate of the course of the career 
 it is intended to portray, as well as to create in his mind 
 that degree of interest which, in the extraordinary occurrences 
 to which it relates, will repay him in its perusal.] 
 
 PART THE FIRST. 
 
 ONE hot, sultry, oppressive day in the month of 
 August, 1793, before any stir had announced the 
 early rising of the motley and noisy population of 
 the Hock, and almost immediately after the gates 
 of the Fortress had been opened, two gentlemen 
 sallied out from the lines of Gibraltar, and proceeded 
 in the direction of the neutral ground. 
 
 The advanced sentry, as they passed him, glanced 
 at them with a slight degree of surprise. That 
 
HARCOURT, 103 
 
 both were military officers, although attired in 
 plain clothes, was manifestly evident, "not only 
 from their general appearance, but from the large 
 military cloak, which, notwithstanding the into- 
 lerable heat of the weather, was thrown around 
 one of them. The other, the taller and younger 
 of the two, was attired in a suit of deep black, 
 which certainly appeared as ill adapted for the 
 close and heated atmosphere of the morning as 
 the costume of his companion. 
 
 They passed onward ; and whether it was they 
 mistook the movement of the sentinel, as he half 
 turned towards them in his measured tread on 
 their approach, it seemed as if they involuntarily 
 increased their pace as they passed him. 
 
 A profound silence was maintained between the 
 two as they continued their walk, which remained 
 unbroken till they reached a spot at some distance 
 from the Lines, where the ground was somewhat 
 of an undulating nature, and partially screened 
 them from observation. 
 
 Arrived here, the elder of the officers dropped 
 the mantle from his shoulders, and then discovered 
 that he carried a pistol-case under his arm, for the 
 concealment of which the cloak had in all pro- 
 bability been assumed. 
 
 " We have acted up to your adversary's sug- 
 
104 ROMANCE. OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 gestion," he said, looking at his watch, and then 
 addressing his companion, " and it will be at least 
 twenty minutes before we can expect their appear- 
 ance ; let me therefore take advantage of the time 
 to ask you if there is any other service that I can 
 render you relative to this ugly affair." 
 
 " Were it possible to add to the obligations you 
 have already conferred upon me, Captain Osborne," 
 replied the other, in a voice somewhat faltering 
 with emotion, " in the kindness you have displayed 
 towards an almost perfect stranger, believe me, 
 I should not hesitate to offer you the opportunity 
 of doing so ; but there is nothing absolutely 
 nothing ; for I may almost say I am the last of 
 my family, conscious as I am of possessing no near 
 relative to whom my fate, whatever it may be, 
 would be deemed worthy of a passing thought or 
 observation." 
 
 "As to any little service I have rendered you, 
 my dear Harcourt," returned the other, " do not 
 let any such reminiscences disturb you, as under 
 similar circumstances I should have stepped forward 
 to assist any fine fellow struggling against an 
 overbearing bully, exercising upon those destitute 
 the means of resistance the power which 
 authority has unfortunately given him." 
 
 " But the risk you entail upon yourself!" said 
 
HARCOURT. 105 
 
 Harcourt ; " the loss of jour commission may Ibe 
 the consequence of your friendly kindness towards 
 myself." 
 
 " The loss of my commission," replied Captain 
 Osborne, " would indeed prove somewhat disastrous 
 to an idle dog like myself, who at least is devotedly 
 attached to the profession he has chosen; in otner 
 respects it would be a mere bagatelle, as I am not 
 even dependant upon the paternal acres to which, 
 sooner or later, I must succeed for an inheritance. 
 But let this business terminate how it will, I do 
 not think they can in any way catch hold of me : 
 from my not belonging to the same regiment as 
 Colonel Mortlake and yourself, no infringement of 
 military discipline can be brought against me 
 relative to the charge of violence against my 
 superior officer ; and should you wing him, which 
 I sincerely hope you will, and that pretty sharply 
 too, old Beppo's Speronare is all ready to convey 
 you out of reach of the first outburst of martinet 
 indignation ; when I trust that a clear and honest 
 representation of your case in the highest quarter, 
 of the insults you were exposed to, the forbearance 
 you displayed, and lastly, that you were driven to 
 your present mode of redress by the taunts of your 
 adversary himself, will enable you, after a sharp 
 , to rejoin your regiment, from 
 
 
106 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 which I would advise jour exchanging with all 
 convenient speed, and towards effecting which my 
 people will render you every assistance ; and their 
 influence is at least not inferior to that of your 
 domineering Commander. By the w^ay, you may 
 have heard, perhaps, he is a sure and deadly hand 
 at the weapon ; and as his persevering enmity in 
 dragging you out fully expresses what his in- 
 tentions are, I trust you are not wholly without 
 some experience in the use of it." 
 
 " I have never had occasion to try," returned 
 Harcourt, with a faint smile, " and under any 
 circumstances should have had a repugnance to do 
 so ; you may therefore readily conceive, under those 
 at present existing, what my situation must be, 
 exposed as I am on the one side to losing my life 
 in a contest in which neither honour nor distinction 
 is to be acquired; on the other, to poverty and 
 ruin. It almost induces me to risk the certain 
 chance of the first, as immeasurably the lesser evil 
 of the two." 
 
 " The lesser evil to which you allude," said 
 Osborne, drily, " is one that at all events may 
 hereafter be alleviated, if not altogether removed, 
 while the first admits of no such distinction. But 
 how in Heaven's name did the affair of last night 
 originate? I was late at the Senora Dolores' 
 
HAKCOURT. 107 
 
 tertulia myself, and though I witnessed what 
 subsequently occurred, and offered you my as- 
 sistance when I saw that others were unable, or 
 unwilling to come forward, I am ignorant as to 
 how the business first of all originated, beyond 
 what you have mentioned, that your attentions to 
 the fair Dona Isidora seem to have excited him in 
 the highest degree ; for it is absurd to suppose that 
 the mere accidentally jostling him in the anteroom, 
 on your taking your departure, could either account 
 for Colonel Mortlake's outrageous violence, or 
 his eventually more subdued but vindictive ma- 
 levolence. You cannot but be ignorant that he 
 is considered a devoted admirer of the lovely 
 Senorita." 
 
 " In as far as regards the general rumours of 
 the garrison," replied Harcourt, " or casual con- 
 versation at the mess, I have certainly heard such 
 observations made, but have never yet been given 
 to understand that they implied anything of a 
 serious nature; besides, if they had, the few minutes' 
 conversation I had with the young lady was of 
 the most common-place description was heard by 
 all around and may be said to have been almost 
 equally addressed to her mother, the Senora Dolores, 
 who, at least, it is said, would have no objection to 
 receiving Colonel Mortlake as a son-in-law." 
 
108 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 " A sentiment which is by no means participated 
 in by her daughter," said Osborne, laughing; 
 " you are not aware, then, that twice your respected 
 Commander has offered himself and fortune to the 
 fair Spaniard's acceptance, and twice has his 
 flattering offer been declined, with an intimation 
 on the part of the cruel donzella, feelingly, but 
 firmly expressed, that no more in future should be 
 attempted. Her last rejection of him took place 
 only yesterday morning ; and the disappointed 
 suitor was heard to declare, that whoever was his 
 rival, he should not enjoy his triumph long." 
 
 " His rival!" replied Harcourt in astonishment; 
 " why my acquaintance with the Senora is of the 
 most recent and limited nature ; and of the whole 
 regiment, I was the very last on whom he should 
 have fixed such a suspicion." 
 
 " Jealousy," returned Osborne, " is proverbially 
 sharp-sighted, though the keenness of its vision, 
 when influenced by passion, is sometimes mis- 
 directed; and Mortlake's imagination on this oc- 
 casion may not so much have been actuated by 
 your own bearing as that of the Senora. That she 
 experienced pleasure in your attentions, however 
 ordinary and common-place they may have been, 
 I can easily conceive ; and her eyes may perhaps 
 have expressed this in a manner that her rejected 
 
HARCOURT. 109 
 
 innamorato as quickly perceived; a Spanish woman's 
 eyes, at least, are ever the windows of the soul, 
 whatever truth there may be in the proverb which 
 ascribes this peculiarity to the whole of the sex. 
 She may also have been influenced by another 
 feeling, the consequences of which she could not 
 foresee, and which may have induced her to take 
 this method of piquing her suitor's pride, and 
 thus inducing him to desist from a pursuit, which 
 becomes an absolute annoyance to its object when 
 she cannot reciprocate the feeling in which it 
 originates. But did Mortlake make 110 observation 
 to you at the time? " 
 
 " None whatever," replied Harcourt ; "I had 
 risen to hand the Senora a glass of lemonade, 
 when I caught his glance fixed upon me with an 
 expression I never shall forget, in the intense and 
 deadly hate it conveyed. It astonished and con- 
 fused me at the moment, not knowing to what to 
 attribute such an occurrence; and almost imme- 
 diately afterwards, fearful of having unintentionally 
 given offence, I went up to him for the purpose of 
 apologising for having done so. He however 
 evaded giving me the opportunity I sought, and as 
 he continued doing so in the most marked and 
 almost offensive manner, I at length desisted. 
 The rest you yourself witnessed in the anteroom 
 
110 ROMANCE OF MIL1TAEY LIFE. 
 
 previous to our departure, on taking leave for the 
 evening. I had stretched forth my hand to reach 
 my foraging cap, when, in doing so, I accidentally 
 touched Colonel Mortlake by the arm. He turned 
 upon me like a tiger, with the exclamation of 
 
 i D n you, Sir, what do you mean ? ' I drew 
 
 back, and apologised, mentioning that my jostling 
 him was purely accidental, when he followed up 
 his first observation," continued the youth, " his 
 countenance becoming alternately pale and crimson 
 with indignation, by the opprobrious epithets you 
 heard, which he tauntingly concluded by telling 
 me, if such terms were offensive to my delicate ear, 
 I well kne-w where to look for redress, if I dared ; 
 as whatever disparity of rank existed between us, 
 he was perfectly willing to forget, and equally 
 so to afford me any satisfaction I thought proper 
 to demand. As all present appeared anxious to 
 hurry from a scene which had produced so painful 
 an impression upon every one assembled, I ap- 
 proached a brother officer, and solicited his assist- 
 ance in making the requisite arrangements for 
 the meeting which lay before me. My request 
 was received with such evident and unwilling 
 uneasiness, that, without waiting for a reply, I 
 turned to a second, and had commenced proffering 
 it to him, when he at once stopped me by candidly 
 
HARCOURT. Ill 
 
 throwing himself upon my generosity, and begging 
 that I would not urge his becoming a party to an 
 affair which brought him into immediate collision 
 with his commanding officer, the consequences of 
 which might be productive to him of irreparable 
 injury, if not worse. It was then you so generously 
 stepped forward, having been an ear-witness of 
 what had passed, and voluntarily tendered your 
 good offices in fulfilling, what the officers of my 
 own regiment," he continued, with some degree of 
 bitterness, " seemed so anxious to avoid." 
 
 " You must not be too hard upon them," said 
 Osborne ; " their situation was a difficult one ; 
 believe me, it was not merely self-interest that 
 influenced their decision. Had it been a common- 
 place injury they were called upon to sustain, or 
 a mere question of self-sacrifice, I feel assured that 
 neither one nor the other would for a moment 
 have prevented either of your brother officers from 
 acting promptly in your behalf; but the question 
 becomes a grave one, when it entails the risk ol 
 making an enemy for life of a person who possesses 
 the dangerous power of being able to make or mar 
 you ; a power, entre nous soit dit, which Mortlake 
 has the reputation of stretching to its very utmost 
 extent, in the furtherance of his interests, or what 
 is worse, the gratification of his malevolent passions. 
 
112 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 Have you ever," lie continued, after a moment's 
 thought, " been previously brought in contact with 
 him, or is this incident the only business that has 
 occurred between you ? " 
 
 " Till this moment, neither on duty or otherwise, 
 has a word of ill-feeling ever passed between us, 
 that I have any recollection of," replied Harcourt. 
 
 " You must have stung him deeply, then, 1 ' 
 rejoined Osborne, " or otherwise he would have 
 had recourse to the securer mode of retaliation 
 Rumour asserts he has so often indulged in, and, to 
 the disgrace of our service be it said, with success ; 
 for last night, on going to him, in the hope that 
 some explanation might be afforded in regard to 
 what seemed to have originated in some incompre- 
 hensible misunderstanding, confound the fellow ! 
 if he did not appear well inclined to turn upon me, 
 in return for my pacific overtures ; and, truth to 
 say, I was more than half disposed to indulge him. 
 We however contrived to separate without coming 
 to any actual quarrel ; and I proceeded in search of 
 his old Major, to whom he referred me, who 
 appeared as reluctant as a person well could be 
 to undertake the duty assigned him, but which, 
 poor fellow, he dared not disobey. I am well 
 satisfied, therefore, that his intentions towards you 
 are a V entrance, and it will be no fault on his part 
 
HAECOURT. 113 
 
 if they are not fulfilled to the most fatal extent. 
 What his object is in so doing, beyond yielding 
 to a blind impulse of jealous phrensy, it is difficult 
 to determine ; unless, indeed, he deems, either that 
 such a proceeding will improve his position with 
 la belle Espagnole, or hopes, by these means, 
 to deter others from approaching her, but here 
 they are." 
 
 Two other gentlemen now approached the spot 
 where they stood, who, from the direction in which 
 they came, had evidently made a circuit from the 
 Lines to avoid observation. The one was an 
 elderly, mild-looking, grey-haired man, with an 
 appearance at once both prepossessing and in- 
 telligent, and forming altogether a marked and 
 striking contrast to his companion. 
 
 The latter was a fine, tall, soldier-like, and 
 powerfully built man, of about two or three and 
 thirty years of age, whose countenance was hand- 
 some, and who had that unmistakeable look about 
 him, expressive of his having mingled in the first 
 circles of society ; but there was a sinister, sullen 
 glance in his dark, gleaming eyes, overshadowed 
 with thick, bushy eyebrows, that imparted to his 
 features an unpleasing, and at times a repulsive 
 character, from which the spectator instinctively 
 shrank; the tout ensemble indeed being strongly 
 I 
 
114 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 expressive of a coarse, overbearing, even brutal 
 nature, conjoined with the most violent and 
 malignant passions, unchecked and uncontrolled by 
 any feeling having the remotest approach to either 
 reason or principle. 
 
 A cold, stern salutation passed between the 
 parties, on the arrival of the new comers, after 
 which Captain Osborne, addressing Major Bolton, 
 the second of Colonel Mortlake, took him for a few 
 minutes aside. Their conversation apparently re- 
 lated to the possibility of even then preventing a 
 hostile meeting, as, though unheard by the two 
 principals, it was terminated by the Major's 
 saying, " Well, well, I may as well try, at all 
 events, and will mention what you have stated." 
 
 He accordingly approached his friend, whom he 
 appeared to address with much earnestness, and 
 who at first listened to his observations in lower- 
 ing, gloomy silence then broke out into abrupt 
 interruptions and finally concluded their con- 
 ference by saying, in a loud, imperious voice, so as 
 to be heard by all present, " I came out, Sir, 
 for other purposes than to listen either to your 
 representations or those of others ; and have there- 
 fore to request you will at once proceed to make 
 the requisite arrangements for what brought me 
 here." 
 
HARCOUET. 115 
 
 Major Bolton bit his lip, but said nothing in 
 reply, as he turned towards Osborne with a glance 
 which seemed to intimate, " I told you how it would 
 be." The seconds now rapidly but quietly pro- 
 ceeded with their business, satisfied that all efforts 
 on their part to produce a reconciliation were out 
 of the question. The pistols were loaded, and on 
 lots being d^awn as to who was to measure the 
 ground, it fell to Captain Osborne ; who had com- 
 menced his task, when Colonel Mortlake called 
 out with a sneer, " You are evidently determined, 
 Sir, that as long an interval as possible shall be 
 placed between us." 
 
 The officer in question continued the business 
 on which he was engaged, without paying any 
 immediate attention to the taunt, beyond if pos- 
 sible lengthening the strides with which he had 
 commenced it ; but on its conclusion, he walked up 
 to the speaker, and touching his hat said, " Colonel 
 Mortlake, I am occupied in a duty of which I am 
 the best judge, and upon which common decency, 
 I will not say gentlemanly courtesy, should have 
 required that you, at all events, should have fore- 
 borne any comment; but I give you now most 
 explicitly to understand, and I call upon you, 
 Major Bolton, to bear testimony to what I say, 
 that in the event of your uttering one single 
 
116 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 observation more, I shall instantly withdraw my 
 friend from the ground, and publicly proclaim to 
 the whole world my reasons for so doing." 
 
 Colonel Mortlake glared upon the speaker for a 
 moment, and it seemed as if his passion was about 
 to burst forth beyond all possibility of control. 
 He checked himself however by a strong effort, 
 though the exertion seemed to convulse his whole 
 frame in doing so. 
 
 Without paying any . further regard to him, 
 Captain Osborne turned upon his heel, and rejoin- 
 ing the Major, each immediately led his principal to 
 their appointed places. The weapons were placed 
 in their hands ready cocked, it being arranged that 
 on the word " Ready! " they were to bring them to 
 the level of the present, and on the subsequent 
 word " Fire ! " both triggers were to be drawn on 
 the instant. 
 
 The adversaries now stood facing each other ; 
 and a greater contrast than that they respectively 
 presented it would be difficult to imagine. Colonel 
 Mortlake stood with his side towards his antagonist, 
 his pistol grasped firmly in his hand, his body 
 slightly inclined forward, and his whole bearing 
 exhibiting the practised duellist; while the ma- 
 levolent and vindictive passion which distorted his 
 features, was in no slight degree intermingled 
 
HARCOURT. 117 
 
 with a covert expression of fiendish exultation. 
 Harcourt stood with his full front directed towards 
 him, his weapon held negligently, as if scarcely 
 conscious of its touch : his countenance was pale, 
 but all vestige of agitation had passed away, and 
 he stood forth the image of quiet, firm resolution, 
 the last whispered observation of his friend 
 Osborne being almost unheeded, as he said, " No 
 haste bring your weapon up gently, with its 
 muzzle slightly depressed, and fire low." 
 
 There was a dead silence of a few seconds, 
 which was broken by the clear, sonorous voice 
 of the Major, as he gave the first signal, " Eeady ! " 
 it was almost immediately followed by its fatal 
 sequence, the utterance of which seemed scarcely 
 audible, so closely was it followed by the simul- 
 taneous report of both pistols, which was of so 
 instantaneous a nature, that it would have led an 
 uninterested hearer to suppose but one explosion 
 had taken place. 
 
 Harcourt staggered a few steps, but quickly 
 recovered himself, and picked up his hat which 
 had fallen. As he did so, he at once perceived the 
 deadly accuracy of his antagonist's shot, which 
 must have absolutely passed through his hair, 
 slightly grazing the skin, as a momentary faintness 
 seemed to follow the shock, though it almost im- 
 
118 ROMANCE, OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 mediately passed away! Colonel Mortlake stood 
 firm as a rock, his eyes glaring with intense 
 eagerness upon his adversary. Suddenly, as he 
 saw that Harcourt remained uninjured, a ghastly 
 and livid paleness overspread his features, and 
 merely uttering the words, " D n, I have missed 
 the fellow, by God! " he seemed gradually to lean 
 forward, and then fell heavily upon his face ! 
 
 All rushed towards him, and while his second 
 raised his head from the ground, Captain Osborne 
 endeavoured to ascertain where the ball had struck 
 him. The place was soon evident, being a little 
 below the right breast towards the side : they tore 
 open his clothes, and a single glance sufficed to 
 show its fatal character. Bubble, bubble, oozed a 
 few dark, deep-coloured drops, and then stopped; 
 the shot had passed through his heart ! As they 
 gazed upon him, a slight foam speckled with blood 
 seemed to issue from his lips, the eyes half un- 
 closed, and then in their glassy stare became fixed 
 for ever ! 
 
 Harcourt stood gazing in a state of stupefaction 
 upon the scene before him. However goaded, 
 provoked, and driven to the perpetration of the act 
 he had committed, it seemed at the moment as if 
 the sting created by the homicide must hereafter 
 adhere to him, arid by its omnipresence prove in 
 
HAECOURT. 119 
 
 itself the fittest example of retributive justice. He 
 was, however, roused from his gloomy reverie, by 
 the voice of Osborne exclaiming, " Fly, Harcourt, 
 quick, quick ; you have not a moment to lose. The 
 Speronare lies close in shore, and you will find 
 Beppo on the look-out ; come, come ! rouse yourself 
 before it is too late ; should the firing have been 
 heard by the picquet, they will be down on the 
 instant." 
 
 Scarcely conscious of what he was doing, though 
 a sense of the danger he incurred by delay flashed 
 across his mind, the unfortunate survivor of the 
 late fatal event at length nerved himself for 
 exertion ; and wringing his friend's hand, and 
 casting once more a wild glance of remorse upon 
 the body of his late adversary, he rushed with all 
 speed from the spot, an example which was quickly 
 afterwards followed by the seconds. 
 
 It was not till some hours afterwards that 
 rumours of what had occurred became prevalent 
 throughout the Fortress, mingled with audibly 
 expressed feelings of satisfaction at the escape of 
 the survivor, and unmixed with the remotest 
 shadow of regret for the fate of the deceased. He- 
 belonged to a class of commanders, of whom the 
 examples are fortunately now rare, both in the 
 army and navy ; the voice of public opinion being 
 
120 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 at the present period somewhat too powerful for 
 that abuse of authority as it existed in former 
 years, though occasionally the adventitious pos- 
 session of title, connexion, or overwhelming in- 
 fluence, will cause the nomination to high office or 
 command to the exclusion of the most acknow- 
 ledged merit and ability, as well as the most loyal, 
 devoted, and successful service of persons wholly 
 unfitted for either; whose very education even 
 would not have advanced them from the ranks, had 
 they been born to a humbler situation in life, but 
 who are thus invested with the most absolute 
 control over thousands, perhaps millions ; who 
 have hunted to destruction and ruin, with impunity, 
 those who, without provocation, have become the 
 objects of their envy and hatred ; and whose whole 
 system of government would appear to have 
 consisted in the depreciation of others superior to 
 themselves, and in heaping every insult that a 
 coarse and brutal nature could suggest, upon those 
 destitute of the means of resistance. 
 
PAET THE SECOND. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THERE are but few beings living, perhaps, of the 
 present generation in England, who can recal to 
 mind the terrible events that occurred during the 
 nights of the 17th and 18th December, 1793, in 
 the south of Europe. If they are few who in any 
 way remember them from the Gazettes and pub- 
 lished records of the day, still more limited, alas! 
 is the number of those who either personally 
 witnessed, or were participators in them. 
 
 The night of the 17th was one of those bright 
 starlight periods, not often found at this time of the 
 year, even along the shores of the Mediterranean, 
 the deep blue firmament of which, shining with 
 innumerable stars, seemed more characteristic of 
 a Neapolitan or Palermitan clime, than that of 
 Toulon, over which devoted and unhappy city it 
 at this moment hung in all its glowing beauty. 
 
122 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 Clustered together in small groups, the unfortu- 
 nate inhabitants, men, women, and even children, 
 gazed upon each other, or spoke in suppressed 
 whispers, their features wearing an agonized ex- 
 pression of dismay and terror. They were now 
 fully alive to the horrors of their situation ; and 
 even the hearts of the boldest, who had fought side 
 by side with their Allies, in all the energy of des- 
 peration, in defence of their hearths and families, 
 now experienced that sickness of feeling, expressive 
 of all the phrensy of despair, when even hoping 
 against hope has utterly passed away ! One only 
 chance remained to them tlmt of hopeless, per- 
 petual exile should their Allies have sufficient 
 time to cover their retreat from the infuriated and 
 savage Republicans. 
 
 From the first moment that the army of Du- 
 gommier had entered upon the siege, and the 
 citizens had beheld themselves disappointed in 
 their expected aid from the European powers, it 
 was manifestly evident how the struggle must 
 terminate; and with the recently enacted hideous 
 scenes of Lyons before them, in all their revolting 
 atrocities, they too truly felt what would be their 
 own fate on the city being surrendered to the 
 forces of the Convention. 
 
 Their chief reliance had been upon the English ; 
 
HARCOURT. 123 
 
 but with the exception of the seamen and marines 
 landed from the fleet under Sir Samuel Hood, 
 and a small body of troops drawn from the gar- 
 rison of Gibraltar the whole not exceeding five 
 thousand men their hopes had been frustrated: 
 and while their expectations had not been dis- 
 appointed in regard to the stubborn and obstinate 
 bravery of their protectors, in vain they looked for 
 further reinforcements ; the more anxiously prayed 
 for when it became evident that the brunt of the 
 whole service was left to be borne by them alone : 
 the Spaniards and others of the Allied forces, 
 having by their misconduct not only endangered 
 the safety of the town, but left the British con- 
 tingent on one occasion to the risk of almost 
 certain destruction. 
 
 It was owing to this that every effort on the 
 part of Dugommier had latterly been directed 
 towards the fortifications occupied by the English, 
 in the assured conviction that if he could succeed 
 in overpowering them, the reduction of the city, 
 notwithstanding its strong defences, would be com- 
 paratively easy ; as the fleet would be completely 
 commanded, the guns from the British position 
 raking the harbour throughout. The post of the 
 English was the fort called Aiguillette, and the 
 works that had hastily been thrown up connected 
 
124 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 with it, situated on the slip of land leading to the 
 city. These within the last few days had almost 
 exclusively occupied the besieger's batteries, par- 
 ticularly during the entire day of the 18th, when 
 from daylight till late in the evening the fire had 
 been so persevering and incessant, that scarcely 
 any interval had been left even for the guns to 
 cool. 
 
 The consequence of this terrible cannonade was, 
 that not only were several practicable breaches 
 effected, but the whole line of fortifications became 
 almost an absolute heap of ruins. The position, 
 however, in itself was naturally strong ; and while 
 the British commanders felt an innate conviction 
 that what had occurred was only the prelude to a 
 desperate effort on the part of the assailants to 
 storm the works, a confidence in the valour of 
 their troops, and the expectation that during the 
 night, by unceasing efforts, they might be able to 
 raise some fresh barriers to the progress of the 
 beseigers, led to the hope that they would be 
 enabled to maintain themselves ; the more parti- 
 cularly since it was almost an absolute impossibility 
 for the enemy to endeavour to turn the position, ex- 
 posed as they would be to a raking and enfilading 
 fire from almost every gun their adversaries could 
 command, that would apparently exterminate any 
 
HAECOURT. 125 
 
 body of troops, however numerous and determined, 
 hazarding the attempt. 
 
 The British troops occupied the centre, which 
 formed the most salient part of the works. With 
 them were associated a great many of the towns- 
 people, animated with all the recklessness of de- 
 spair, and with the hideous souvenirs of Nantes 
 and Lyons present to their imaginations resolute 
 to stand to the last by the side of their Allies, in 
 defence of their homes and families. To the rear, 
 the lines had been entrusted to those troops whose 
 steadiness previous affairs had exhibited as some- 
 what questionable; but who, it was conjectured, 
 on the present occasion would have but little 
 chance of any close conflict, the more particularly 
 if they but served their guns with any degree of 
 coolness and precision. 
 
 Towards midnight a comparative stillness had 
 reigned throughout both the camp of the besiegers, 
 as well as the town, and lines of the Allies. 
 Shortly afterwards, however, a low murmuring 
 sound arose in the former, which, as time ad- 
 vanced, gradually increased in strength, and went 
 rolling, rolling onward, in the course of which 
 period the whole forces of the besieged gathered 
 in silent determination to their respective posts. 
 This was succeeded by a pause of a few moments 
 
126 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 of intense stillness, and then was followed by the 
 quick, heavy tramp of a body of disciplined men, 
 evidently that of a dense and massive column 011 
 its march. Onward, onward they came ; and as 
 the thunder of their batteries opened to cover their 
 advance, the loud shouts of the advancing assail- 
 ants seemed to rise above it. 
 
 Not a sound was heard in reply from the British 
 lines. On this, as on many other subsequent occa- 
 sions, was witnessed that "silence affreux^ so 
 repeatedly spoken of by their adversaries as the 
 forerunner of some stern, dogged, and determined 
 resolution, most certainly fully borne out on the 
 present occasion. The attacking columns had now 
 ranged up to within the distance when their skir- 
 mishers could commence a sharp, scattering fire. As 
 if this had been the signal the besieged had alone 
 waited for, the first shots had scarcely rattled along 
 the line, covering the advance of the two heavy 
 columns advancing in echelon, when all at once an 
 instantaneous crash of grape, round, canister, and 
 musketry together, from the English. works, poured 
 into the leading mass, tearing it through and through, 
 and seeming almost to lift it from the ground as 
 it sent it staggering into its support, in the ranks 
 of which it became intermingled, throwing them 
 into hopeless and inextricable confusion. 
 
HAECOUET. 127 
 
 Sharp, swift, and with energetic fierceness, the 
 death-dealing shower continued to pour from the 
 British artillery upon the inert and heavy mass 
 before them, till, unable to bear up against, or 
 rally under its murderous effect, in spite of the 
 strenuous and gallant exertions of their officers, 
 they fairly broke and fled. 
 
 Dugommier galloped up, though evidently suffer- 
 ing intense pain from the effects of a severe con- 
 tusion, which he had received a few days previous. 
 He dashed at once into the midst of his flying 
 troops, and by voice and example, assisted by his 
 staff, endeavoured to restore some degree of order. 
 His voice was calm and collected : never had he 
 ' displayed greater sang-froid than in this trying 
 moment, though the deadly pallor of his coun- 
 tenance was not altogether, perhaps, caused by 
 physical suffering, as dark visions of the guillotine 
 rose before his agitated mind ; and once, it was 
 afterwards asserted, he was heard to mutter, " Je 
 suis un homme perdu ! " 
 
 But however severely checked, the Republican 
 forces were not defeated; and once in some measure 
 withdrawn under cover, the example of their leaders 
 quickly recovered them from their temporary panic ; 
 the frightful carnage they had witnessed among 
 their ranks, in their recent attempts, being too 
 
128 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 common-place an occurrence, since the commence- 
 ment of the Wars of the Revolution, to be thought 
 of, after the effect it had produced had passed away. 
 Dugommier therefore very quickly had his troops 
 again in hand, and reformed ; and led on by himself 
 in person, the columns a second time advanced to 
 the attack, though with a greater degree of caution 
 than before, their front being now covered by a 
 cloud of skirmishers, reinforced by several light 
 field batteries. 
 
 The pas de charge sounded, and with loud shouts, 
 the assailants, as they approached the spot where 
 their dead were lying in heaps, attempted a des- 
 perate rush onward, with the evident hope of being 
 able to get under the range of their adversaries' ' 
 guns. But again arose the roar of the British 
 artillery, sending forth its storm of bullets; and 
 again it came crashing and tearing into the ranks 
 of the besiegers, which presented the appear- 
 ance of a seething cauldron of human slaughter. 
 The survivors still desperately endeavoured to 
 struggle onward, the most frantic efforts being made 
 to open out their front. Notwithstanding the con- 
 tinued slaughter occasioned by the grape and mus- 
 ketry of their adversaries, Dugommier had partially 
 succeeded in this manoeuvre, when a shot struck 
 him in the side, and he fell from his horse, whilst 
 
HAECOURT. 129 
 
 almost in the same instant a dense line of serried 
 "bayonets issued from the British lines, and charged 
 with a tremendous cheer right down upon their 
 half-formed adversaries, who at once broke and 
 fled in every direction. 
 
 As the tide of fugitives swept onward, there 
 seemed every chance of their guns, and the artil- 
 lery-men who served them, being left to their fate, 
 and captured by the advancing British. The 
 bugle, however, blew the recal of the latter, who 
 slowly retreated behind their batteries, while at 
 the same instant a young officer, wearing the uni- 
 form of a colonel of artillery, and who was no 
 other than the commandant of that force before 
 the town, having ordered the guns to limber 
 up, spurred his horse after the retreating sol- 
 diery, a portion of whom, after incessant exer- 
 tions, he succeeded in rallying, thus forming a 
 point d'appui for the restoration of order among 
 the rest. 
 
 There was something in the voice and mien of 
 the youthful commander that seemed by some 
 irresistible impulse to attract the soldiery towards 
 him. Whether he was the next in seniority, upon 
 whom the command devolved by right, or other- 
 wise, he at once assumed it, and again withdrawn 
 from the scene of their late frightful disaster, his 
 K 
 
130 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 orders were obeyed with a promptitude and alacrity 
 that expressed his, at all events, possessing the con- 
 fidence of the troops in the most eminent degree ; 
 as in terms of alternate reproach and command, 
 encouragement and menace, he exerted himself 
 to bring the scattered ranks into something like 
 order. 
 
 Under cover of some rising ground, this was 
 accomplished with a rapidity that perhaps French 
 troops alone could offer an example of; and as 
 strong reinforcements came pouring up, order was 
 once more completely restored. Daylight had now 
 dawned, and almost alone the young Commander 
 rode towards the English position, which he pro- 
 ceeded to reconnoitre through his glass. Long 
 and minute was the scrutiny, and on its conclusion, 
 as he rejoined his men, the order was promptly 
 issued for altogether a new formation. Hitherto 
 the assault had been made in the dense, massive 
 column, the style so peculiar to the French armies 
 since the era of the revolutionary wars. This 
 system on the present occasion was considerably 
 modified, and in lieu of the compact body they 
 had hitherto presented, the troops were drawn up 
 in simple close columns of double battalions, five 
 in number, the whole presenting that formation, 
 now generally known in the great continental 
 
HARCOURT. 131 
 
 armies as the Tete de Cochon* a mode which, 
 usually adopted for a flank attack upon a position, 
 is equally favourable for an overwhelming onset in 
 front. 
 
 All stood now prepared for a third advance ; 
 similar strong columns of reserve being formed, as 
 reinforcements came pouring up, which had been 
 withdrawn for this service from other parts of the 
 besiegers' lines ; but before the word was issued, 
 each regimental commander was addressed by the 
 youthful chieftain in short, brief, and impressive 
 terms, as he explained his plan of action, and 
 pointed it out as the certain and only mode of 
 
 * For the information of unprofessional, or even military 
 readers, who have never possessed the opportunity of seeing 
 troops manoeuvre in large masses, (in preference to any length- 
 ened description, which might be misconceived,) I beg to offer 
 the following sketch, in which it is to be understood that each 
 column is composed of one or two regiments, or battalions, and 
 varying in strength from eight hundred to two thousand 
 bayonets. 
 
132 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 success. His light and emaciated, but sinewy 
 frame, seemed to dilate with the words of energy 
 and anticipated triumph that issued from his lips, 
 whilst his pale, sunken, and sallow features, ren- 
 dered the more striking by his long, straggling, 
 black, raven hair, seemed to glow with the fire 
 which gleamed from his dark stern grey eye. 
 
 He was answered with loud shouts. The crash 
 of the drums once more sounded, in one long, pro- 
 longed roll, the pas de charge, and again the be- 
 sieging columns rushed forward. Onward, onward 
 they pressed, when once more burst forth that 
 crashing storm of fire from the British batteries, 
 pouring an absolute avalanche of death and de- 
 struction into the advancing ranks. The leading 
 column seemed for a moment to be lifted from the 
 earth, as the iron shower burst amid its ranks, and, 
 for the moment it appeared as if half the regiments 
 composing it had fallen beneath that fatal dis- 
 charge, under which it staggered as if from the 
 explosion of a mine. The column reeled, and fell 
 back ; but the space was now clear behind them, 
 and the disorder was confined to their own ranks, 
 for almost above the roar of the artillery, the voice 
 of the young leader rose in loud, clear, stirring 
 accents of " En avant ! en avant ! " and the re- 
 maining battalions, who, although they had also 
 
HAECOURT. 133 
 
 suffered severely, had yet preserved their order, 
 answered the cry, as they sprang forward, while 
 the masses in reserve came pouring up from the 
 rear. 
 
 The object of the besiegers now became mani- 
 festly evident in the new formation that had been 
 adopted. By the sacrifice of their leading column, 
 upwards of six thousand men had passed the flanks 
 of the British line of fortifications, fresh troops 
 continuing to press forward in the same direction, 
 with the determined resolution of gaining the 
 works that more immediately covered the harbour, 
 and thus turning the rear of the English forces. 
 The line of redoubts and batteries in this direction, 
 however, in addition to being of unusual strength, 
 had scarcely been injured by the fire of the be- 
 siegers, and under ordinary circumstances, such an 
 attempt would have been considered as an act little 
 short of absolute madness. But it has been truly 
 observed, that there is a genius in audacity the 
 more particularly in Military Life which often 
 commands success, where the best contrived plans 
 and deepest laid schemes and precautions as often 
 invariably fail. 
 
 The present instance was a fatal corroboration 
 of the truth of this observation. This part of the 
 lines, as previously observed, from being considered 
 
134 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 almost impregnable, and moreover partially re- 
 moved from the more desperate scene of the contest, 
 had been entrusted to the Spaniards, who up to the 
 present period had continued to behave with the 
 utmost steadiness. But they were fated to be the 
 evil destiny of the unfortunate city. As the over- 
 whelming masses came rushing on, they paused at 
 a moment when all that energy and rapidity could 
 combine was necessary to check their advance. 
 Again that fatal panic, which had once before 
 caused so much disaster to the allied forces, began 
 to spread among them, though, even then, had 
 they remained firm at their guns, the progress of 
 the besiegers must inevitably have been arrested ; 
 but as the leading platoons of the French grenadiers 
 came within half musket shot, they wavered, broke, 
 deserted their pieces, and fled with the most dis- 
 graceful precipitation. 
 
 The situation of the British was now critical in 
 the extreme. Of the five thousand they had origi- 
 nally numbered, upwards of a third had fallen, 
 either killed or wounded. The first act of the 
 young French Commander, who was himself the 
 foremost in entering the lines of the besieged, was 
 to turn the guns upon the remaining works which 
 had been so resolutely defended, and were still 
 held by the most formidable of his adversaries ; 
 
HARCOURT. 135 
 
 who, however, outflanked and outnumbered, still 
 fiercely and indomitably maintained the contest. 
 But the odds were too great. Hardly pressed in 
 front, between eight and ten thousand of the enemy 
 had gained their rear, whose leader, a practised 
 artillerist, directed in person the guns of their 
 late allies upon them with the most terrible and 
 fatal effect. 
 
 At once arose three tremendous cheers, and then, 
 issuing forth from their lines in swift but compact 
 array, came the long line of red coats, their 
 bayonets flashing in the rays of the morning sun. 
 Steady and determined they moved onward, with 
 every evidence of cool, unwavering resolution ; cut 
 off and surrounded, their only chance, they well 
 knew, was to force their way through the ranks of 
 their adversaries, overwhelming in numbers as 
 they were, and regain the shelter of the walls of 
 the town and cover of their fleet. Daring and 
 reckless as the enterprise appeared, they felt that 
 confidence in themselves which assured them of 
 success, a feeling that never once wavered, as 
 in conscious strength they closed upon the dark 
 masses of the enemy. 
 
 There was for a few minutes the stunning shock 
 of the collision, the clash of ringing steel, the 
 shouts, oaths, and execrations of the combatants ; 
 
136 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 and then, borne back by the impetuous force of the 
 onset, the Republicans gave way on all sides, 
 leaving a free passage to their retiring, but uncon- 
 quered adversaries, the voice and example of their 
 gallant leader affording no longer the rallying 
 point for his men, he himself being overthrown in 
 the first burst of the melee. The English accom- 
 plished their object, the heaps of their dead and 
 dying attesting the desperate sacrifice at which it 
 had been obtained ; no less than upwards of three 
 hundred bodies, as French writers assert, being 
 found in one confined spot alone, piled upon each 
 other ! 
 
 It was during the occurrence of these events, 
 that a tall, fine-looking young man, meanly clad, 
 and whose features and appearance seemed to in- 
 dicate either great mental or bodily suffering, or per- 
 haps both, had ascended the rising ground under 
 cover of which the French troops had debouched ; 
 and although in dangerous proximity to the balls 
 from the British batteries, which whistled in every 
 direction past and around him, gazed with intense 
 and feverish eagerness upon the scene before him. 
 As the conflict deepened this feeling seemed to 
 increase, and as the Republican forces fell back 
 crushed and overwhelmed from their first assault, 
 and he beheld the line of scarlet uniforms ad- 
 
HARCOURT. 137 
 
 vancing, bearing all before it, a crowd of bitter 
 souvenirs seemed to rush over his memory. 
 
 Throughout the whole combat he scarcely moved 
 from his position, though incurring the risk of 
 being trampled to death, as the disordered ranks 
 swept by, who scarcely noticed him, or if they did, 
 were perhaps led to believe he was one of those 
 Jacobin bands who, like birds of prey, hung upon 
 their rear, in the scent of anticipated slaughter! 
 And yet there was something singular about him, 
 which under other circumstances would have led 
 the observer to regard him with wonder and curi- 
 osity. Despite the squalor and wretchedness of 
 his appearance, his handsome and noble features 
 expressed a station and condition of life immea- 
 surably above what his present exterior would 
 seem to indicate ; while his powerful, well-knit, 
 manly figure, set in nature's finest mould, in its 
 erect, but light and flexible bearing, gave every 
 symptom of military life and habits. 
 
 An attentive spectator, considering what was 
 passing around, would instantaneously have asked 
 who or what he was, or what could have brought 
 him there at such a moment. He might, perhaps, 
 be one of the ferocious satellites previously alluded 
 to, which his dress and appearance would seem to 
 indicate ; but a single glance would serve to destroy 
 
138 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 any such supposition, and lead the beholder to 
 raise a question as to whether he was even a 
 Frenchman, the more particularly from his conduct 
 and bearing, as the combat continued to rage ; for 
 he could not repress a shout of exultation, as the 
 British cut their way through the hosts which 
 surrounded them, though it almost immediately 
 subsided into an expression of saddened and ago- 
 nized feeling, as if he felt that that victorious shout 
 of joy and triumph was a mere momentary ex- 
 citement, in which he could not find any lasting 
 participation. 
 
 As the roar of the cannon, and dropping fire of 
 musketry lessened, in evidence of the approaching 
 termination of the conflict, he turned from the spot 
 on which he had stood, and as if uncertain, or 
 careless of where he directed his footsteps, he gra- 
 dually drew nearer to the scene of the combat. 
 He was passing some long, low, straggling bushes, 
 which lay about ten yards to his left, when he 
 thought a faint groan smote upon his ear. He 
 listened, and gazed around, but not immediately 
 observing anything near him, was led to believe 
 his imagination had deceived him, and was moving 
 forward, when again the moaning reached him 
 with a distinctness which could not be misun- 
 derstood. 
 
HARCOURT. 139 
 
 He moved quickly to the spot, and gazing 
 searchingly around, thought he discovered a re- 
 cumbent figure lying beneath a small thicket, a 
 little apart from the rest. To spring over the 
 obstacle was the work of an instant, and there, 
 with a pool of blood beside him, lay the young 
 and gallant Commandant of Artillery, through 
 whose skill and courage alone the army of the 
 besiegers had been successful, and who had evi- 
 dently sunk down where he lay, in an attempt to 
 reach the rear ; his fall in the moment of triumph 
 having been unobserved by his men, or perhaps 
 intentionally concealed from them by himself. 
 
 He lay upon his side, with his head resting 
 upon one arm ; the eyes were closed, and his pallid 
 features were apparently fixed in the rigidity of 
 death. On stooping down, however, the person 
 who had thus providentially arrived to his succour 
 found that his heart still beat, and therefore lost 
 no time in ascertaining where the wound had taken 
 effect. A cut on the arm was the first thing that 
 attracted his attention, but this was very slight 
 and superficial ; nor did the effect of a musket-ball, 
 which had torn his clothes below the breast on the 
 right side, appear to be of any consideration, as, 
 however physically painful at the moment it may 
 have been, from the contusion, it had scarcely 
 
140 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 grazed the skin. On slightly turning the body, 
 however, a low faint groan escaped the sufferer, 
 and then was fully discovered where the principal 
 wound lay, which consisted of a deep and 
 dangerous bayonet-thrust in the hip, from which 
 the blood continued to ooze out in a dark, heavy 
 stream. 
 
 Gently laying the wounded man upon his back, 
 his preserver proceeded to staunch the blood, and 
 with his handkerchief to bind up the wound. 
 Having effected this, he next proceeded to a spot 
 where lay two or three bodies of the slain, from 
 one of which he took a canteen, which on exami- 
 nation he fortunately found to be filled with wine. 
 Hastening back with his prize, he lifted the head 
 of the fallen Commander, which he placed upon 
 his knees, and poured some of the liquid down his 
 throat, the good effects of which were very quickly 
 visible. Slowly the wounded man opened his 
 eyes, gazed wildly around him, as if endeavour- 
 ing to regain a recollection of where he was, 
 and then said, faintly, but with bitterness, " Again 
 foiled!" 
 
 His companion was silent, perhaps unable at 
 the moment fully to understand the allusion. On 
 receiving no answer, the officer, after a moment's 
 pause, in which he evidently endeavoured to dis- 
 
HARCOURT. 141 
 
 cover who or what his companion was, said, with 
 considerable haughtiness, "Am I a prisoner?" 
 
 "No," was the reply; "the French are every- 
 where successful, and the English have retired 
 within the walls of the town." 
 
 " Ha ! then who or what are you? for, if I mis- 
 take not, your tongue would intimate little sym- 
 pathy with the victors." 
 
 " Who, or what I am, is of little moment, but 
 let me suggest that you remain tranquil, while 
 I proceed in search of some means of procuring 
 medical assistance, as well as obtaining the aid of 
 those who will second my efforts in securing your 
 removal; for disabled and helpless as you are," and 
 he glanced at the officer's rich uniform, "your 
 situation may prove a perilous one, from the mur- 
 derous canaille prowling around." 
 
 The wounded soldier sat up, though with some 
 difficulty, and gazed upon his companion with 
 evident curiosity, not unmingled with a conside- 
 rable degree of surprise. 
 
 " This, then, is your work," he said at length, 
 glancing upon the bandage which the other had 
 carefully adjusted upon his wound, "and deeply 
 am I indebted to you for your timely succour ; for 
 though I am not so badly hurt as you would seem 
 to believe, loss of blood alone at the moment having 
 
142 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 struck me down, still, but for your opportune 
 assistance, remaining unchecked, it might ulti- 
 mately have proved serious, if not fatal. But give 
 me your hand, I feel myself so much better now, 
 that with your aid I may be able to reach my 
 quarters, or at least stumble upon some of my 
 fellows, who will find means for my doing so; 
 besides," he continued, as he bent his searching 
 eye upon his companion, " my presence may not 
 be wholly unnecessary for your own preservation, 
 and thus enable me in some measure to repay the 
 obligation I am under to you." 
 
 Carefully assisting the disabled Commandant to 
 arise, the stranger placed him upon his feet. He 
 staggered at first, but it soon appeared that the 
 estimate which he had formed of the extent of 
 the injury sustained, was tolerably correct, as, 
 though slowly and with difficulty, yet by aid of 
 the strong arm which supported him, he was gra- 
 dually enabled to move forward. 
 
 As they proceeded towards the lines of the 
 besiegers, in the direction which the young officer 
 had indicated as where his quarters were situated, 
 they came upon many objects giving painful evi- 
 dence of the terrible nature of the recent struggle. 
 The bodies of those who had straggled to the rear 
 (many of which were already stripped) but to sink 
 
HAECOURT. 143 
 
 down and die, were mingled with broken arms, 
 dismounted guns, and the fragments of caissons and 
 gun-carriages which lay scattered around. Occa- 
 sionally too, shrieks and groans of the most agonizing 
 nature were borne upon the air, causing the blood 
 momentarily to recede from the heart of the bravest. 
 All at once arose a piercing, thrilling cry for 
 mercy, which reached the startled ears of its au- 
 ditors, the prelude to a scene the sight of which 
 filled the hearts of both with sickening horror, as 
 its cause became visible. Dragging a party of 
 unhappy Royalists before them, there came into 
 view some ten or twelve ferocious Jacobins the 
 very worst and most hideous of their species. In 
 their blood-stained grasp were an aged couple, 
 a young girl scarcely verging on the border of 
 womanhood, two youths, apparently her brothers, 
 and a sweet, lovely female child, hardly ten years of 
 age. Those of the gentle sex were dragged forcibly 
 along by the hair of their heads, while coils of 
 rope, which had tied the hands and legs of their 
 companions, were passed round their bodies, and 
 used for a similar purpose. It was the cries and 
 piteous entreaties of the former, answered by these 
 remorseless miscreants with oaths, execrations, and 
 shouts of " a la guillotine, a la lanterne" which 
 had reaqhed the ears of the young Commander 
 
144 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 and his companion, both of whom stood for the 
 moment almost paralysed with horror. 
 
 For a single instant only, however, this feeling 
 lasted; in the next, the former sprang forward, 
 and with an energy that seemed almost superna- 
 tural from a being who the moment before ap- 
 peared so feeble and debilitated, drove his sabre 
 into the skull of the ruffian who had his hold upon 
 the elder female ! The villain sunk to the earth, 
 his antagonist falling over him, the exertion having 
 evidently been too much for his exhausted frame, 
 and again causing a frightful hemorrhage from his 
 reopened wound. 
 
 His situation was now one of imminent peril ; for 
 in an instant, the long knife of a second ruffian 
 glittered in the air, and was descending upon the 
 officer's prostrate body, when a blow from the butt 
 of a musket arrested the stroke, and dashed out the 
 miscreant's brains. It came from the young Com- 
 mander's companion, who, catching up the weapon 
 from the ground, where it fortunately lay within 
 reach, now stood over him, and swung it round 
 him with a force and dexterity, that, evidencing 
 no slight knowledge of the art of cudgel-playing, 
 kept his numerous antagonists at bay, encumbered 
 as they were with their prey, to which they were 
 loath to give any chance for escape. 
 
HARCOURT. 145 
 
 The combat, however, was too unequal to last ; a 
 severe gash dealt by one of the assassins had dis- 
 abled the young man's right arm, and both his 
 companion and himself must inevitably have fallen 
 victims to their humanity, when, fortunately, at 
 this moment several soldiers approached, and a 
 glance at their uniform served at once to show to 
 what corps they belonged, as the stranger shouted 
 out, " Au secours, au secours, soldats d'artillerie ! 
 sauvez votre officier! " 
 
 The appeal was promptly answered; and rushing 
 up, a single glance seemed to express to the men 
 the state of affairs, as mingling in the fray, they 
 cut down without mercy the sanguinary band, 
 except such as were enabled to save themselves by 
 flight, and released their unfortunate victims. 
 
 Freed from their antagonists, the stranger, as- 
 sisted by the soldiery who had so opportunely 
 arrived to the rescue of their Commander as well 
 as himself, again raised him from the ground, and 
 was happy to find, that though weak and helpless, 
 he still retained the command of all his faculties, 
 while his first observation evidently expressed that 
 nothing of what had recently passed had escaped 
 his observation. 
 
 " You are," he exclaimed, laying his hand upon 
 the shoulder of his preserver, as he was again busy 
 L 
 
146 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 in adjusting the bandage of his wound, " you are 
 a brave and noble fellow, and to whatever circum- 
 stances may be owing your being here, rest assured 
 I will never forget the services you have this day 
 rendered me. But come, we have another, and a 
 somewhat hazardous duty before us, in which you 
 may prove of the most material assistance. Allons, 
 mes enfans !" he continued, turning to his men, 
 "we must save these wretched beings from the 
 fangs of their executioners ; for let it not be said 
 that the glory of the soldier acquired in the 
 morning's victory, has been sullied by his standing 
 by, and witnessing such atrocities, when he had it 
 in his power to prevent them." 
 
 He was answered by universal acclamations ; the 
 liberated captives, with tears of passionate excite- 
 ment, invoking blessings upon the heads of their 
 preservers, as they moved in the direction of the 
 shore. On the road they encountered various 
 groups of ferocious-looking beings, covered with 
 blood, shouting the " ga ira" mingling its strains 
 with " Vive la guillotine" and other sanguinary 
 cries. They passed on unheeded and unquestioned, 
 it being deemed, perhaps, that the rescued victims 
 formed merely another party being led to slaughter 
 by the mitraillades, or the guillotine ; or if any 
 other suspicion was entertained, the soldiery who 
 
HARCOURT. 147 
 
 formed their escort were too formidable for any 
 attempt to be made to oppose with success their 
 humane intentions. 
 
 As they neared the shore, the Commander, in a 
 low voice, addressed the stranger, and pointing to 
 some boats in the distance with the English flag, 
 said, " There is the only security for these unfor- 
 tunates; be it your care to place them on board 
 one of these. I must now leave you, but a party 
 of these men will secure you from harm, and cover 
 your return to the shore, if indeed," and he looked 
 hard at him as he spoke, "such is your intention." 
 
 " I have no option," said the other, mournfully, 
 and glancing with pain and emotion in the direc- 
 tion in which the officer pointed. 
 
 " Is it, indeed, so?" replied the latter, his stern 
 features softening, as he gazed with sympathy 
 upon his companion ; " the greater then my devoir 
 to show that this morning's work has not been 
 lost. Serjeant Hubert," he continued, addressing 
 a veteran non-commissioned officer, " this brave 
 man will finish what your gallant comrades and 
 yourself have so nobly begun, and place these poor 
 people on board one of the English boats; let 
 some eight or ten of your companions remain on 
 the shore, to see that he meets no injury on his 
 return, and then conduct him to my quarters." 
 
148 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 . " Tres Hen, mon Colonel," was the reply, as 
 raising his hand to his cap, the gallant artillery- 
 man intimated by the action his thorough compre- 
 hension of his orders. 
 
 " And now farewell," said the Commander, 
 addressing his companion; "the final rescue of 
 these unfortunates must depend upon you, as in 
 the confusion of the moment you may pass unob- 
 served, whereas the uniform of my men would 
 only serve to draw upon them attention here, and 
 expose them, in all probability, to the fire of the 
 British squadron; use all speed, and au reste, 
 other matters when we meet again." 
 
 Jumping into the nearest boat, of which the 
 mast was already stepped, with its sail flapping in 
 the breeze, the stranger proceeded to unfurl it, as 
 the soldiers carefully assisted in placing the rescued, 
 but now almost exhausted and worn out victims in 
 it. This was quickly accomplished, and with a 
 slant of wind equally favourable for his return, the 
 canvas was spread, and the vessel glided swiftly 
 and surely over the waters of the harbour. 
 
 They were soon near enough to hail an English 
 pinnace, the crew of which at first lay upon their 
 oars, and apparently regarded the boat with some 
 degree of suspicion. But a second cry to them for 
 assistance, in their own language, caused them to 
 
HARCOURT. 149 
 
 ply their oars vigorously in the direction of the 
 fugitives, who, in a few minutes, were transferred 
 on board their vessel. This was no sooner 
 accomplished, than, as if seeking to avoid all 
 further communication, the stranger seized the 
 helm and returned swiftly to the shore, where he 
 found on landing his new comrades awaiting 
 him. 
 
 "We have now completed one part of our 
 orders," said the veteran Serjeant, whom his officer 
 had addressed by the name of Hubert, " and now 
 for the remainder." 
 
 As he spoke, he flung an artilleryman's great 
 coat and foraging cap to the stranger, who drew 
 back with evident inclination to reject the invi- 
 tation to assume the same, which the Serjeant's 
 manner had seemed to imply. 
 
 " I'll tell you what, brother," said the soldier, 
 quietly, but firmly, " you yourself may be indif- 
 ferent to dancing the " ga ira" to music h la 
 guillotine, but we, at all events, have no wish to 
 see our gallant young Commandant follow the 
 example. Your only chance of safety, and perhaps 
 his, is in implicitly doing as you are directed; 
 otherwise, this morning's work is likely to cost 
 dear ; altogether concealed it cannot be, and 
 Monsieur le Citoyen Carrier, is not likely to over- 
 
150 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 look the slaughter of some half-a-dozen of his 
 beauties, (peste, I wish it had been as many 
 thousands !) if he can avenge them." 
 
 The equal prudence and good feeling of these 
 observations were at once perceived by the stranger, 
 who now hastily proceeded to do as he was di- 
 rected, though, as he followed his companions, on 
 his disguise being completed, he muttered to him- 
 self in evident bitterness of spirit, " The guil- 
 lotine ? it would at least be as fitting a termination 
 as any other to a life of exile, disgrace, and desti- 
 tution!" 
 
HARCOURT. 151 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE doom of the unfortunate town was sealed ; 
 but now that several days had elapsed since its 
 fall, the greater part of the horrors that had suc- 
 ceeded its first occupation by the Republican forces 
 had passed away. This was in a great measure 
 owing, to their honour be it said, to the exertions 
 of the military, prompted, and secretly assisted, by 
 their Commanders ; and though the latter had 
 the almost certain fate of the guillotine before 
 them, for any undue humanity they displayed 
 towards their unhappy countrymen, the ferocity of 
 the delegates of the Convention was materially 
 checked by the refusal of the soldiery to fulfil 
 their bloody mandates ; and when threats and re- 
 monstrances were addressed to Dugommier upon 
 the subject, that General very quietly hinted the 
 danger of their pressing matters too far, not only 
 to themselves, who would inevitably become its 
 first victims, but to the government itself. 
 
152 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 The cowardly souls of the sanguinary tribunes 
 paled "before this significant allusion, which on 
 more than one occasion addressed even to Robe- 
 spierre himself, had led that wily and ferocious 
 despot urgently to inculcate upon his satellites 
 the necessity of extreme caution in meddling with 
 anything that might tend to create a spirit of 
 dissatisfaction in the army. 
 
 The capture of the batteries and fortified position 
 upon the Aiguillette, had been instantaneously 
 followed up by a vigorous assault on the line of 
 outworks established upon the range of hills in 
 the opposite quarter, which after a short, but 
 sharp and bloody conflict, had also fallen, its de- 
 fenders being overpowered and driven into the 
 town. The fate of the town might now be said to 
 be fulfilled ; for although its immediate fortifications 
 were scarcely touched by the fire of the besiegers' 
 batteries, and a powerful British fleet rode at 
 anchor in its harbour, the whole allied forces were 
 numerically insufficient for the occupation of the 
 former, while the latter were exposed to a cross 
 raking fire from the recently captured positions, 
 which it was utterly impossible to return with 
 any degree of effect. But although the fiery old 
 British Admiral * would have landed the whole of 
 
 * Sir Samuel Hood. 
 
HARCOURT. 153 
 
 his seamen to cooperate with the scanty remnants 
 of British troops that, firm and undaunted, though 
 fearfully diminished in number, still remained, 
 (and among whom, as usual, murmurs began to 
 arise at the mention of retreat,) with the determi- 
 nation to stand to the last, in the endeavour to 
 regain the ground that had been lost, even the 
 English military commanders were startled at the 
 desperate proposal against the overwhelming odds 
 opposed to them ; and in the anxious and prolonged 
 discussions which followed, and which only served 
 as an additional example of the verification of the 
 old proverb that " councils of war never fight," the 
 energetic old seaman found himself alone. 
 
 There was but one course to pursue, heart-rend- 
 ing as it was, and the measures for which were 
 immediately entered upon in the promptest and 
 most vigorous manner. The scenes which followed 
 belong to history, and have too often and too truly 
 been related in all their fearful atrocity to need 
 repeating here. At the present period but few 
 remember them ; but should any passing British 
 traveller, in visiting this now grand depot of French 
 industry and maritime power, as well as flourishing 
 prosperity, ever stumble upon any of the few aged 
 beings remaining in existence, who were eye-wit- 
 nesses of the scenes alluded to, and will enter 
 
154 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 freely into their recital, lie will hear details that 
 in thrilling interest surpass the wildest pages 
 the most visionary romance could ever venture 
 to portray. 
 
 It was about ten days after the fall of the town ; 
 the horrors of its first occupation had in some 
 measure subsided, though the guillotine still con- 
 tinued to ply its ghastly work upon the overloaded 
 prisons ; the mitraillades having been obliged to be 
 discontinued, from the military not only having 
 refused, after the first fury of conquest had passed 
 away, to execute them themselves, but repelling 
 the Jacobin bands, and even the Gendarmes, who 
 sought to obtain their artillery for the purpose. 
 
 In a small apartment overlooking the harbour, 
 which commanded a view of the town and its 
 fortifications, and reclining upon a couch, lay the 
 young Commandant of artillery, now advanced to 
 the rank of chef-de-brigade. He had evidently 
 suffered extremely, and perhaps still continued to 
 experience at intervals considerable pain, aggra- 
 vated in all probability by natural irritability of 
 temperament, and the irksome nature of his con- 
 finement. He was feeble and emaciated, and his 
 features had become yet paler by the loss of blood 
 he had sustained ; but his stern, searching eye, in 
 its flashing keenness, pretty strongly expressed that 
 
HAKCOUET. 155 
 
 the spirit within was as active and energetic as 
 ever, though occasionally a wandering, half-vacant 
 expression would cross his countenance, evidently 
 assumed to cover what was passing in his mind, 
 since it formed a singular contrast to the furtive 
 glances of watchful and vigilant activity which, 
 involuntarily, in the same instant escaped him. 
 
 Seated by his side, with his arm in a sling, was 
 the young stranger of whom so much has been 
 previously related, from whose attitude of earnest 
 attention it was evident the conversation that had 
 passed between them, and continued at slight 
 intervals, was one possessing the highest degree 
 of interest in regard to himself. 
 
 " I have pointed out to you/' said the young 
 General, "clearly and distinctly, the advantages 
 that may occur to you from attaching yourself to 
 my fortunes. 'Tis true, at this moment, I am myself 
 but a nameless man ; but my career is commencing, 
 my star has risen in the horizon, bright and 
 radiant in its course, and who shall determine 
 where its setting will be?" And as he concluded, 
 that wandering, dreamy expression we have already 
 adverted to, came over his features, terminated, 
 however, by a side-long glance, which seemed 
 carefully to note the effect his words produced 
 upon his auditor. 
 
156 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 "You possess within yourself," said the latter, 
 bluntly, "something more than what any ideal 
 mysticism could impart to the human mind, and 
 that is your own self-confidence and determined 
 will, of which I have seen enough to be well 
 aware it is backed by an iron and unswerving 
 perseverance which nothing can turn, and which 
 difficulty seems only to stimulate, instead of sub- 
 due; but relative to your offer, I cannot, while 
 declining it, but proffer you my sincerest and most 
 grateful acknowledgments, as under no circum- 
 stances would I ever take up arms against my own 
 country.' 7 
 
 " Your country has, at all events, proved herself 
 an affectionate parent towards you," said the 
 General, with a sneer, " and some of your compa- 
 triots, at any rate, are less biassed by such dutiful 
 motives." 
 
 " She has been a harsh and cruel stepmother to 
 me," said the young man, haughtily, "but I am 
 not to be swerved from the path of honour by the 
 actions of others, nor induced to become a traitor, 
 because injustice has consigned me to exile and 
 ruin. That honours and distinctions sometimes 
 fall to those, false alike to their sovereign and 
 country, as well as home and kindred, I am well 
 aware ; though even this poor vestige of prosperity 
 
HARCOURT. 157 
 
 is but slight recompense for the contempt and 
 abhorrence of all honest, high-minded men, of 
 whom, whatever may be stiid of France and her 
 sanguinary rulers, no one can assert that her army 
 is destitute." 
 
 The soldier eyed his companion keenly for a 
 moment, and then held out his hand. " Forgive 
 me," he said, "that I should in any way have 
 pained your feelings, which was far from my 
 intention ; believe me, the proposal I have made 
 you, in no way engenders the risk of what you are 
 led to infer, a degradation which I had seen 
 enough of you to be well aware you would never 
 stoop to ; but the reasoning, and honourable motives, 
 which actuate you in this instance, I cannot con- 
 ceive are equally applicable to nations and go- 
 vernments in temporary alliance with your coun- 
 try, whose designs may be different, nay, even at 
 times hostile, causing the friend of to-day to 
 become the bitter enemy of the morrow." 
 
 " I owe neither allegiance nor duty towards any 
 power or sovereign but my own," said the young 
 man ; " and provided I am secure from being brought 
 into collision with my own countrymen, am free 
 to accept what your generous kindness has prof- 
 fered me on the instant, and which I do not 
 hesitate to say, will render me eternally bound to 
 
158 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 you by the strongest ties that gratitude can dictate. 
 I have seen enough to be well aware of the truth 
 of what you have mentioned in reference to the 
 hollow alliance which the governments of Europe 
 had formed against France, which, had it been 
 carried out in sincerity of mind, must have accom- 
 plished its object, in spite of the want of vigour 
 which has characterised its movements." 
 
 "Ay," rejoined the General, "jealousy has in- 
 deed done its work, and propagated rather than 
 stayed the work of the revolution. Austria and 
 Prussia, England and Eussia, each in their turn 
 have assisted in spreading the evil they so loudly 
 proclaimed it was their wish and intention to 
 arrest ; and hereafter it will be known that France 
 owed her salvation less to her own vaunted exer- 
 tions, than to the want of union and incompre- 
 hensible follies committed by her enemies." 
 
 " Her salvation ! " replied the stranger, with an 
 exclamation of almost actual loathing, and glancing 
 from the window, as if he dared not give ex- 
 pression to the reminiscence of scenes which must 
 have passed almost within the view and hearing of 
 both. "Salvation!" he continued, " say rather 
 the demon rule, which has deluged her with blood 
 the blood of some of her noblest, best, and bravest, 
 and which has caused the very name of France to 
 
HARCOUET. 159 
 
 be regarded throughout the world as a theme for 
 horror and abhorrence." 
 
 " I have said her salvation," said the General, 
 calmly, " and in doing so, expressed it in reference 
 to her national safety, which her madness had well- 
 nigh compromised, and to the danger of which she 
 was only sufficiently aroused by the acts and pro- 
 clamations of the Austrian and Prussian com- 
 manders, which, seconded by the jealousies of their 
 respective governments, completed the work the 
 former had begun. The decree of the Prince of 
 Cobourg, which plainly intimated the re-annex- 
 ation of the frontier provinces to the German 
 Empire, gave the first signal for union among the 
 clashing and discordant factions, ready to consign 
 all parties who differed from them to destruction ; 
 and this feeling, once aroused, quickly became 
 universal, following as it did the manifests of the 
 Duke of Brunswick ; this change, however, I repeat, 
 would have been of but little avail in arresting the 
 progress of the invaders, but for the dissensions 
 prevalent in their own councils. When the energy 
 of Clairfait had carried all before him, and the road 
 to Paris lay open to his forces, on the surrender of 
 Longwy and Verdun, where were the Prussian 
 commanders, and what was their object in so long 
 lying inactive, when a simultaneous advance would 
 
160 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 have crushed every vestige of revolution? Eumour 
 has assigned the frightful epidemic which deci- 
 mated their ranks as the cause, though it is well 
 known that it is solely to be attributed to the order 
 subsequently received from the court, directing the 
 army to fall back upon the German frontier, and 
 eventually to retire altogether from the contest." 
 
 " Do you then ascribe nothing to the coopera- 
 tion of almost the entire population," inquired 
 the youth, " and that enthusiasm which carried 
 thousands to the frontier, to join the army in 
 repelling the invasion?" 
 
 The General laughed scornfully as he replied, 
 in tones of the bitterest contempt 
 
 " Popular enthusiasm! national cooperation! 
 fit instruments, indeed, to fill the hospitals ; or, 
 worse still, to prove a scourge to the country over 
 which it is exercised.* No ; whether for eventual 
 good or evil, France owes her successful opposition 
 to foreign invasion to the veterans of Eochambeau, 
 
 * If this opinion, the truth of which I am led to believe no 
 military man will question, is applicable to a country like 
 France, what must it be in reference to others, possessing in 
 a far less degree those soldier-like qualities which so eminently 
 characterise the French nation? As a corroboration of its 
 correctness, the reader is referred to the recent works of 
 several military authors, both Austrian and Piedmontese, upon 
 the late wars in Northern Italy in 1848 49. 
 
HAKCOURT. 161 
 
 and the hundred and fifty thousand regular troops 
 who had espoused the national cause. Ignorance, 
 indeed, would lead to the supposition that you 
 have merely to place a musket in the hands of 
 a boorish peasant, and his conversion into a soldier 
 is complete ; but little regard being taken for the 
 time, aye years, that are requisite for his organ- 
 ization and training, which, after all, actual service 
 in the field before an enemy alone can perfect ; 
 for, let his discipline and courage be what it may, 
 more is acquired by the soldier in the course of a 
 single campaign than in a whole life-time passed 
 in the mere routine of garrison duty in a town or 
 fortress.* Enthusiasm and popular feeling, when 
 of a lasting nature, which is not often the case, 
 are admirable materials to work upon, but never 
 by themselves would have stayed for a moment the 
 march of the Prussians after their defeat of Custine, 
 as they must inevitably have captured Mentz, when 
 
 * The reader will do well to remember that these are not 
 the words of fiction he is perusing ; and, should he require 
 any additional testimony as to the importance of what they 
 are intended to convey, let him turn to the pages of the 
 Gurwood Despatches, wherein Britain's greatest military hero 
 at first speaks of a soldier who has witnessed a campaign as 
 fully equal to two others who have not; while later, as even 
 his experience becomes more extended upon the subject, he 
 adverts to one of the former being worth even three of the 
 latter. 
 
 M 
 
162 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 once more Paris would have been at their mercy, 
 had they but been supported in their turn by the 
 Austrians. Besides, if still incredulous after what 
 I have adduced, recal to mind what we have wit- 
 nessed here." 
 
 " The example to which you allude," returned 
 the stranger, " I should rather have thought was 
 to be attributed to cool courage and determination, 
 for which the English have usually been cele- 
 brated, rather than to any preeminent degree of 
 military skill and discipline." 
 
 " Invaluable as the qualifications you have men- 
 tioned undoubtedly are," said the General, " they 
 never would have enabled their possessors to 
 maintain their ground as they did, in spite of the 
 odds opposed to them, were it not that their self- 
 reliance rested upon a much firmer and securer 
 basis. In entering upon the contest, England 
 may not have been actuated by that jealousy and 
 suspicion of her confederates, which has proved so 
 detrimental to their success, but she has done their 
 cause, and her own, an equal, if not far greater 
 degree of injury ; and, either by her false economy, 
 or inability to comprehend the true value of her 
 position, she has lost an opportunity that never 
 can be regained. If instead of five she had sent 
 twenty thousand men to the succour of this ill- 
 
HARCOURT. 163 
 
 fated city, the result would have been far different, 
 and the whole of the South would have instanta- 
 neously risen with every prospect of success ; the 
 more particularly since the proclamation of the 
 English admiral, couched in very different terms 
 to those of the northern confederates, wounded no 
 feeling of nationality, and was what, under similar 
 circumstances, even any royalist commander might 
 himself have issued. With Toulon as a point for 
 the centre of her operations, and the whole country 
 in insurrection against the existing order of things, 
 England could have brought her colossal maritime 
 power into play, on the coast of the northern and 
 western provinces, almost without opposition. For 
 whatever eventual good France may derive from 
 her revolution, it has had the present evil of 
 crushing, if not irretrievably ruining, her naval 
 armaments ; as, almost exclusively officered from 
 the proscribed classes, the bravest and best of 
 her marine have been offered as holocausts to the 
 guillotine, or been drawn into exile and ruin." 
 
 " A loyal and grateful reward, truly," replied 
 the young man, with some bitterness, " for their 
 noble devotion and services to their country ; and 
 highly encouraging to those desirous of following 
 a career subordinate to the orders of such a go- 
 vernment." 
 
164 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 " All tempests," said the soldier, "whatever 
 their nature may be, and however frightful and 
 desolating in the ravages they create, have sooner 
 or later a termination a termination, too, that 
 not unfrequently, in the good it subsequently 
 creates, obliterates all recollection of the sacrifice 
 at which it has been obtained ; and France may 
 prove no exception to the rule. The sanguinary 
 hierarchy, which still continues its blood-stained 
 sway, must at least pause in its career when one 
 party has devoured the other, and that which 
 remains glances round in search of fresh victims. 
 It is then that even amongst the worst and 
 most evil-minded, will arise the question, c Is 
 this never to end?' Those words once uttered, 
 retribution will quickly follow; for then all classes, 
 including even the most timid, will unite to swell 
 the cry, and the country will turn its eyes towards 
 any one willing to stand forward and preserve her 
 from the gulf into which she is rushing." 
 
 " They will look long enough then," rejoined 
 the stranger, " among the gang of butchers who 
 constitute her present rulers, before they are likely 
 to meet the character you describe." 
 
 That dreamy, wandering expression we have 
 previously adverted to, seemed to cross the fea- 
 tures of the General as these words were uttered ; 
 
HARCOURT. 165 
 
 but, as if unmindful of their import, and scarcely 
 addressing his companion, he said 
 
 " Circumstances, trivial in themselves, often 
 lead to events of the most momentous import- 
 ance ; and it is therefore rarely found that when 
 convulsions rock the world to its base, its even 
 tenor is subsequently regained, till almost every- 
 thing relating to the previously existing order of 
 things is overthrown, if not completely destroyed. 
 France is in all probability now passing through 
 an ordeal, which, however great the present suf- 
 fering it entails, may prove the precursor of her 
 future prosperity and welfare, as well as of a glory 
 which will render even her previous annals, fertile 
 as they have been in illustrious deeds, as mere 
 shadows in comparison : and from the creation of 
 such events, will arise those to whose guidance 
 will be hereafter committed the task of preserving 
 the kingdom from the factious anarchy which at 
 present devours it, and which, unless arrested in 
 its progress by a strong and powerful hand, must 
 eventually consign it to destruction and ruin. 
 However," he concluded, after a thoughtful pause, 
 " I have laid everything clearly and distinctly be- 
 fore you, and the result must now be left to your 
 own decision, before arriving at which, perhaps 
 you had better reflect upon what I have said." 
 
166 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 " To one situated like myself," said the young 
 man, " reflection is of little avail, since I may 
 scarcely be said to possess an alternative ; but were 
 it otherwise, my resolution would be the same ; and, 
 attach what value you will to my declaration, I 
 care not to avow, there is that in your words and 
 manner which irresistibly attracts me towards you ; 
 and whether the path may lead me to the guillo- 
 tine, or that prosperity which you seem to antici- 
 pate, my choice is made, and come what will, I am 
 determined to adhere to your fortunes, to which I 
 now attach myself, with at least all the fervour 
 that a grateful heart can dictate." 
 
 The General extended his hand. " I will not 
 say you have chosen well," he said, " as that re- 
 mains to be seen in whatever fate destiny may 
 hereafter award us both; but I feel an inward con- 
 viction, that you will eventually have little occasion 
 to regret the step you have taken; prosperity has 
 smiled brightly upon this commencement of my 
 career, and Fortune is seldom sparing of her 
 favours towards those of her votaries whom she 
 sees prompt to seize upon every opportunity that 
 offers, to profit by them ; and now," he con- 
 cluded, "to render you what little assistance I can 
 towards your recommencement in life, my purse 
 is not a very heavy one, but it can well spare 
 
HARCOURT. 167 
 
 what I have to proffer for the use of my new 
 comrade." 
 
 The stranger drew back, and seemed to shrink 
 from the rouleau the General pressed upon him ; 
 but the latter forced it into his hand, at the same 
 time good-humouredly exclaiming, although in a 
 tone not altogether free from a certain degree of 
 command, " Come, come, young man, no reply; I 
 see I must give you a lesson in subordination, re- 
 lative to your new position. And now for the last 
 question I have to ask, by what name am I to 
 know you?" 
 
 " Edward Harcourt," returned the youth in a 
 voice which shook with the visible emotion of 
 grateful feeling ; " and let me in my turn solicit 
 that of the generous benefactor to whom I am so 
 much indebted." 
 
 " Napoleon Buonaparte!" was the reply. 
 
168 KOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE cannon thundered with renewed and tripled 
 violence on the plain of Marengo. It was now 
 past four o'clock, and the victorious Austrians, 
 worn out with their exertions, having been in 
 motion, and for the greater part of the time hotly 
 engaged, from daybreak on the sultry and oppres- 
 sive day of the 14th June, had been severely 
 checked, and witnessed their dear-bought victory 
 snatched from their grasp, by the advancing divi- 
 sions of Bonn and Desaix, which so opportunely 
 arrived to save the French army from destruction. 
 
 The brave and experienced, but aged and infirm 
 Austrian Commander, had retired from the field 
 in the full security that the day was won, exhausted 
 by physical fatigue, and unable to rise from the 
 couch on which he had thrown himself to recruit 
 his enfeebled and worn-out frame. It was at this 
 critical moment, when the broken divisions of 
 Lannes and Victor had succeeded in rallying, sup- 
 
HARCOURT. 169 
 
 ported by the powerful reserve so unexpectedly 
 brought forward, that the whole united mass burst 
 like a torrent upon the astonished Austrian s, co- 
 vered by Marmont's artillery, which tore through 
 their ranks with frightful carnage. 
 
 The Imperialists, however, met the onset with 
 the same steady bravery they had manifested 
 throughout the day, and which had hitherto so 
 successfully baffled and defeated their impetuous 
 adversaries, when a new event occurred, to which 
 their formation at the moment lent a most fatal in- 
 fluence. They were advancing in open column, 
 unaware of the disasters which had occurred on 
 their right, and which had left their flank alto- 
 gether en Tair^ when, from several vineyards which 
 masked the movement, there came a rushing sound, 
 which gradually increased to a roar, that rose even 
 above the cannonade which raged throughout the 
 field. It proceeded from Kellerman's magnificent 
 cavalry, and was the execution of that brilliant 
 and celebrated charge, which, emanating from the 
 inspiration and chivalrous bravery of their gallant 
 leader, proved the event which decided the fate of 
 this sanguinary day; as in a minute, the Austrian 
 columns were ridden through, trampled down, and 
 sabred in every direction, those who escaped flying 
 in the utmost confusion to the rear, and adding to 
 
170 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 the disorganization already commencing in the 
 ranks of those divisions of the army which, up to 
 this period, had still maintained their order and 
 discipline. 
 
 The balls had been flying in showers round the 
 First Consul, and ploughing up the earth under 
 his horse's hoofs ; but it was at the very moment 
 that the tide of conquest had turned, and he already 
 beheld the prospect of that brilliant triumph which 
 subsequently placed him at the pinnacle of his 
 fame, that his eagle eye detected a rallying-point 
 for his adversaries, which, had it been acted upon 
 on the instant, might even yet have retrieved the 
 fortune of the day, and turned the scale once more 
 in favour of the Austrians. 
 
 On the left there still remained an entire divi- 
 sion of their army, whose ranks were unbroken, 
 and who had apparently suffered comparatively 
 little in the contest. It consisted of eight bat- 
 talions of infantry, and two regiments of Alvinzi's 
 brilliant cavalry, Hungarian hussars, the latter of 
 whom were drawn up in rear of the right of the 
 former. 
 
 A single glance was sufficient to apprise the 
 First Consul that the struggle had yet to be re- 
 newed, and the result rendered more than ever 
 doubtful, should these troops be skilfully handled, 
 
HARCOURT. 171 
 
 and brought to cover the re-formation of the dis- 
 ordered masses, many of whom, although in a state 
 of disarray and confusion, could, protected by so 
 numerous and powerful a support, have easily been 
 rallied. Plunging the spurs into his charger's 
 sides, he flew to the rear with all the speed that 
 his horse could carry him. His reserves had al- 
 ready almost all been brought forward, and his 
 last chance must be hazarded with the small force 
 that remained. How often subsequently was a 
 similar risk encountered with an equal degree of 
 success ! 
 
 I Sheltered by some gardens, were drawn up six 
 squadrons of cuirassiers and three battalions of 
 grenadiers those splendid veterans, who after- 
 wards became the nucleus for the formation of 
 that brilliant corps, unsurpassed in discipline and 
 bravery, and whose glory became renowned not 
 only in the annals of their own country, but 
 throughout Europe the old Imperial Guard ! 
 While the cavalry, however, were quite fresh 
 neither horses nor riders having hitherto under- 
 gone any fatigue, beyond that engendered by the 
 long march which preceded their arrival on the 
 field the infantry had already been hotly engaged, 
 and had suffered severely, having been brought 
 into action at the most critical period, when the 
 
172 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 French had first commenced their retreat, which 
 they had only arrested by marching slowly, 
 and entirely unsupported, into the very midst of 
 the imperialists, exposed to a murderous fire, and 
 then retiring unbroken, with similar deliberation, 
 when charged on all sides by masses of cavalry 
 and infantry, though not till order had been re- 
 stored, by the exertions of the First Consul, in 
 their rear. 
 
 The officer in command of the cuirassiers, who 
 wore the uniform of a colonel, was a fine, dashing- 
 looking, soldier-like man, about three or four and 
 thirty years of age. He had taken off his helmet 
 in consequence of the excessive heat, revealing, in 
 doing so, a handsome set of features, dusk and 
 sunburnt by constant exposure and the rough 
 training of military service, which singularly con- 
 trasted with his high, pale forehead, surmounted 
 with its dark waving hair. The countenance was 
 expressive of buoyant hope, energy, and determi^ 
 nation; the thick curling moustache, which covered 
 his upper lip, imparting additional resolution to 
 its tout ensemble, which, but for the frankness and 
 good-humour which pervaded it, would have lent 
 rather a stern character than otherwise to its 
 general outline ; there were, indeed, few or no 
 traces by which the broken-spirited English exile 
 
HARCOUKT. 173 
 
 could have been recognised in the bold and suc- 
 cessful favourite of Napoleon, the delight of his 
 comrades, the idol of his men, and whose rapid 
 promotion had been the theme of applause and 
 approbation throughout the entire army, as an 
 example of the rank and station that rewarded the 
 bravery and devotion of its soldiers. 
 
 True to his determination, Edward Harcourt 
 had adhered with the most unshaken constancy, 
 through good and through evil, to the fortunes of 
 his benefactor. After the termination of the siege 
 of Toulon, when through hatred or fear, or that 
 abhorrence of successful merit, for which mediocrity 
 in any shape is ever remarkable, every attempt 
 was made to consign the young General to ob- 
 livion, in return for the brilliant services he had 
 rendered ; when reduced almost to actual want, he 
 was seriously thinking of retiring from France, and 
 proceeding to Constantinople to offer his services 
 to the Sultan, for the purpose of instructing the 
 Turks in the practice of artillery, Harcourt ever 
 remained with him ; and, free from any personal 
 bias in the political agitations and distractions 
 which then prevailed, he foresaw and predicted 
 to the young chieftain, when nearly brought, by 
 indigence and despondency, to the verge of de- 
 spair, that the period was not far distant when he 
 
174 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 would be once more called upon for active and 
 vigorous exertion, a prophecy subsequently ful- 
 filled to an extent and with a rapidity which, 
 perhaps, he who made it at the time little an- 
 ticipated ! 
 
 In the affair of the Sections when those cele- 
 brated words of Barras, long, long afterwards 
 remembered, " I have the man we want a little 
 Corsican," laid the foundation of those tremendous 
 events which shook Europe for twenty years after- 
 wards, Harcourt had exerted himself to accomplish 
 the views of the General, with an intelligence and 
 ability, as well as courage and conduct, which had 
 strongly elicited his Commander's approbation, 
 and, if possible, strengthened his regard for his 
 protegL On being nominated by the Directors to 
 the command of the army of Italy, the new Com- 
 mander-in-chief had appointed Harcourt to his 
 personal staff, from which he had joined the heavy 
 cavalry, though constantly in attendance upon the 
 General as officier cfordonnance. He served through- 
 out the whole of these campaigns, acquiring no 
 slight distinction at the bloody battles of Monte- 
 notte, Arcola, Lodi, and Bivoli ; and the conclusion 
 of the war at the treaty of Campo Formio witnessed 
 his elevation to the rank he at present held. On 
 the return of Napoleon from Egypt, and his subse- 
 
HAKCOURT. 175 
 
 quent elevation to the supreme power, Harcourt, 
 who had been left in Italy, was one of the first 
 among those he summoned around him, and had 
 "been nominated to the command of a regiment 
 destined to form part of the expedition proceeding 
 to the theatre of their former brilliant and suc- 
 cessful career. 
 
 On the memorable day to which our narrative 
 now alludes, the regiment of Harcourt had formed 
 part of the division of the gallant and long-after 
 lamented Desaix, and reached the field of battle 
 shortly after four o'clock in the afternoon, almost 
 immediately following the arrival of the main body. 
 It was immediately drawn up in the position we 
 have already adverted to, by the First Consul 
 himself, and united to the remnants of the heroic 
 and gallant veterans, whose devoted and chivalrous 
 courage had, in all probability, saved the French 
 army from destruction in the early part of the 
 day. 
 
 Harcourt's orders had been, on no account 
 whatever to move, unless directed either by the 
 General-in- chief himself, or one of his immediate 
 staff : on seeing, therefore, the First Consul advan- 
 cing at speed towards his men, he at once divined 
 that the moment for action had arrived, an ex- 
 pectation in which he was not deceived, when the 
 
176 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 voice of his superior called out as lie approached, 
 in accents that rivalled the stirring notes of the 
 trumpet " To your right, Harcourt, lies your 
 commission as General of Brigade." 
 
 The Englishman raised himself in his stirrups, 
 and glanced eagerly in the direction the First Con- 
 sul had indicated. The Austrian infantry, which 
 at this period, under General Zach, had been de- 
 ployed, were now in the act of re-forming column, 
 a perilous movement at all times, in presence 
 of an active and enterprising body of cavalry,* 
 
 * There is, perhaps, no question so completely an "open" one, 
 as that of the movement of infantry (unless in column) in pre- 
 sence of an active and vigilant mounted enemy, though, in all 
 probability, a solution would be best obtained by a reference to 
 the national and peculiar characteristics of the troops to whom 
 allusion is made. For instance, what might be safely attempted 
 with French, would be very problematical in regard to a success- 
 ful issue with others ; while relative to the British Infantry, the 
 celebrated General Foy has observed, " That they who knew 
 its value should move it but seldom, and, even under circum- 
 stances of the greatest hazard and difficulty, trust rather to the 
 cool intrepidity and determined resolution which has so inva- 
 riably, from time immemorial, distinguished the British soldier." 
 The accuracy of the observation of this gallant and experienced 
 officer and historian, was certainly confirmed by the brilliant 
 conduct of the 28th Regiment at the Battle of Waterloo. 
 This corps was drawn up in line, when it was all at once 
 charged in front and rear by the French cuirassiers. " In 
 that trying moment," says Siborne, in his admirable history 
 of the campaign, " not a sound was heard from the ranks save 
 the voice of the Colonel (the late Sir Philip Belson) as he gave 
 
HAECOURT. 177 
 
 and in the present instance doubly so, from their 
 flank being completely exposed, and their adver- 
 saries a second time so entirely sheltered by the 
 foliage of the trees and gardens, which screened 
 them from observation, as to be wholly invisible. 
 Another event was also destined to exercise a most 
 fatal influence upon the fortunes of the imperialists 
 at this critical moment, and this was the unac- 
 countable inaction of the brigade of hussars, de- 
 stined for their support, who remained immoveable 
 in their saddles, despite the fierce exclamations of 
 impatience which burst both from officers and men, 
 their commander waiting for orders! being one 
 of that heavy, stupid class of cross-grained marti- 
 nets, who never ventured upon anything himself, 
 or permitted others to do so, unless under the 
 sanction of superior authority ; and who, most un- 
 fortunately, had been sent expressly from head- 
 quarters, (perhaps, to control the fiery spirits thus 
 made subordinate to him,) to assume the com- 
 mand on the death of the Hungarian leader, who 
 had fallen in a desperate charge upon the square 
 
 the word for the rear rank to face about." The cavalry came 
 rushing on ; in another moment, it would almost seem as if their 
 horses' heads must touch the array of bayonets before them, 
 when the word "Fire " rung out; and as the smoke cleared away, 
 it revealed the entire space covered with the fallen bodies of 
 men and horses, and the survivors in full and hasty retreat. 
 
 K 
 
178 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 of the old grenadiers, when they had so boldly 
 attempted in the morning, in their march alike 
 through friends and foes, to retrieve the fortunes 
 of the day. 
 
 With the rapidity of lightning, Harcourt at once 
 comprehended the General's intentions ; he waved 
 his sabre round his head and galloped forward, as 
 in a voice of stirring energy the words of com- 
 mand issued from his lips, and followed each other 
 in quick and fiery succession ; " Form column of 
 divisions!* the regiment will advance at a gallop! 
 By successive divisions charge ! " 
 
 The thunder of the horses' hoofs, as they rushed 
 at full speed, was the first intimation the Austrians 
 received of the approach of their fresh and formi- 
 dable enemy ; and taken, as they were, at every 
 disadvantage, there could be but little doubt as to 
 the result. The officers commanding the leading 
 squadrons of the hussars, indeed, no sooner beheld 
 the coming storm, than, without waiting for the 
 orders of their superior, they wheeled to the right, 
 and rushed forward to meet it, in the hope, if 
 possible, to save their infantry, and thus gain time 
 for their formation ; but, could they have hoped 
 to have been a match for their ponderous adver- 
 
 * In the continental armies, a division is formed of two 
 squadrons led by a field-officer. 
 
HARCOURT. 179 
 
 saries, whose weight alone bore down everything 
 before them, the movement was too late to be at- 
 tempted with any chance of success ; and with the 
 first shock they were ridden through, sabred, and 
 trampled down on the instant; while, in the next, 
 the mailed horsemen were in the midst of the dis- 
 ordered infantry, with the force of a thunderbolt ! 
 
 Carried away by their impetuous spirit, and 
 flushed with success, Harcourt and his brilliant 
 chivalry continued to press forward with irresistible 
 energy, carrying all before them. But a very few 
 moments were requisite to show the master-mind 
 that all further resistance was now hopeless, and 
 that this last movement, directed by himself, had 
 decided the terrible contest which had so long 
 raged, assuring him of the greatest victory which, 
 up to this period, had distinguished his career. 
 The shattered remains of Monnier's corps which, 
 in spite of the success that had attended Desaix 
 and Kellerman, still continued hard pressed in 
 their retrograde movement now turned fiercely 
 upon their pursuers, already disordered by the 
 numbers of fugitives of their own army, which 
 covered the whole plain, and crowded upon their 
 ranks to an extent that, at length, threw them 
 into the most irretrievable confusion; and they 
 themselves were borne along by the torrent, the 
 
180 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 rout becoming general, and a desperate effort being 
 made to gain the Bormida before their retreat was 
 cut off. 
 
 As the last corps of the imperialists which re- 
 tained anything like order, broke and fled with 
 he rest, Harcourt dashed towards several light 
 field-batteries, the men of which had stood nobly 
 by their guns, which they plied with equal vigour 
 and celerity, in the endeavour to cover the retreat 
 of their comrades. They were commanded by a 
 fine, dashing fellow, who directed their movements, 
 and were animated by a veteran General of infan- 
 try, who, after vain and fruitless efforts to rally 
 some of the fugitives, had galloped up to the ar- 
 tillery, apparently determined not to quit the field 
 as long as there appeared the remotest prospect of 
 any resistance being continued. 
 
 As the French cavalry advanced upon the guns, 
 they were quickly limbered up ; and though they 
 rushed at full speed towards the river, it was easy 
 to perceive the men maintained the most perfect 
 order. Their commander and the old General 
 were in the rear, evidently looking out for an op- 
 portunity when they could turn upon their pursuers 
 with any chance of success, when a random shot 
 struck the horse of the latter, which fell heavily to 
 the earth, bearing his rider along with him. 
 
HAECOUBT. 181 
 
 There now seemed every prospect of the gallant 
 veteran being trampled to death, beneath the hoofs 
 of the advancing French cavalry; but Harcourt, 
 who had throughout witnessed and admired the 
 bravery and strenuous exertions of his noble enemy, 
 had seen the accident, and, as his men came thun- 
 dering on, he shouted out, " By pelotons open 
 right and left ! " The cuirassiers promptly wheeled 
 outwards, and the old man was saved. 
 
 " Je me rends, Monsieur," he said, with great 
 dignity, as Harcourt reined up his horse for the 
 moment, and extending his hand, assisted him to 
 rise. It was. the gallant old General Zach. 
 
 Harcourt still continued his pursuit of the 
 Austrian artillery, but such was the skill and cou- 
 rage of his adversary, that all his efforts to arrest 
 his progress were ' unavailing. They were now 
 close upon the river, the sight of which led him to 
 believe the prize was in his grasp, all the bridges 
 being thronged with a dense mass of fugitives, 
 who impeded the progress of each other, while the 
 banks were covered with the fragments of broken 
 caissons, arms, and waggons, as well as covered 
 with the dead and dying. 
 
 Loud shouts burst from the French at the spec- 
 tacle, and it was evident they deemed the capture 
 of the guns as certain, when they beheld the gallant 
 
182 EOMANCE .OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 Imperialist and his men half rein up, as if in 
 doubt and perplexity what course to pursue. The 
 pause, however, was but momentary, one instant's 
 reflection seeming to determine the Austrian in the 
 line he had chosen, as his horses were suddenly 
 urged to their utmost speed, and then springing 
 over every obstacle, men, guns, and chargers, 
 dashed fiercely into the foaming stream; a roar of 
 admiration, even from their enemies, following the 
 exploit, which met with the success it so well 
 merited, some of their pieces alone sticking fast in 
 the bed of the river ; but the traces being promptly 
 cut, the men and horses, the most valuable portion 
 of the materiel, altogether escaped. 
 
 Arrived on the opposite side, they were encoun- 
 tered by an aged and infirm man, who, supported 
 on horseback by two attendants, had with difficulty 
 been enabled to reach the bank from a village 
 about three hundred yards distant. Though in a 
 state of utter exhaustion, his presence seemed to 
 act like magic on the flying soldiery, who were at 
 once reanimated by the appearance of their chief 
 for Melas himself, apprised of the extent of the 
 disaster, had hurried down to the river and en- 
 couraged by the support of their artillery ; which, 
 now that they had reached the opposite side in 
 security, quickly unlimbered, and re-opened briskly 
 
HARCOUKT. 183 
 
 upon the victorious French. Some degree of order 
 became gradually restored : through the heroic 
 and determined resistance of the troops which the 
 veteran Commander had succeeded in bringing 
 together to form as a rear-guard, the bridges 
 were cleared, and the imperialist forces ultimately 
 enabled to eifect their retreat. 
 
 Harcourt drew off his men, and the night was 
 closing in as he rode up and delivered his report 
 to the First Consul, whose brief salutation to him, 
 as he extended his hand, was, " General, you 
 have well deserved the promotion you have at- 
 tained ! " 
 
184 KOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE bright and glorious sun of an Italian 
 summer morning rose in the early part of the 
 month of July, about three weeks after the memo- 
 rable event we have adverted to in our last 
 chapter, upon one of those glowing pictures which, 
 perhaps, the rich plains of Lombardy alone 
 throughout the whole world could furnish. Far as 
 the eye could reach rose one continued scene of 
 fertility, cultivation, and beauty : the corn was 
 waving in golden luxuriance, the vineyards were 
 loaded with their rich cargoes of fruit, while, 
 stretching up to the very sides of the fine level 
 roads, for which the province has ever been dis- 
 tinguished, the vines, festooned from tree to tree, 
 imparted to the whole an aspect of unrivalled 
 beauty which it would be difficult even for the 
 most accomplished artist faithfully to portray. 
 
 Heavy showers had fallen at intervals during 
 the night, which had cooled the air to a delicious 
 
HARCOURT. 185 
 
 freshness, and rendered the foliage still brighter 
 in its verdant colouring. As the glorious orb of 
 morning rose above the horizon, in a sky the rich 
 blue tint of which was now unmingled with the 
 slightest cloud, its rays fell upon the gleaming 
 helmets and breastplates of a small detachment of 
 French cuirassiers on their route from Brescia to 
 Milan. 
 
 The party consisted of a sergeant and twelve 
 men, forming the escort of the general officer, who 
 rode at their head, and who, wearing the same 
 uniform as themselves, was evidently either re- 
 turning from a round of inspection of the brigade 
 he commanded, which lay cantoned in the neigh- 
 bourhood, or was proceeding on some special duty 
 to head -quarters. Though the carbines of the 
 advanced and rear files were sprung,* as usual 
 with a body of cavalry proceeding on its march, 
 a glance was sufficient to intimate they had no 
 expectation of meeting an enemy on their route ; 
 and that the country around them, however lately 
 the theatre of operations for two powerful and 
 numerous armies, for the present, at least, was in a 
 state of profound tranquillity, owing to the Con- 
 vention of Alexandria, which had almost immedi- 
 ately followed the sanguinary day of Marengo, and 
 
 * The military term for being carried in rest, or ready for action. 
 
186 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 which left the French forces in peaceful possession 
 of the Milannais, and the western part of Northern 
 Italy as far as the Chiesa and the Po. 
 
 Not a sound seemed to break upon the stillness 
 of the morning, save the clatter of the horses' hoofs 
 upon the road, the occasional clash of the accou- 
 trements of the horsemen, or the echo of their 
 voices, as they beguiled the tedium of their march 
 by the narratives of former campaigns, future 
 hopes, and present pleasures, the usual theme for 
 a soldier's story, whether in camp, the line of 
 march, or the bivouac. Glancing occasionally 
 upon the beautiful country around him in silent 
 admiration, Harcourt, for he was the general we 
 have alluded to, rode at the head of his men, listen- 
 ing to their discourse with amusement and interest, 
 and not unfrequently encouraging some fresh re- 
 cital by the questions he put to elicit it. A bluff, 
 burly, vieux moustache, was dilating, in that spirit 
 of mirth and good-humour which ever distin- 
 guishes the French soldier, and which causes him 
 quickly to forget even the heaviest misfortune, 
 when its effects have passed away, upon the con- 
 trast the army of Italy afforded at the present 
 period, to that which it exhibited on the com- 
 mencement of the campaigns of 1794 ; when, as the 
 old warrior expressed it, if fighting could have 
 
HAECOURT. 187 
 
 satisfied their digestion, they certainly had enough 
 of it, for they had but little else to live upon ; 
 when a great-coat or cloak was scarcely to be seen ; 
 when the infantry were without shoes, and one 
 pair of jack -boots per peloton for the cavalry, was 
 the very utmost that any inspecting general could 
 reasonably hope to see in a regiment: he was pro- 
 ceeding with his narrative, amidst the laughter of 
 his hearers, when a loud, piercing scream rang 
 upon the air. 
 
 In an instant all was silence, and, as if instinc- 
 tively, each bridle was drawn, all reining up upon 
 the instant. 
 
 " Diantre !" exclaimed Harcourt, " from whence 
 could that cry have proceeded ? " 
 
 The horsemen, at the period this accident oc- 
 curred, had reached a point in the road possessing 
 a slight degree of elevation above the rest, and 
 consequently commanded a view of the surround- 
 ing country, and the route they were traversing, to 
 the extent of some six hundred yards ; at the 
 termination of this distance, however, the road 
 took an abrupt and sudden turn, and was lost 
 among the trees and festooned vines we have 
 already adverted to as skirting the hedges on its 
 sides. The veteran sergeant dashed a few paces in 
 advance, and gazed eagerly and intently upon the 
 
188 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 view before him; but not a single living being 
 presented itself, nor indeed any other object by 
 which an elucidation could be obtained of the 
 mysterious incident which had arrested their 
 march. The word was already on Harcourt's lips, 
 directing it to be resumed, when once more a long 
 and loud succession of agonizing shrieks burst upon 
 the ear, which, borne upon the stillness of the 
 morning, evidently proceeded from a considerable 
 distance before them. 
 
 " By Heaven!" said Harcourt, "it is the voice 
 of a woman in distress. En avant, mes enfans ! au 
 galop!" and plunging his spurs into his charger's 
 sides, and followed by his men, they rode full 
 speed up the road, guided by the cries, which, 
 although at times suddenly suppressed, as if 
 efforts were being made to gag the person who 
 uttered them, would break forth in all the bitter 
 anguish of a being in its last mortal agony. 
 
 On they flew, tearing along the road, but meet- 
 ing with nothing that could in any way account 
 for what they had heard, till, on turning the corner 
 we have already alluded to, a full explanation 
 burst at once upon their view. About a hundred 
 yards before them lay a travelling-carriage, which 
 had been partially overturned in the ditch by the 
 road-side, the malles and imperials of which had 
 
HAECOURT. 189 
 
 been forced open, and, lying upon the ground, were 
 being diligently plundered by a gang of marauders 
 who surrounded them ; while further on was a 
 young girl, struggling in the grasp of four or five 
 other ruffians, from whom proceeded the piercing 
 cries which had first attracted the horsemen's 
 attention. A single glance was sufficient to ex- 
 plain how matters stood, and to show, moreover, 
 that the miscreants were a marauding party from 
 the French lines. 
 
 " Draw swords," shouted Harcourt, " and down 
 with every man of them ! cut them down no 
 quarter ! " and dashing up to the men who had 
 hold of the young girl, he clove the foremost to the 
 chin, and whirling his blade, passed it through the 
 heart of a second. The plunderers had been so 
 intently occupied in their task, that they were not 
 even aware of the presence of the cuirassiers, till 
 the latter were actually sabring among them ; an 
 office they exercised with unsparing severity, view- 
 ing their adversaries as a set of vermin, disgracing 
 their colours and country, and consequently meriting 
 no consideration whatever, their cries for mercy 
 being answered with execration and derision. 
 
 The ruffians fled in every direction on the 
 instant, jumping through the hedges, and among 
 the vines and bushes, in the hope of, by these 
 
190 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 means, escaping the relentless swords of their 
 avenging countrymen. In this the greater part 
 succeeded, leaving eight of their number dead 
 behind them, though the wounds of several who 
 survived led to their subsequent detection, and 
 the expiation of their crimes by the Provost- 
 marshal. 
 
 Harcourt had stooped from his horse, and caught 
 the young girl in his left arm, as the miscreants 
 who held her let go their hold ; but one of them, 
 disappointed of his prey, turned round in a fury of 
 impotent rage, and discharged a pistol either at his 
 rescued victim or her deliverer, which had very 
 nearly been attended with the most fatal effect, as 
 the ball, whizzing past the head of the former, 
 struck the lower part of the General's cuirass, and 
 glanced off under his arm. 
 
 As the last of their late adversaries disappeared, 
 and Harcourt directed the sergeant to call off his 
 men from their fruitless efforts at pursuit. which 
 only terminated in the horses getting their feet 
 entangled in the vines, which, trailing upon the 
 earth, brought their burly riders, and the animals 
 themselves, in several instances, to the ground, 
 he sprang from his own charger, and endeavoured 
 to reanimate the half-lifeless form he held in his 
 arms. He was not without success, as after a short 
 
HARCOUKT. 191 
 
 time she partially opened her eyes and gazed 
 wildly around her; then, clasping her hands to- 
 gether, she exclaimed, in tones of the greatest 
 anguish, " My father ! O God ! my father ! " 
 
 Harcourt called out to the sergeant, but the 
 veteran had already anticipated him, and directing 
 several of the men to dismount, they approached 
 the carriage. Under one of the wheels they found 
 the apparently lifeless body of a fine-looking, elderly 
 person, bleeding profusely from a deep cut in the 
 head ; near him lay a powerful, athletic -looking 
 man, apparently a courier, or upper-servant, who, 
 from his position, had evidently fallen in the at- 
 tempt to defend his master and mistress ; while in 
 the ditch was found a somewhat aged female, un- 
 wounded, but almost paralysed by terror. It was 
 some time ere confidence could be restored to the 
 rescued victims, who, from the uniforms of their 
 deliverers, were at first led to believe they had only 
 been released from one set of enemies to fall into 
 the power of another. Gradually, however, their 
 fears were calmed by the assiduous efforts and 
 attentions of those around them. The gouvernante 
 was the first to recover her self-possession, and with 
 it that use of the faculty of speech for which the 
 sex in general, and women of her class in particular, 
 are usually celebrated, as rushing towards her young 
 
192 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 mistress, she clasped her in her arms, overwhelming 
 her with the usual torrent of tender Italian vocifera- 
 tion " Cara Padrona benedetta, anima mia ! " 
 
 Consigning his charge to her care, Harcourt. 
 now turned his attention towards the wounded tra- 
 vellers. On being carefully raised by the soldiers, 
 it was soon ascertained that the old noble, (for such 
 the appearance of the elder of the two, together with 
 the armorial bearings on the carriage, unquestion- 
 ably denoted him,) though somewhat severely, was 
 by no means very dangerously hurt ; as the wound, 
 though it bled profusely, was not deep ; and on 
 being washed with some water from the clear stream 
 running by the road-side, and bandaged with no 
 slight degree of skill by the veteran sergeant, who 
 evidently appeared no novice in such matters, he 
 quickly recovered. 
 
 The wounds of the servant proved the most 
 serious ; and one, a severe stab in the breast from a 
 long knife or short infantry sword, seemed to wear 
 a fatal appearance, in consequence of its having 
 apparently pierced the lungs, from the heavy 
 breathing that issued from the orifice which the 
 blow had occasioned. 
 
 The rapture of the young girl, on ascertaining the 
 safety of her father, had burst forth in the wildest 
 expressions of delight, as she hung upon his breast; 
 
HARCOUET. 193 
 
 "but now disengaging herself from him, she sprang 
 towards the servant, and, with streaming eyes, 
 called out, in a voice almost inarticulate with 
 emotion, " Oh, Franz f dear, dear Franz ! they 
 have killed him in trying to save me." 
 
 The iron visages around were evidently some- 
 what contorted by this simple appeal, emanating as 
 it did from the pure and confiding spirit of childish 
 affection ; but the sergeant, stepping forward, after 
 more than one effort to clear his throat, at length 
 said : 
 
 " Not so bad as that, I hope, Mam'selle. But 
 we are within a league of where the brigade 
 lies, to which these scoundrels belonged," and the 
 veteran bestowed a hearty kick with his heavy jack- 
 boot upon one of the bodies lying near ; " and the 
 sooner we get him into the doctor's hands, the 
 better will be his chance of recovery." 
 
 "For heaven's sake let us be moving, then!" 
 returned the traveller, with an evident degree of 
 anxiety and alarm. " You are soldiers," he con- 
 tinued, addressing the cuirassiers, drawing himself 
 up with dignity and pride, " and I may mention, 
 that this is not only an old and faithful retainer, 
 but one who was for a long time sergeant in the 
 regiment I formerly commanded, in which capacity 
 he twiced saved my own life." 
 
 
194 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE, 
 
 " Father, father!" exclaimed the young lady, 
 in a voice of entreaty, strongly mingled with 
 alarm. 
 
 " Hush ! hush, my child !" replied the old war- 
 rior ; " I have neither the wish nor the intention to 
 conceal either what I am or what I have been. 
 Many years have passed since I have quitted a 
 profession for the active duties of which a severe 
 wound disabled me on the field of Bimnik;* but 
 on that day, when this gallant fellow had preserved 
 my life, almost at the expense of his own, I gained 
 this cross ;" and stepping back, he threw open his 
 overcoat, and revealed the glorious decoration of 
 Maria Theresa glittering on his breast. 
 
 " Whoever you are, Sir," said Harcourt, stepping 
 forward and addressing him, "you have every 
 claim to our sympathy and assistance, from the 
 treatment you have received from men, I blush to 
 say, wearing the same uniform as ourselves. This 
 would even be doubly the case were you an enemy, 
 as the Convention, which has now been in force for 
 some days, has suspended all hostilities, at least 
 for the present." 
 
 * The fierce and sanguinary battle in the plains of Rimnik, 
 between the combined Austrian and Russian forces, under the 
 Prince of Cobourg and the celebrated Souvaroff (Suwarrow), 
 and the Ottoman army, commanded by the Grand Vizier in per- 
 son, 1789. 
 
HARCOURT. 195 
 
 The old man bowed courteously in reply, as he 
 said, " To you, Sir, if I mistake not, I am bound by 
 a debt of everlasting gratitude, as the officer who 
 was the saviour of my child," and his voice fal- 
 tered. Suddenly he exclaimed, in tones of alarm, 
 
 " My God, Sir ! you are" 
 
 "Father, father!" shrieked the young girl, as 
 she rushed towards Harcourt, " he is wounded,- 
 my noble deliverer is wounded ! " 
 
 Harcourt now, for the first time, observed that 
 the ball of the ruffian who fired at him, in glancing 
 from his cuirass, had struck his arm, tearing the 
 coat ; and although it only inflicted a slight flesh 
 wound, it bled somewhat profusely. 
 
 e< It is of little moment," he said, smiling, as he 
 hastily tied a handkerchief round the limb, and 
 then directed the men to get the carriage up in 
 order to proceed on their journey. 
 
 This was very soon accomplished, and the malles 
 arid imperials hastily packed and replaced in their 
 former places. The postilion had fled at the very 
 commencement of the fray, but the horses had for- 
 tunately remained perfectly quiet ; and as it was 
 requisite they should proceed at a very slow pace, 
 his absence was of little moment, since one of the 
 soldiers, stationed at their head for the purpose, 
 could easily lead them along the road. The 
 wounded man was slowly and carefully placed 
 
196 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 ill the interior, the French soldiers having, with 
 considerable ingenuity, by means of cloaks and 
 cushions, contrived to form a sort of couch for him 
 to lie upon ; and having desired his daughter and 
 her attendant to take their places beside him, the 
 gentleman turned to Harcourt and courteously re- 
 quested he would occupy the coupe of the berline 
 with himself. The latter would have declined the 
 offer, but was pressed so urgently to accept it, that, 
 flinging the bridle of his charger to one of the 
 men, he entered the vehicle, and took his seat by 
 the side of its proprietor. 
 
 They were no sooner in motion, than the latter, 
 turning to his companion, said in a low voice, 
 " I am speaking to a gentleman whom I presume 
 to be an officer of rank, and one whom I feel 
 assured possesses that high and chivalrous feeling 
 which formerly distinguished the military of 
 France, and which even her blood-stained revo- 
 lution, with all its horrors and excesses, has been 
 unable to eradicate from the ranks of her army 
 may I solicit the favour of knowing whom I have 
 the honour of addressing." 
 
 " Edward Harcourt, commanding a Brigade in 
 the division of Milhaud's Cuirassiers." 
 
 " And I, Sir," replied the traveller, with slow 
 and deliberate emphasis, as if watching the 
 effect the intelligence produced upon his hearer, 
 
HAECOURT. 197 
 
 " beg to announce myself as the Count de 
 Melzi." 
 
 Harcourt bowed to this intimation of his 
 companion's being the representative of one of 
 the most ancient and illustrious, as well as the 
 wealthiest and most powerful families of the old 
 Milanese nobility ; but as the information seemed 
 to elicit from him nothing beyond a mere courteous 
 acknowledgment, the old nobleman with some 
 surprise said, " I was afraid the announcement 
 I have made would have been productive of a 
 different impression to that which it has occa- 
 sioned; and and," he continued, with some de- 
 gree of hesitation, " pardon me for saying it, one 
 not altogether of a very friendly nature, conside- 
 ring who and what you are." 
 
 " Oh," replied Harcourt, laughing, " I am well 
 aware that rumour ascribes to the Count de Melzi, 
 views and opinions much more in accordance with 
 the Ghibelline predilections of his family in former 
 times than with the state of things as existing at 
 present ; but as it is credibly asserted that he is a 
 noble veteran soldier, who has never mingled in 
 political affairs, and has, moreover, for many years 
 past, altogether lived in retirement, in consequence 
 of wounds received during his former military 
 career, I am at a loss to conceive how his presence 
 
198 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 could create any other feeling than that of respect 
 in the mind of any one, without reference to 
 country, profession, or opinion." 
 
 " I was previously well aware," said the Count, 
 "and had already mentioned to you, that whatever 
 evil the Eevolution has effected in France, it has 
 not uprooted that noble and chivalrous feeling 
 which has ever distinguished her brave and gallant 
 army ; but these sentiments, it would appear, rest 
 exclusively among the military, and are anything 
 but participated in by the great body of her 
 people, still less, perhaps, by her government." 
 
 " If, in reference to the existing government," 
 replied Harcourt, warmly, " your observation im- 
 plies any allusion to the First Consul, I must beg 
 that you will disabuse your mind of any such 
 impressions." 
 
 "Umph," said the Count, drily; "he is not 
 likely to retain that title long, I think." 
 
 Harcourt coloured, bit his lip, but was silent; 
 and the old noble, after a pause, at length said, 
 extending his hand, " I will deal frankly with you, 
 and that on the word of a soldier, without the least 
 mental reservation. Whatever may be the fate 
 of this country in the negotiations now impend- 
 ing, I can never but recognise the one sovereign to 
 whom my loyalty and allegiance have ever been, 
 
HARCOUET. 199 
 
 and ever will be, devoted. I am now too old to 
 change either my views, habits, or opinions; though, 
 were I even at this moment only beginning life, 
 instead of verging towards its close, I feel that 
 conviction within me which assures me that they 
 would remain the same, or, at all events, never 
 change to others founded upon deeds and events, 
 which the generality of the world must ever view 
 with hatred and abhorrence. My sons are at present 
 serving in the Imperial army, and it was in con- 
 sequence of an intimation, as I thought of the surest 
 nature, privately conveyed to me from Milan, that 
 I last night started from a villa I possess about 
 fifty miles from this, with the intention of seeking 
 refuge within the Austrian frontier; having received 
 the assurance that it was the intention of the French 
 authorities in Lombardy, to excite the peasantry 
 against their seigneurs, and create a Jacquerie, in 
 the idea that, pending the present armistice, it might 
 assist their views in the severance of the Milannais 
 from the empire." 
 
 "I should have thought," indignantly rejoined 
 Harcourt, " that recent events in France would at 
 least have saved her ruler from this atrocious 
 calumny ; and that the iron hand with which he 
 has suppressed the scenes you describe, in his own 
 country, affords the surest conviction of how little 
 
200 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 likely he would be to encourage sucli a system in 
 another, particularly in one which, to all intents 
 and purposes, is at present subordinate to his rule 
 and and I care not to avow it very likely to 
 remain so. Believe me," he continued, "that on 
 the word of a man of honour, you have been mis- 
 led by information either altogether unfounded, 
 and malicious in its nature, or else the creation 
 of some visionary alarmist. I am now on my 
 way to the headquarters of the First Consul, and 
 aware as he must be of everything connected with 
 you, I will pledge you my parole that, if you will 
 do me the honour of accompanying me, from him- 
 self you will receive the fullest assurance that no 
 one, whatever he may have said or done in regard 
 to the past government, will ever be molested 
 on that account, an adhesion, or at least, a non- 
 resistance to that which may hereafter be esta- 
 blished, being all that is required of them. In 
 his present state, it will be impossible for this poor 
 fellow of yours to be removed for a long time yet. 
 I will have him under the especial charge of the 
 officer commanding the brigade of Monnier's divi- 
 sion, the outposts of which are now close to us ; 
 and then, if satisfied with what I .have adduced, 
 we can resume our route under the escort I have 
 with me ; and, pardon me for saying it considering 
 
HARCOURT. 201 
 
 what has occurred, and that marauding parties 
 from both armies, and other canaille, may be 
 prowling over the country in the present uncertain 
 state of affairs, it becomes a duty on your part," 
 and by a slight motion he glanced towards the 
 interior of the carriage, "not lightly to reject the 
 offer I have made." 
 
 The old noble seemed deeply affected at the 
 earnestness with which Harcourt addressed him, 
 and after a time, said, " You have indeed touched 
 upon a theme which has impressed me with a 
 painful I may indeed say a frightful degree of 
 interest : situated as I am, perhaps, even if your 
 anticipations should not be realized, following 
 your suggestions may prove the lesser evil of the 
 two." 
 
 "You have, at least, my word, Monsieur le 
 Comte," replied Harcourt, " as a General officer of 
 the French army, to guarantee the truth of the 
 assertion I have made." 
 
 " A- guarantee that I as candidly accept on the 
 part of the gallant soldier who proffers it," said the 
 Count, pressing the hand of his companion with 
 visible emotion, " as I fully exonerate him from 
 all consequences in the event of its not being rati- 
 fied by his superiors. And believe me, when I say, 
 that whatever may hereafter occur, the obligation 
 
202 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 you have conferred upon me this morning, as the 
 saviour of my child, as well as myself, will never, 
 never, under any circumstances or in any situation 
 of life, be obliterated from the minds of either. 
 But here we are, if I mistake not, at your out- 
 posts." 
 
 The carriage drew up as the cry of the advanced 
 sentry rung out in its sharp clear tones, "Halte la ! " 
 but on seeing who it contained, and the escort by 
 which it was accompanied, it was at once admitted 
 within the French lines. 
 
HARGOUET. 203 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 TIME passed on. Within six months after the 
 signing of the convention of Alexandria, which 
 succeeded the battle of Marengo, the treaty of 
 Luneville was concluded, by which the Adige was 
 defined as the boundary between the French and 
 Austrian dominions in Italy ; the north-western 
 states and provinces, while nominally independent, 
 being to all intents and purposes incorporated with 
 France. 
 
 The foresight of Harcourt had not deceived him 
 in the anticipations he had formed relative to the 
 reception by the First Consul of so distinguished 
 and illustrious a person as the Count de Melzi. 
 Ever alive to the policy of conciliating those he 
 believed unfavourable towards his government, as 
 well as resolute and determined, if not rigorous and 
 unrelenting, in crushing open rebellion and resist- 
 ance to its authority, his courteous demeanour to 
 the old noble was of the most marked and distin- 
 
204 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 guished character ; and if he failed in attaching 
 him to his interests, he at least had secured his 
 respect and esteem, by delicate allusions to the 
 unshaken and established loyalty he had ever 
 manifested towards his former sovereign, conclud- 
 ing with the frank assurance that he confided 
 wholly in his honour that he would do nothing 
 to disturb the order of things as at present estab- 
 lished. 
 
 As the brigade which Harcourt commanded had 
 its headquarters at Milan, he became a constant 
 visitor at the Melzi Palace, where, if other officers 
 belonging to the French experienced only that 
 courtesy and politeness which its high-bred pro- 
 prietor would have extended even towards an 
 enemy, in regard to himself, his presence was ever 
 welcomed by every one in the household with the 
 utmost warmth and cordiality. Old Franz, the 
 German dragoon, now completely recovered, and 
 once more established in his office as major-domo 
 of the family, relaxed from his upright, stiff mili- 
 tary bearing which engendered the belief that he 
 had swallowed the staff of his regimental standard 
 on Harcourt's making his appearance, his grave 
 and solemn features absolutely diverging into a 
 grin of recognition; an incident that afforded no 
 slight degree of merriment to the Italian domestics, 
 
HAKCOURT. 205 
 
 who had rarely, if ever, previously witnessed such 
 a phenomenon. The old gouvernante smirked and 
 curtsied, pouring forth a voluble welcome ; while 
 to the young Countess Virginia de Melzi, and her 
 father, his presence was ever a source of the most 
 unalloyed happiness and pleasure. Eventually, in- 
 deed, it became to the former a subject of interest, 
 the extent and intenseness of which she was herself, 
 perhaps, wholly unaware of, and which slumbered 
 the deeper from Harcourt's bearing towards her, 
 whilst expressive of the warmest and most friendly 
 interest, partaking in its character more of the 
 solicitude of an elderly relative closely and inti- 
 mately connected with the family for a young and 
 beautiful child, than any other feeling. 
 
 The youthful Signorina de Melzi was one of those 
 bright creations of nature, the impression derived 
 from which is not one of sudden and dazzling at- 
 traction, but rather of that feeling which, slowly 
 and gradually created, only retains its hold the 
 more deeply and earnestly upon the mind. She 
 was of the middle height, with a figure formed in 
 the finest proportions of nature's choicest mould, 
 and which, though only in her seventeenth year, 
 was developed in a full and rounded beauty, that 
 scarcely accorded with features which seemed much 
 more youthful in their feminine sweetness. They 
 
206 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 were pale, but assimilated well with her large 
 blue-grey eye, the characteristic of which, shaded 
 by its long black lashes, was expressive rather of 
 deep and melancholy reflection, than any other 
 feeling, though, when lighted up, its tenor was 
 altogether changed to one of archness and naivete; 
 while the heavy masses of dark-brown hair, braided 
 simply over the smooth and polished forehead, im- 
 parted an additional charm to a countenance, emi- 
 nently qualified to portray the gentleness and 
 refinement of a highly-cultivated mind. She was 
 an accomplished musician, an admirable artist, and, 
 what was singular for an Italian lady at any time, 
 but more particularly so at the period to which we 
 allude, was a graceful and elegant rider ; and many 
 a sigh and glance of ardent admiration had followed 
 her light figure, as it cantered gaily along the Corso 
 upon her high-spirited Hungarian schimmel. 
 
 Such was the being with whom Harcourt was 
 now constantly, almost daily, brought in contact. 
 The carnival, with its gaieties, had passed away, 
 the season of Lent had commenced, and each day 
 generally witnessed him, when not engaged with 
 military duties, by the side of the young countess, 
 in the morning when occupied with her drawing 
 and music, in the evening accompanying her in her 
 rides. The heart of the young Italian, with the 
 
HARCOURT. 207 
 
 resistless impetuosity of her southern blood, was 
 soon beyond her control, and irrevocably bestowed 
 upon the being whom she had from the first re- 
 garded with veneration as the preserver of her 
 father and herself, and whom, perhaps, her woman's 
 nature was now piqued into regarding with a far 
 deeper, more ardent feeling, from the circumstance 
 that his own sentiments were apparently of so con- 
 trary a nature. Could it be that, owing to the 
 very circumstance of their first acquaintance, which 
 laid the foundation of her affection, it exercised an 
 opposite feeling in regard to himself, engendering 
 a spirit of honourable delicacy which prohibited 
 him from encouraging sentiments, any success at- 
 tending which, he felt might be conceded to him 
 from a sense of gratitude and duty rather than 
 any other motive ? It was not wholly impossible, 
 though, from Harcourt's uniformly frank, courteous, 
 and cordial manner towards her, the supposition 
 did not appear to be very probable, 
 
 But could the Count de Melzi be a stranger to 
 what was passing in the mind of his child ? or was 
 he led to believe that Harcourt's age, double that 
 of the signorina, was a sufficient guarantee against 
 any such sentiment arising in the heart of either ? 
 The general impression was certainly not in fa- 
 vour of the former, and it was almost universally 
 
208 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 believed, with some degree of reason, that whatever 
 may have been the feelings the count entertained 
 in regard to the existing government, as it now 
 seemed fixed upon a stable basis, he would not be 
 averse to his daughter's forming an alliance, par- 
 ticularly of her own free will, with one to whom 
 they both owed so much, bearing one of the 
 noblest and most historic names in the annals of 
 French history, considered as one of the most 
 distinguished and gallant soldiers of the victorious 
 army to which he belonged, the acknowledged 
 favourite of its commander, and, in all probability, 
 one of the most rising men in the estimation of his 
 future sovereign, in whose service there were no 
 honours or distinctions to which he might not here- 
 after hope to aspire ; and whose sole drawback (if it 
 could be termed so) would consist, perhaps, in want 
 of fortune, owing to the ruin which the Revolution 
 had entailed upon the most illustrious families in 
 France, and among others, in all probability, upon 
 his, but which the count's own vast wealth would 
 enable him to remove, in the large and handsome 
 portion that had long been appropriated for his 
 daughter's dowry. 
 
 " Vainqueur de tous les coaurs, General," said a 
 young handsome dashing colonel of the hussars, 
 to Harcourt, one morning, on meeting him in the 
 
HARCOURT. 209 
 
 Piazza d' Armi, as the latter was proceeding on 
 his usual daily visit to the Palazzo Melzi. " For- 
 tune seems certainly to have adopted you as her 
 most especial favourite ; when are we to look for 
 the happy day?" 
 
 " My dear Count," replied the General, with an 
 astonishment too evidently expressed to be feigned, 
 " you speak in riddles far too complicated for my 
 humble comprehension ; pray have the kindness to 
 explain yourself." 
 
 "Ah! Harcourt," replied the young Count de 
 la Tour d'Auvergne, laughing, "it is somewhat 
 too late for such diplomatic secresy. Why, whether 
 present or absent, no one now has ever a chance of 
 obtaining even a smile from la belle Melzi, her 
 whole soul being occupied with your gallant self; 
 and you, ingrat that you are, affect to be ignorant 
 of it." 
 
 " I ought, at all events, to be satisfied with the 
 flattering inferences drawn from the conclusions 
 you have arrived at, in reference to the lady alluded 
 to," said Harcourt, drily, a covert feeling it would 
 be difficult to describe, and not altogether, perhaps, 
 free from annoyance, pervading him as he replied ; 
 " but admitting their justice, is it not possible that 
 a variety of objections may exist to prevent the 
 very summary realization you seem to have deter- 
 p 
 
210 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 mined upon, foremost among which is the ordon- 
 nance of the canonical law, which expressly 
 declares that no woman can marry her father, a 
 rule that may possibly convey the further intima- 
 tion, of its including those whose age would 
 qualify them for the office?" 
 
 " A most paternal personage, truly," returned 
 the gay Frenchman, surveying Harcourt's fine, 
 manly figure, and then glancing upon his hand- 
 some features, which certainly, notwithstanding the 
 very slightest tinge of grey in his dark waving 
 hair, would have led a spectator to believe him 
 many years younger than he really was, " that 
 carries off a prize from a host of suitors and from 
 me, Henri Claude de la Tour d'Auvergne, amongst 
 the rest, love-maker general, and . . . diable! there 
 goes our second trumpet, and I had almost forgotten 
 I have a parade this morning." 
 
 As his young companion hurried off, Harcourt, 
 instead of resuming his intended route, remained 
 for some minutes lost in thought, and then slowly 
 and mechanically moved forward, his whole at- 
 titude being that of a person doubtful as to what 
 course he should pursue. " Tut ! " he at length ex- 
 claimed, peevishly, "I must be silly indeed to 
 tolerate for an instant the impression this cox- 
 comb's words would seem to have made upon me, 
 
HARCOURT. 211 
 
 originating, no doubt, in some idle folly or con- 
 ception of his own." And rousing himself from 
 his reverie, he bent his steps in the direction of 
 the Melzi Palace. 
 
 In an enclosed balcony of that splendid mansion, 
 filled with the choicest plants and exotics, leading 
 from a small morning salon, furnished in the 
 gorgeous style of Louis Quatorze, about the very 
 time the incident we have adverted to occurred, 
 the young Countess de Melzi stood leaning thought- 
 fully against a marble pedestal which support- 
 ed a Damascus rose-tree of extraordinary size 
 and beauty. The expression of her pale but lovely 
 features, the principal characteristic of which, as 
 we have previously observed, was rather emble- 
 matic of melancholy than otherwise, had on the 
 present occasion deepened into one of profound 
 sadness. For a long, long period she remained 
 thus, as if buried in a state of abstraction, the 
 feelings derived from which were evidently of a 
 painful, oppressive nature, since occasionally the 
 striking depression which pervaded her coun- 
 tenance, became at times expressive of absolute 
 wretchedness. As if struggling with the thoughts 
 which recurred to her, she seemed at length involun- 
 tarily to murmur : " He treats me as a child, and 
 all that I can hope for, when every reminiscence of 
 
212 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 myself has hereafter faded from his mind is, that 
 in secret I may be permitted to revere him, to 
 bless his name, and to pray to the Holy Virgin for 
 his future prosperity and happiness." 
 
 A heavy tread, which had scarcely roused her 
 from her reverie as it echoed through the room, 
 now apprised her that she was not alone; and 
 looking up, she beheld Harcourt standing within a 
 few paces of her. A deep, burning flush suffused 
 her countenance as he approached, and she seemed 
 so apparently distressed and confused, that turning 
 to a table near, on which lay scattered a portefeuille 
 and drawing materials, he said, gaily ; 
 
 " You have not shown me your last study as 
 you promised ; this is it, I suppose. Why, what is 
 this? a military uniform, I declare; on my life, if 
 it is not old Hubert ! as stout, and as grim as his 
 very self. What an admirable likeness, and how 
 beautifully executed ! How flattered the old fellow 
 would be and I shall make a point of telling him 
 if he knew that he formed one of the most pro- 
 minent themes in so fair a lady's album !" 
 
 What can have caused this agitation in the 
 young signorina? As Harcourt approached the 
 table, and took up the drawing, a half-suppressed, 
 wild cry escaped her, and she moved hastily 
 forward, as if to prevent his doing so : on observ- 
 
HARCOURT. 213 
 
 ing, however, liow he was occupied, she stole to 
 his side, and grasping at the portefeuille with 
 trembling hands, she opened a drawer, and hastily 
 thrust it within, giving an imploring glance to the 
 astonished soldier, as, red and. pale by turns, she 
 seemed to beseech him to let it rest there ! 
 
 Before Harcourt could recover from the surprise 
 the incident occasioned, the tramp of a horse was 
 heard beneath the window ; and on looking out he 
 saw an orderly dragoon, apparently the bearer of a 
 despatch for himself, as he heard the trooper's 
 voice inquiring for him, while almost immediately 
 afterwards Franz entered with a large official letter, 
 which he, at a glance, perceived came from the 
 office of the Chef d'Etat-major. 
 
 "Save me from an ordre de route/" he said, 
 smiling, as he broke the seal, and but little antici- 
 pating the effect those few words of his, so lightly 
 spoken, produced upon his hearer, perused its 
 contents, which, though short, were sufficient to 
 elicit from him an exclamation of impatience and 
 annoyance. As he hastily folded up the commu- 
 nication, and directed Franz to tell the orderly to 
 bring round his horses to the palace as quickly as 
 possible, he for the first time remarked the state 
 of his young companion. 
 
 Pale, pale, deathly pale, as the most exquisite 
 
214 EOMANCE OF MILITAEY LIFE. 
 
 Carrara marble, rooted to the spot, motionless as 
 if bereft of life and being, stood that fair and beau- 
 tiful girl beside him, so deep was the anguish that 
 seemed to crush and paralyse her entire frame ! 
 Shocked and alarmed, Harcourt sprang forward, 
 and was about to shout for assistance, when, as if 
 the movement had all at once turned her thoughts 
 in a new channel, she convulsively pressed his arm 
 to restrain him. 
 
 " Good heaven, signorina ! Virginia, my sweet 
 child," exclaimed the astonished General, as he 
 took the passive hand of the young girl, "what is 
 the matter!" 
 
 " You are going," she said, in a burst of uncon- 
 trollable agony. 
 
 " Going ? no ! what could lead you to entertain 
 such a supposition ? oh ! this foolish letter, (as he 
 followed the direction of her eye,) and I imagine 
 my still sillier observation regarding it. Believe me 
 it relates to a very simple, commcn-place occur- 
 rence, and if you have any doubts you may con- 
 vince yourself. A party of our fellows having made 
 somewhat too free with wine at a village a few 
 miles from the city, have terminated their festi- 
 vity in a brawl with the people, and as general- 
 officer of the day, I have received an order from 
 the Quartier-general, being directed by Berthier to 
 
HARCOURT. 215 
 
 take a patrol from the outlying picket, and place 
 the rioters in confinement. This is all, upon my 
 honour. 
 
 She sunk into a seat, and covering her eyes 
 with her hands, burst into a deep, prolonged, and 
 convulsive passion of tears. Harcourt gazed upon 
 her with feelings it would be difficult to describe : 
 fear, bewilderment, hope, admiration, each in suc- 
 cession coursed rapidly through his mind. Did he 
 narrowly scrutinize his own heart to ascertain if no 
 lurking, latent feeling of a far higher, and yet 
 stronger nature lingered there, unknown, or at 
 least unavowed to himself, or which, up to this 
 moment, had never previously been awakened? 
 Perhaps he could not trust himself to ask the 
 question ; though, as he gazed upon the sweet and 
 gentle being before him, words seemed to rise to 
 his lips, to which he dared not give utterance, and 
 which it cost him no slight inward struggle to 
 suppress. As if actuated by some strong sense of 
 high-minded and honourable determination, he at 
 length was enabled to subdue his emotion; and 
 though his voice faltered at first, and his powerful 
 frame, for the moment, shook with the agitation he 
 experienced, he gradually acquired firmness as he 
 proceeded, and spoke words of gentleness and 
 affectionate solicitude and kindness, which might 
 
216 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 have proceeded from a father, or an elder brother, 
 to a young and cherished sister. The tones of his 
 voice in their deep, yet mellow accents, seemed to 
 impress the beautiful Italian most strongly ; not the 
 less so, perhaps, that there was the slightest tinge 
 of a feeling, mournful in its nature, which seemed 
 to mingle in their utterance as they issued from 
 his lips. It is not also impossible that, in spite of 
 himself, they were not destitute of a tenderness he 
 vainly strove to subdue, and which up to this 
 period he had never used in speaking to her : but 
 as he rose to depart, and pressed her hand within 
 his own, a returning smile imparted to her features 
 their usual expression of melancholy sweetness. 
 
 The door had closed upon him, and Harcourt 
 found himself in the large entrance-hall of the 
 palace, before he had in some measure recovered 
 from the deep and thoughtful mood which came 
 over him as he quitted the presence of the young 
 Countess. He moved rapidly for a few paces, 
 and then suddenly stopped; he turned upon his 
 heel as if to retrace his footsteps, and again stepped 
 forward, only once more to pause irresolute, as if 
 doubtful what course to pursue amid the con- 
 flicting feelings which apparently occupied his 
 mind at the moment. At once his resolution 
 seemed to be taken. Glancing upon the official 
 
HARCOURT. 217 
 
 packet in his hand, he strode to the balcony and 
 looked into the street. The orderly had not yet 
 returned, and muttering "A few minutes can 
 make but little difference ; and if they did, a repri- 
 mand or a week's arrest will be cheaply purchased, 
 in restoring tranquillity of mind to this angelic young 
 creature : and situated as I am, as a man of honour, 
 I am bound, whatever it costs myself, to bring this 
 affair to a crisis ; for too truly is it said, the most 
 desperate certainty is far preferable to the living 
 death and unceasing agony of constant suspense. 
 Is the count in his room, Franz?" he inquired of 
 the veteran who stood ready to attend him to the 
 door, a duty which he never permitted any of the 
 domestics to assume but himself. 
 
 u Yes, Excellency," was the reply. 
 
 "Is he alone?" 
 
 a Assuredly, Excellency." 
 
 " Then announce my wish to speak to him 
 immediately or stay I will follow you myself." 
 
 With the punctilio of military decorum, which 
 prohibited, in his estimation, even the manifestation 
 of anything like surprise at orders once issued, the 
 old soldier squared himself, turned upon his heel 
 with a precision a serjeant-major might have 
 envied, and led the way to his master's apartment, 
 the door of which he opened, announcing with due 
 
218 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 sonorous intonation of voice, as if addressing his 
 troop on parade, " Sua Eccellenza, il Generale 
 Har court. 17 
 
 The Count was, as Franz had intimated, alone ; 
 and while he greeted his visitor with his usual 
 frank and courteous welcome, he could not help 
 uttering a slight exclamation of wonder at the 
 traces of violent agitation which the latter studied 
 in vain to conceal. As the door, however, closed 
 upon them, Harcourt seated himself by the side of 
 the old Count, and with a manly, straightforward 
 candour, without the remotest approach to con- 
 cealment, at once entered upon the object of his 
 visit. 
 
 Half-an-hour an hour had elapsed : Harcourt's 
 charger paced impatiently at the gate of the palace, 
 the orderly dragoon who held his bridle, occa- 
 sionally giving vent to that wearied yawn of con- 
 centrated ennui, so emblematic of a Frenchman 
 condemned to inactivity, a state of existence to 
 which he has a national and patriotic degree of 
 abhorrence, yet still the General did not make his 
 appearance. At last he came forth, with light and 
 buoyant tread, his countenance bearing the im- 
 pression of one whose happiness was almost too 
 great to bear. The count followed him into the 
 hall, and as he clasped his hand in his own, he 
 
HARCOURT. 219 
 
 laid the other upon liis shoulder, and said with 
 deep earnestness, " The noble and chivalrous con- 
 duct you have displayed on this occasion, though 
 I should have expected no less from all that I have 
 seen or heard regarding you, would alone have 
 enlisted my sympathy in your favour, even if other 
 inducements had been wanting in the never-to-be- 
 forgotten service rendered to myself and child ; and 
 you will excuse my frankness in mentioning in 
 reference to your early history, that if the pride of 
 race might have rendered me reluctant to bestow 
 the hand of my daughter upon one who, however of 
 ancient lineage, was yet a wanderer without home 
 or kindred, in a land at war with his own country, 
 the same reason would now lead me to rejoice that 
 it existed, from the further insight it has enabled 
 me to obtain into the heart and mind of one, to 
 whom I may with equal pride and pleasure confide 
 the happiness of my child." 
 
 Harcourt wrung the hand of the old noble 
 almost convulsively, as if his voice denied him the 
 power of giving utterance to the burst of grateful 
 feeling which pervaded him ; then, darting from 
 the house, he sprang into his saddle, and rode full 
 gallop to where his orders had directed him to 
 proceed. 
 
 The evening had closed in, and the young 
 
220 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 Countess sat alone in the room which had witnessed 
 her interview with Harcourt in the morning. He 
 had not yet returned from the service which had 
 occupied him, though her father had carelessly 
 intimated that he would be with them again in the 
 evening. Kind and affectionate as that father had 
 ever been towards her, there had been a tenderness 
 and caressing endearment on his part when speak- 
 ing to her throughout the day, which she could 
 not fail to remark, and though entirely ignorant of 
 what it originated in, it did not fail to soothe and 
 alleviate the agitation her mind had sustained. 
 The piano lay open before her, but its chords were 
 untouched, and though seated upon a sofa with a 
 volume of Metastasio in her hand, it was evident its 
 pages, in all their mellifluous sweetness, did not 
 form the object which so completely engrossed her 
 thoughts. Suddenly the tramp of a horse was 
 heard ; her heart beat quickly, the blood rushed in 
 a torrent over her countenance, and then subsided, 
 leaving it yet paler than before ; in another moment 
 Harcourt entered the apartment. 
 
 The young girl scarcely dared to lift her eyes as 
 he approached and seated himself by her side. 
 She trembled violently as he took her hand ; and 
 yet she had never done so before ! Was it in the 
 subdued and earnest expression she had observed 
 
HARCOURT. 221 
 
 upon his features in the timid glance she had 
 turned upon him, that she divined with a woman's 
 instinct the nature of what he was about to com- 
 municate to her? She tried to speak, but her 
 voice failed her, and she dared not encounter that 
 fixed and steadfast gaze her heart told her was fixed 
 upon her, 
 
 " Virginia," said Harcourt, softly, and his words 
 seemed replete with deep, even saddened feeling, 
 " shall I place you in the situation of a presiding 
 genius of the confessional, while I beg your at- 
 tention to a history relative to to one, whose 
 vicissitudes in life will, I feel, at least secure some 
 degree of interest and compassion in that gentle 
 mind. In early life, a being, almost the last of an 
 ancient name and lineage, but of impoverished 
 fortunes, had his prospects of the future blighted 
 by an involuntary homicide, committed under 
 circumstances of absolute self-defence. His adver- 
 sary, however, was as rich and powerful as lie was 
 poor and friendless ; and he was compelled to 
 endure a life of exile, poverty, and misery, or incur 
 the risk of an unjust and ignominious end. He 
 sought for refuge in a land which had risen 
 against its blood-stained rulers, and there chance 
 directed him to the notice of the wonderful being 
 whose name and renown now fills the whole of 
 
222 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 Europe, and who was destined to restore order to 
 liis distracted country by crushing anarchy and 
 misrule beneath his iron sway. With generous 
 kindness he sympathised with the unfortunate 
 exile, and attached him to his fortunes. Under 
 his auspicious friendship he soon rose to rank and 
 distinction ; and, though serving in the ranks 
 arrayed in more than common hostility against the 
 government and country to which he owed alle- 
 giance, it was ever understood that he should never 
 be called upon to serve against those possessing 
 the ties of blood and kindred with himself. 
 
 " Years passed on : the exile had acquired fame and 
 distinction in the army of his adopted land ; he bore 
 a name which ranked amongst the most illustrious 
 in its annals ; and a trivial incident having led to 
 his introduction to a high and distinguished family, 
 he eventually became a welcome and honoured 
 guest within its domestic circle. Circumstances 
 suddenly occurred, which engendered the belief in 
 his mind that his further presence there might be 
 ultimately the cause of his repaying, though in- 
 voluntarily, the generous friendship and warm- 
 hearted hospitality extended towards him, by what 
 would create only bitterness and unhappiness in 
 return. As a man of honour there was but one 
 course open to him ; and however severe and painful 
 
HARCOURT. 223 
 
 to himself that course must be, he at once reso- 
 lutely determined upon adopting it, by absenting 
 himself from the scene ; though, previous to doing 
 so, he deemed it only just to the head of the 
 family from which he had received so much kind- 
 ness, as well as to himself, that he should seek an 
 interview to explain the motives of the line of 
 conduct necessity forced upon him, lest it should 
 be supposed he had repaid his open-hearted friend- 
 ship with ingratitude and rudeness. 
 
 " He sought that truly excellent and honoured 
 father, that high-minded and noble gentleman, and 
 openly, without the least reserve, explained every- 
 thing to him, detailed every circumstance connect- 
 ed with his early history, undeceived him as to his 
 being French, by either birth or name, gave a clear 
 and true account of his present position and future 
 uncertain fortunes, and finally concluded by telling 
 him why he must hereafter absent himself from his 
 hospitable dwelling, till he could make arrange- 
 ments for being transferred to another division of 
 the army, far away from the dangerous attraction 
 which enchained him. What was the course that 
 noble father pursued ? He was himself one of the 
 truest and most gallant soldiers that ever carried a 
 standard into an enemy's ranks ; and instead of 
 coldly repelling the being who destitute of rank 
 
224 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 and fortune, had involuntarily gained his child's 
 affection, returning, as many would have thought, 
 his warm hospitality and cordial welcome with 
 ingratitude and injury, he listened, with gene- 
 rous sympathy, to the forlorn exile's narrative, 
 and on its termination, warmly praising what he 
 termed the spirit of honourable feeling which 
 had actuated him throughout, he declared that his 
 child's happiness was the first consideration in life 
 with him, that though he might have felt some 
 reluctance to have bestowed her upon a person of 
 unknown name and fortune, that that objection 
 had been removed in the fame and distinction he 
 had acquired for himself, and and if she had be- 
 stowed her young affections upon one in every 
 way so deserving, his consent should not be with- 
 held from sanctioning her choice. Virginia, my 
 narrative is told ; the exile stands before you ! my 
 own history is the one I have depicted ; and now, 
 one single word from you either renders me the 
 happiest of men, or sends me to the army in Ger- 
 many, there to cherish to the end of existence 
 the brightest though briefest period of happiness it 
 has known." 
 
 It would be difficult to describe the varied emo- 
 tions with which the agitated girl had listened to 
 this long and unexpected declaration. When 
 
HARCOURT. 225 
 
 Harcourt first commenced speaking, astonishment, 
 not unmingled with perplexity, was the pervading 
 feeling she experienced. As he continued, a 
 thrilling interest seemed to be imparted by the 
 deep, clear, yet occasionally half-broken tones in 
 which his narrative proceeded ; as it, however, ap- 
 proached towards a conclusion, its full meaning 
 flashed at once upon her mind ; and on its termi- 
 nation, when in low yet fervent accents he revealed 
 his intense and devoted love and affection, she con- 
 vulsively clasped his arm, and bending her face 
 upon her hands, burst into a passionate flood, of 
 tears. Suddenly lifting her glowing countenance, 
 now radiant with joy and happiness, to his, she 
 drew the General to the table where she usually 
 sat when occupied with her pencil and painting, 
 and throwing open the drawer she had so eagerly 
 closed in the morning, she took out the portefeuille, 
 and on opening it, drew forth from beneath the 
 picture of the veteran Sergeant Hubert, a second 
 portrait, much more exquisitely and highly finished, 
 and placing it in her lover's hands, as a deep and 
 burning blush crimsoned her features, she said with 
 archness, " Let this be my answer ; each day, each 
 hour it has been my greatest, I may say my only 
 source of happiness, almost from the moment when 
 we first met.' 1 
 
 Q 
 
226 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 Harcourt glanced upon the drawing, which was 
 a full-length likeness of himself, perfect in its re- 
 semblance, representing him in his cuirassier uni- 
 form, and standing beside his favourite charger, 
 which was no less faithfully portrayed. He 
 clasped her to his heart, and sealed his acknow- 
 ledgment upon those rich and glowing lips. 
 
 " Father and benefactor," said Harcourt, reve- 
 rentially, the same evening, to the Count, " you 
 have bestowed upon me the brightest of heaven's 
 blessings, for which let my future life thank you 
 in my devoted affection to her, and more than 
 filial reverence to yourself." 
 
 Upon a bright and sunny morning, about two 
 months afterwards, a gay and brilliant, though not 
 very numerous assemblage were met together in the 
 Melzi Palace, to celebrate the marriage of one of the 
 fairest flowers that had ever sprung from that noble 
 and illustrious house. The guests were principally 
 Italian, of the first families of the Milanese, mingled 
 with a small number of French, selected from Har- 
 court's most intimate friends and brother officers, 
 foremost among whom was the young Count de la 
 Tour d'Auvergne, who acted as bridegroom's man 
 upon the occasion, and who, attired in his rich 
 hussar uniform, by his gaiety and high spirits 
 effectually dispelled all traces of the nervous 
 
HARCOURT. 227 
 
 anxiety and solicitude which first had somewhat 
 clouded Harcourt's handsome and manly features ; 
 and all was smiling serenity within the saloon, 
 when the bride, leaning upon the arm of her father, 
 and attended by her bridesmaids, entered upon the 
 scene. 
 
 There was a momentary hushed stillness of breath- 
 less admiration, as the parting of the portieres* 
 gave entrance to what appeared a vision of such 
 lustrous and wondrous beauty, and then, as if 
 spontaneously, burst forth a loud, prolonged, and 
 general murmur of applause. It was, indeed, 
 almost impossible to imagine a more perfect pic- 
 ture of unparalleled loveliness, rendered the more 
 striking by the rich and costly simplicity of her 
 bridal costume, and a slight flush, which imparted 
 additional lustre to her exquisitely beautiful fea- 
 tures. 
 
 The party now moved forward through the 
 large entrance-hall, and passed into the private 
 chapel of the palace. There, at its altar, Harcourt 
 received the hand of that young, loving, and de- 
 voted being, which placed in his, never for an 
 instant relaxed its gentle grasp upon that of her 
 
 * In the saloons of the splendid palaces and spacious man- 
 sions of northern Italy, the doors are usually hung with rich 
 draperies, somewhat similar to the Oriental purdah. 
 
228 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 affianced husband, towards whom her countenance 
 was ever turned with looks radiant with tender- 
 ness and affection ; and while the strong man's 
 voice occasionally shook with some degree of 
 emotion during the ceremony, her tones, though 
 low and soft, were clear, calm, and distinct. The 
 "bright sunshine streamed through the richly-stained 
 windows of the holy edifice, the glorious azure- 
 tinted sky of an Italian spring was visible without, 
 all seemed expressive of present and continued joy 
 and happiness. But, how often is it, that the 
 calmest sunset is but the precursor of the midnight 
 tempest, the glowing brightness of to-day, but 
 the forerunner of the raging storm of the morrow, 
 fit emblems, in every respect, of the vicissitudes 
 and fitful, changing destinies that are ever daily, 
 nay hourly, occurring in the tide of human life as 
 it flows onward towards its close ! 
 
HARCOURT. 229 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE short-lived peace, or rather armed truce, of 
 Amiens had taken place, affording some degree of 
 repose to Europe, worn out by the slaughter, dis- 
 tractions and miseries occasioned by the wars of 
 the nine years previous. France had won as much 
 glory from the struggle as her adversaries had 
 lost ; since, while the only advantage the latter 
 attained on its conclusion, was the final arrestation 
 of the revolutionary Propaganda, which at one 
 time threatened the subversion of every landmark 
 that defined the boundaries of civilization and 
 social order; the former had risen to a state of 
 power and grandeur, that even the ambition of 
 Louis Quatorze never could have attempted, and 
 which singularly contrasted with her position at 
 the commencement of the contest, when her very 
 existence as a nation was threatened; with an ill-fed, 
 starving, and badly disciplined army, opposed to 
 the highly-trained and well-organized legions of 
 
230 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 her enemies ; with a successful invader occupying 
 the most commanding points on her frontier, and 
 her capital open to his march, and subsequent cap- 
 ture, had it only been attempted ; with the entire 
 country distracted and torn by party convulsions, 
 the guillotine streaming with the blood of her 
 bravest and noblest; with an impoverished popu- 
 lation, and bankrupt exchequer ; all presenting a 
 picture of threatened anarchy, ruin, desolation, and 
 misery, that seemed only the more certain and 
 irretrievable the longer it was postponed. 
 
 And yet what had the commanding genius of 
 one single mind alone effected, not merely in rescu- 
 ing France from the gulf into which she appeared 
 to be inevitably falling, but in placing her at her 
 present pinnacle of unparalleled greatness ? With 
 her frontier extended to the Ehine ; encircled by 
 numerous states, nominally allied to her, but in 
 reality the vassals of her will and power; with 
 credit restored, and her finances in a state of 
 flourishing prosperity; La Vendee pacified, and 
 every appearance of anarchy crushed and subdued 
 by an iron hand; all wore the semblance of peace 
 and happiness: and if any vague feeling arose, 
 questioning the strength of its duration, it was 
 discarded, and dismissed as an augur of evil, origi- 
 nating solely in a distempered mind; all being 
 
HARCOURT. 231 
 
 determined wholly to forget every reminiscence 
 relative to past misery and suffering, and to regard 
 the present prospect as the forerunner only of 
 a prolonged and unbroken period of tranquillity, 
 destined, under a vigorous government, to develop 
 the resources of the country, and advance its pros- 
 perity. 
 
 The whole of France, and particularly the capi- 
 tal, was in an absolute delirium of joy and triumph. 
 For several nights in succession the entire city, 
 the theatres, the public buildings, were brilliantly 
 illuminated. Strangers from all parts of Europe, 
 particularly the English, poured into Paris, where 
 a succession of gorgeous fetes and reviews, presided 
 over by the First Consul, or at which he attended, 
 imparted additional eclat to the gaieties and festi- 
 vities everywhere prevalent. 
 
 The morning of the 18th January, 1802, had 
 been appointed for one of the grandest scenes of 
 military display that had yet occurred since the 
 proclamation of the peace, being a review by the 
 head of the government in person, of his splendid 
 Consular Guard, joined to the whole of the troops 
 off duty quartered in the city and round the en- 
 virons of Paris. The day was highly propitious 
 for such an event, being bright and clear, while a 
 hoar-frost which had set in during the night, and 
 
232 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 which, notwithstanding the sunshine, was still visi- 
 ble upon the branches of the trees, had hardened 
 the ground, and rendered it peculiarly favourable 
 for the mano3uvres of the heavy masses in their 
 various movements throughout the day. 
 
 The ground appointed for the spectacle was the 
 Place du Carrousel ; and long before the hour fixed 
 for the appearance of the First Consul, almost 
 simultaneously indeed with the arrival of the 
 troops as they marched in, and took up their re- 
 spective positions, every spot available for the 
 purpose was crowded with a triple line of carriages 
 and equipages of every kind, gay equestrians, and 
 a dense mass of human heads, that far and wide 
 seemed an absolute ocean of moving life. The 
 strictest order prevailed, mingled however with 
 that exuberant gaiety and good humour, which so 
 invariably marks the Parisian populace on a festive 
 occasion, and which at the present moment found 
 vent in alternate admiration, and critical remarks 
 upon the military, as the various corps and regi- 
 ments reached their several destinations. 
 
 " Parbleu ! " said a butcher of the Faubourg 
 Saint Antoine, " regardez done, voil& les hussars 
 de Murat, comme ils sont superbes ! " as he pointed 
 to a division of light cavalry, which at this moment 
 arrived, and swept across the Place at a hand 
 
HARCOUET. 233 
 
 gallop, and by their gay and brilliant appearance, 
 certainly seemed to merit the encomium bestowed. 
 
 " Et ceux-ci sont les dragons de Kellerman," 
 shouted a second ; " ce brave General ! " 
 
 " Encore 1'artillerie volant de Druot!" exclaimed 
 a third ; " regardez ces chevaux, comme ils sont 
 magnifiques. Ah ! ils ont rendus de grands services 
 a Marengo." 
 
 " Les Cuirassiers de Milhaud ! " repeated several 
 voices at once ; and with their burnished breast- 
 plates and helmets glittering in the sun, that 
 magnificent body of soldiery marched upon the 
 ground, their presence eliciting a general burst of 
 admiration. In this manner the troops continued 
 to arrive and form up in dense massive columns, 
 when there suddenly arose throughout the entire 
 crowd a prolonged murmur of applause, mingled with 
 cries of " La Garde! la Garde! " and in the midst of 
 a deafening shout of enthusiasm, these old warriors 
 moved forward to their appointed position. Their 
 appearance certainly formed a singular contrast to 
 the vivacity which almost universally distinguished 
 the rest of the infantry. Grim, solemn, and digni- 
 fied, they advanced at the same slow and measured 
 step with which they had marched through the 
 sanguinary carnage of the memorable field of Ma- 
 rengo, as if both scenes were alike to them, and 
 
234 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 deeming that anything that seemed characteristic 
 of levity or persiflage, or that disturbed the soli- 
 dity or precision of their ranks, was a dereliction 
 of dignity not to be tolerated for an instant. 
 
 Almost immediately following their arrival, 
 there appeared in the distance a forest of waving 
 plumes, the prelude to the advance of a body of 
 horsemen, who, as they approached the centre 
 of the long array of the serried columns, were 
 received by the crash of the presented arms of 
 the infantry, and the flash of the sword-blades 
 of the cavalry, as they flew from their scabbards, 
 gleaming high in the air, mingled with the strains 
 of military music, thus forming the general salute, 
 which announced the presence of the First Consul, 
 surrounded by his brilliant staff, and followed by 
 those whose names and reputations then formed a 
 theme for present, as they afterwards became sub- 
 jects for future history. Accompanied however, 
 as he was, by the brave, the gallant, and the noble, 
 the eyes of all amid the spectators, particularly 
 among the strangers, were fixed upon that still 
 young and extraordinary man, the presiding genius 
 of the scene, who simply attired in his plain blue 
 frock, and well-known plumeless tri-cornered hat, 
 as if in studied contrast to the brilliant and gor- 
 geous uniforms, which glittered around him from 
 
HARCOURT. 235 
 
 the rank of a subaltern officer of artillery, had 
 attained an extent of power and despotic rule which 
 no French sovereign had ever reached since the 
 period of Charlemagne. 
 
 Almost immediately on the First Consul's ar- 
 rival the troops commenced defiling past, the 
 cavalry taking the lead, followed by the infantry, 
 the line of columns being closed by the artillery. 
 
 " Who is that young and beautiful creature 
 upon the grey horse, I wonder?" said one of the 
 spectators, who from his bearing and general ap- 
 pearance was evidently an Englishman, even if 
 the observation he had uttered in his own native 
 tongue had not already been proof sufficient. 
 
 " Monsieur a raison," said a French gentleman 
 standing near, who seemed perfectly to understand 
 the allusion, and who now taking off his hat, ad- 
 dressed the stranger with the utmost politeness. 
 " The lady in question is indeed an angel of 
 loveliness, she is Madame la Gendrale d'Har- 
 court, and that officer now approaching, is her 
 husband." 
 
 He pointed, as he spoke, towards a fine, power- 
 ful, athletic-looking man, a general-officer com- 
 manding a brigade of cuirassiers, who rode at 
 their head as they passed in review before the 
 First Consul. 
 
236 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 " He is a noble-looking fellow," replied the 
 Englishman, smiling, " and well fitted to lead the 
 gallant body he commands. By heaven! " he added, 
 interrupting himself, " the lady's horse is growing 
 very restive ; I hope he will not prove too much 
 for her." 
 
 " Monsieur need be under no apprehension," 
 said the courteous Frenchman; " Madame la Gdne*- 
 rale is a perfect and accomplished horsewoman." 
 
 "So she appears," returned the Englishman, 
 gazing upon the beautiful equestrian with unequi- 
 vocal admiration, as she reined, and managed her 
 restless steed with a firm, yet light and skilful 
 hand, her countenance radiant with smiles ; " but 
 still, in a scene like the present, amid so much 
 uproar and confusion, it would be more prudent if 
 she were to dismount : however, she seems to have 
 subdued him at last, the animal is perfectly quiet 
 now, and I only hope he will remain so." 
 
 The whole of the troops had now marched past, 
 and a series of manoeuvres had commenced. Seve- 
 ral charges of cavalry had occurred, but the whole 
 of this force was subsequently withdrawn to the 
 rear, with the exception of a cloud of light skir- 
 mishers and several batteries of horse-artillery, 
 which suddenly opened a furious fire, as if for the 
 purpose of covering and concealing some movement 
 
HARCOURT. 237 
 
 in their rear, the hidden nature of which very 
 quickly became revealed, as, closing their ranks to 
 their right and left, and then wheeling round the 
 flanks, they discovered a line of bristling and 
 serried bayonets behind them, from the ranks of 
 which volley after volley was poured in quick 
 and rapid succession. All at once loud cries of 
 fear and horror arose, which, unheard at first, as the 
 roll of the drums beat the signal to discontinue 
 firing, now rang upon the ear of the assembled 
 multitude with a frightful degree of distinctness ; 
 and as the smoke cleared away, it was observed 
 that the horse of a lady had taken fright, and was 
 dashing with fearful and headlong violence across 
 the plain, every effort to arrest the animal's 
 progress seeming only apparently to madden him 
 the more. It was the beautiful Madame Harcourt, 
 and the fears expressed by the English spectator 
 we have previously adverted to, became unfortu- 
 nately but too quickly verified, as scarcely had 
 the firing commenced, before her horse became 
 unusually violent and restless, and at length 
 apparently rendered ungovernable by terror, he 
 sprang into the air with a tremendous bound, and 
 rushed forward with frightful velocity, every exer- 
 tion on the part of his rider to control or restrain him 
 seeming only to goad him to still greater frenzy ! 
 
238 ROMANCE OP MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 The young girl retained her seat, but it was too 
 soon painfully evident that her slight and delicate 
 frame would eventually be wholly unequal to 
 maintain it from absolute physical exhaustion. 
 All throughout that vast throng within view of 
 what was passing experienced a sickening sen- 
 sation of agonized horror, as they felt their gaze 
 fascinated, riveted upon the frightful spectacle 
 before them, which, long as it has been in its 
 description, was in reality the work of a few 
 seconds only. Suddenly there was a hushed, 
 compressed, stifled murmur among the crowd, a 
 sound expressive of that inward feeling, when 
 suspense has risen to a pitch too intolerable to 
 be borne, the cause of which was quickly 
 visible in the appearance of a long, low, stone wall, 
 surmounted with thick, strong, iron pailings, 
 towards which the maddened animal directed its 
 steps, without the slightest diminution of its frantic 
 speed, and against which both horse and rider 
 must inevitably be dashed, should the latter not 
 succeed in turning him from his course. 
 
 Many closed their eyes, others held their hands 
 tightly compressed to their brows as if to exclude 
 the vision of what they dared not contemplate, and 
 in trembling anxiety awaited the result. There 
 was heard a rushing sound, a half-stifled, ye 
 
HARCOURT. 239 
 
 piercing shriek, a crash, and then a heavy fall ; 
 almost simultaneously with which arose excla- 
 mations of horror, mingled with deep groans of 
 agony and anguish ! Those who were nearest 
 among the spectators had rushed forward on the 
 instant, but almost immediately recoiled, paralysed 
 with the hideous spectacle that met their view. 
 The horse lay stretched upon the ground; the 
 stone basement, the iron paling, all around was 
 covered with scattered blood and brains, the 
 animal's skull having been dashed to atoms from 
 the force of the concussion with which he had 
 rushed against the obstacle which opposed his 
 progress ; and she she so late resplendent in all 
 her radiant loveliness and beauty, so recently 
 replete with life, health, and energy oh, merciful 
 Creator ! can it be that this hideous, shapeless, 
 mangled mass of senseless clay, scarcely bearing 
 the remotest vestige of resemblance to the form of 
 our common humanity, is all that remains of that 
 bright and glorious being, who but a few short 
 minutes previously shone forth one of the choicest 
 creations of nature's most exquisite mould and 
 beauty ? 
 
 Suddenly the crowd parted, giving way right 
 and left to a horseman who dashed full speed 
 among them. He wore the rich uniform of a 
 
240 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 general officer of cuirassiers, his helmet had fallen 
 from him, and as he rode wildly, madly through 
 the throng, murmurs of deep sympathy and com- 
 passion were heard on every side ! In a succession 
 of bounds he reached the spot where lay the 
 mangled remains of her he had so deeply, devotedly 
 loved, and reining up the animal he bestrode with 
 a fierceness that brought him upon his haunches, 
 and with a force which almost caused him to sink 
 under him, he sprang from his saddle, and clasping 
 the corpse in his arms, gazed for a few moments in 
 vacant bewildered stupor upon the scene of death 
 before him ! 
 
 While with one arm he encircled the body, he 
 raised the other towards heaven, giving utterance 
 to a few muttered, unintelligible sounds ; then he 
 passed his hand across his brow, as if striving to 
 recollect the real nature of the scene before him, or 
 as if endeavouring to rouse himself from some 
 hideous phantasy which oppressed him, and then, 
 as if the terrible reality of all that had occurred 
 had only now forced itself in all its ghastly and 
 frightful truth upon his mind, he sunk upon the 
 earth with a cry, which, partaking in its character 
 of something between a yell and a scream, was 
 of so utterly unearthly a nature, that not only 
 those around, but all who heard it, felt the blood 
 
HAECOUET. 241 
 
 within their veins freeze with sickening horror ! 
 They raised him from the ground, but in that 
 wild, heart-broken cry, the tendons of the brain 
 had snapped, reason had fled, and the gallant 
 soldier, the cool, collected, and able commander, 
 in that minute had become a fierce, raging, howling 
 maniac ; and such was his prodigious strength, that 
 it required some ten or twelve of the most powerful 
 men among the soldiery to master him. 
 
 " Eemove him," said the deep, low, stern voice 
 of one who had approached, and was gazing upon 
 the scene ; " remove him at once, and let him be 
 carefully attended to ; but the greatest blessing his 
 sincerest friends could wish to happen, would be 
 either that reason should never again dawn upon his 
 mind, or that death would release him from what 
 must hereafter prove to him a life of endless misery." 
 
 It was the First Consul who spoke, and if those 
 around him observed that no tear or any external 
 sign of visible emotion marked his features on this 
 tragical termination of the career of one of his 
 most trusted, distinguished, and devoted adherents, 
 others, more far-seeing, could trace in the additional 
 paleness of those pallid features, and the subdued 
 and saddened expression of the resolute, stern eye, 
 that deep-seated and profound grief, which his pride 
 would not permit him to exhibit before the world. 
 E 
 
242 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 PART THE THIRD. 
 
 IN one of those openings caused by the sea, 
 upon the burning coast of Western Africa, and 
 about half a mile from the entrance, lay a ship's 
 boat fastened to the shore. The spot upon which 
 our narrative now reopens, was as unpromising and 
 repulsive in its nature as could well be imagined. 
 The low, swampy beach, overspread with the 
 densest, closest jungle, exhibited nothing but thick 
 heavy black mud, teeming with the rank vegetation 
 of the Tropics; the air in its close and fetid 
 atmosphere was pregnant with fever, malaria, and 
 every description of malignant disorder, and the 
 entire scene, indeed, expressive in every character- 
 istic of its being altogether the abode of wild 
 beasts, or of human beings still more remarkable 
 for their ferocious cruelty; the more particularly, 
 since the mouth of the river lay so extremely low, 
 and was so completely excluded from view till 
 
HARCOURT. 243 
 
 almost close to the entrance, that it might well 
 have been questioned if the foot of man had ever 
 trod within its precincts, but for the object we 
 have already adverted to, and which, evidently 
 belonging to the rakish and suspicious-looking 
 schooner which lay at anchor close in shore, 
 afforded convincing proof that the spot was occa- 
 sionally the haunt of those even yet worse in their 
 nature than the brutes of the forest. 
 
 The vessel, indeed, was one of that class which 
 could not fail to inspire with terror and misgiving 
 any unfortunate merchantman, whose evil destiny 
 led to her crossing its route with no protective 
 convoy near. Privateer, slaver, pirate it was each 
 in succession as occasion offered, and from whose 
 murderous assault and pillage no flag or nation 
 was ever under any circumstances secure. As if 
 to complete the sinister character of the picture we 
 have endeavoured to describe, in a cleared space 
 within the dense jungle, some two hundred yards 
 from the shore, was a group of three ruffianly - 
 looking men, (for whose benefit, perhaps, a gibbet 
 was still wanting to perfect the nature of the scene,) 
 two of whom were seated on the ground occupied 
 with a dirty and almost illegible pack of cards at 
 the favourite game of monte, while the third 
 reclined beside them listlessly, smoking a cigar. 
 
244 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 Of the two former, one was evidently an En- 
 glishman; and that he had been very successful in 
 their gambling occupation, was apparent not only 
 from the pile of dollars and crusados which lay 
 before him, and the few pieces that remained to 
 his adversary a sullen, swarthy, black-bearded 
 Spaniard but from the jeering taunts and remarks 
 he occasionally indulged in on his companion's ill- 
 fortune, which evidently stung deeply, from the 
 red glare of ferocious passion which occasionally 
 flashed from the fellow's large blood-shot eyes. 
 
 Suddenly the latter swept together all the money 
 that he still retained, as if determined to risk the 
 whole upon a single stake, and exclaimed in a 
 voice which, in its forced composure, but deep and 
 hellish passion, resembled the growl of a wild beast, 
 " Hagame usted la gracia de despacharme luego 
 lo agradecere mucho." (Do me the favour to finish 
 me at once, and you will greatly oblige me.) 
 
 " De muy buena gana," (Oh ! certainly, very 
 willingly,) was the sneering reply ; but ere the 
 ruffians could recommence their game, the report of a 
 gun boomed sullenly over the water, while almost 
 immediately a young lad issued from an adjoining 
 thicket, calling out in English, "Jackson! Perez ! 
 Jos& ! we must on board immediately ; I have 
 searched everywhere without success, and he must 
 
HARCOURT. 245 
 
 either have flung himself into the river, in one of 
 his mad fits, or have wandered into the forest, and 
 been lost ; but whatever has happened to him, we 
 can wait no longer, as the land-breeze has already 
 set in, and Don Martin wishes to make a good 
 offing before nightfall." 
 
 " Esperad un poco," said the black-bearded 
 ruffian eagerly. " Esta usted muy de priesa" (Wait 
 a little, you're in a violent hurry.) 
 
 " And you would like a few minutes more to be 
 left without a real ; but you heard the captain's 
 orders as well as myself, and the signal just now 
 made ; so lest we miss the Dutchman through your 
 tardiness, here's your best answer ; " and catching 
 up the cards, he flung them into the adjoining 
 bushes, a roar of laughter from the others following 
 the action. 
 
 " C jo ! Demonio ! " yelled the ruffian, 
 
 giving way to his long repressed fury, and exulting, 
 perhaps, in the supposition, that he had found an 
 object on which it could be vented in safety, as, 
 drawing his long knife, he rushed at the youth, 
 who however dexterously eluded his grasp, and 
 darting away, seemed to enjoy the storm of im- 
 potent rage he had raised, and the abortive 
 attempts of the pirate to catch hold of him. His 
 mirth had, however, well nigh received a fatal 
 
246 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 termination; for while taunting his pursuer with 
 his mocking laugh, and maddening him to renewed 
 exertion, his foot suddenly caught in one of the 
 numerous creepers trailing upon the ground, when 
 he stumbled and fell. In the next instant he was 
 in the grasp of his enemy, and before either of the 
 others (who had been enjoying the chase to the 
 utmost, hallooing on their comrade with mock 
 encouragement when, jaded and exhausted, his 
 efforts flagged) could interfere, the flash of the 
 cuchillo gleamed aloft, and the boy's fate seemed 
 certain, when a hand was stretched forth from a 
 neighbouring thicket, and a powerful grasp seized 
 the intended assassin's wrist ; in the next moment, 
 a tall, unearthly-looking figure stepped out, and 
 with a wild laugh, actually whirling the ruffian 
 around him, such was his prodigious strength 
 hurled him against the trunk of a tree, where he 
 lay stunned and senseless. 
 
 The sight of this terrible apparition produced an 
 extraordinary effect upon the spectators, as spring- 
 ing to their feet, and followed by the boy, one and 
 all, leaving their wounded messmate to whatever 
 fate might befall him, rushed from the spot in all 
 the terror of superstitious dread, exclaiming, 
 " Mad Ned, by the Lord, and in one of his worst 
 humours ! " 
 
HAKCOUKT. 247 
 
 The being who had thus unexpectedly appeared, 
 and whose presence had preserved the young lad's 
 life, only to be expiated, perhaps, at some future 
 period upon the gallows, was certainly one calcu- 
 lated under any circumstances to discompose the 
 nerves even of the hardiest. He was considerably 
 above the usual height, and had the example been 
 wanting we have already narrated, was evidently 
 a person possessed of immense bodily strength 
 and muscular power. A mass of dark iron-grey 
 hair, with a thick, curling beard, altogether con- 
 cealed his features, with the exception of the large, 
 lustrous, glaring eyes, which gleaming from the 
 mask which enshrouded them, like two orbs of 
 absolute fire, afforded proof that the reason of the 
 unhappy man was clouded, if not altogether 
 banished from its throne. He was attired in the 
 common red shirt, straw hat, and coarse trousers of 
 a seaman, and round his neck was suspended by a 
 silken cord what appeared to be a book contained 
 in a canvas bag. 
 
 Who or what this unfortunate man was, none of 
 the lawless crew with whom he was associated 
 ever could divine. He had come on board one 
 evening at the Cape de Verds (where he had 
 been left by a Danish merchantman, who had been 
 driven there by stress of weather, on her voyage 
 
248 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 from Roehefort to the Brazils), and without any 
 question or inquiry, had constituted himself one of 
 the crew. The ruffians among whom he was 
 thrown were seldom in the habit of asking infor- 
 mation regarding those who joined them ; but there 
 was something in the new comer's appearance that 
 seemed irresistibly to attract their attention towards 
 him, the more so that it was accompanied by a 
 degree of superstitious awe and dread, the only 
 feeling at all likely to impress their ferocious and 
 blood-stained minds. The only language he either 
 could, or would speak, in the few words he ex- 
 changed with them, was not Spanish, but one 
 which bore a close affinity to it, and which the 
 crew declared to be Italian, though it subsequently 
 appeared he seemed thoroughly to understand 
 both French and English. At this period the 
 vessel was refitting for their present cruise, and it 
 was quickly evident that whatever the course of 
 life of the new comer had previously been, he was 
 no seaman. His powerful athletic figure, however, 
 and outcast appearance, the latter, in their estima- 
 tion, the consequence, in all probability, of some 
 unusually heinous crime, rendered him a welcome 
 addition to the pirate band, the more so, that the 
 following day a large body of negroes at one of the 
 slave depots having risen upon a part of the crew, 
 
HARCOUET. 249 
 
 the whole party were saved by his vast personal 
 strength, and reckless desperate courage. 
 
 On getting out to sea, however, one trait con- 
 nected with their recently -joined messmate, was the 
 cause of the greatest fear and consternation among 
 the rest of the lawless Land, and this was the dis- 
 covery that he was subject to occasional fits of 
 mental aberration, during the prevalence of which 
 no one dared to come near him, as once when an 
 attempt was made to surround him for the purpose 
 of preventing his committing any injury, the 
 strongest of the crew were like infants in his grasp ; 
 for, laying hold of them in succession, he dashed 
 them bruised and senseless against the masts and 
 bulwarks of the vessel. The pirate horde would 
 very quickly have settled the question by flinging 
 him overboard, had they not been withheld by 
 superstitious terror, and the circumstance that if 
 left to himself, however wild his ravings were, he 
 made no attempt at violence towards any one, but 
 would leave the deck, and retiring to some part of 
 the vessel where he was alone, would open the 
 canvas covering that hung round his neck, gaze 
 upon what it contained, and apparently address it 
 in the long and incoherent strain of a maddened, 
 wandering intellect. But did curiosity, or some 
 other motive, never induce any among that mur- 
 
250 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 derous and remorseless set to endeavour to ascertain 
 by force, or stealth, what was the object that thus 
 could move this unhappy being ? The question is 
 easily answered. Among men, even the most 
 debased and worthless, is usually found a latent 
 feeling by which some hold or control is maintained 
 over their excesses, and on the present occasion the 
 most reckless and fearless among the wretches we 
 have depicted, would have shrunk with terror from 
 making the attempt. The scum and refuse of the 
 world, blood-stained, pitiless, and remorseless as 
 they were, " whose hand was against every man, and 
 every man's against them," superstition possessed 
 that curb over their evil passions, they would have 
 laughed to scorn if asserted by either religion or 
 principle. 
 
 The ruffians had fled, leaving their wounded 
 companion still senseless, and bleeding profusely 
 from a wound in the head, alone with the maniac. 
 But, as if satisfied with the chastisement he had 
 already inflicted, the latter attempted no further 
 injury towards him; his savage mood subsided 
 into an apparently listless apathy, or inert reverie, 
 and turning from the spot, he moved away as if 
 mechanically, and was soon lost to view in the thick 
 and dense forest around. The shades of evening 
 now began to fall ; a second, and a third time, the 
 
HARCOURT. 251 
 
 signal gun boomed over the waters, and voices 
 were heard, calling to him in the distance ; but 
 still, as if regardless of both, he wandered onward 
 onward onward yet. He had now reached the 
 sea-shore, and there, on its long line of sandy 
 beach, stood that forlorn and outcast being, alone, 
 alone, with not a living soul near, gazing on the 
 wide and dreary expanse of waters before him. 
 
 Night had closed in, but still he moved not : 
 the moon rose in all the glorious refulgence of the 
 tropics, but he yet stood, with his eyes fixed in 
 vacant and dreamy rumination upon that broad 
 ocean, the waves of which dashed in sullen roar at 
 his feet. The wild and frenzied aspect which had 
 previously marked his features, had given way to 
 one of profound melancholy, accompanied with 
 that lustreless expression in the eye, which indicated 
 the softer feelings prevalent in his wandering 
 mind. 
 
 A sense of physical fatigue, or, more probably, 
 the intense stillness around him, at length seemed 
 to produce a change in his frame, as he threw him- 
 self upon the ground his glance, in its stolid and 
 immoveable nature, being fixed upon the bright, 
 clear blue firmament, glittering with its innume- 
 rable stars above ! Long he lay thus, till slumber, 
 deep, heavy, and continued, gradually stole over 
 
252 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 liim. It was almost certain death to sleep in that 
 fetid, baleful atmosphere ; but his breathing, pro- 
 longed and regular, seemed to defy its influence : 
 the howl of the wild beasts of the forest behind 
 was heard, in close vicinity to where he lay ; but, 
 as if he bore a charmed life, they came not near 
 him, and he remained buried in that profound 
 torpor, the result alike of bodily exhaustion, and 
 wretchedness of mind. 
 
 But oh ! who who, among the ranks of that re- 
 nowned soldiery that he, within a few short fleeting 
 years, commanded who, amid those gay and 
 brilliant circles he then moved in as one of their 
 brightest ornaments, who that then regarded him 
 as the happy and successful victor in a career 
 that had crowned him with rank, wealth, and 
 beauty, who, at this moment, could have recog- 
 nised the gallant and distinguished soldier the 
 marked favourite of the most powerful ruler of 
 continental Europe the fortunate and envied 
 lover in the wretched, miserable, outcast, and 
 maniac being before him ? 
 
 And for hours he slumbered thus, in all the 
 tranquillity of the deep sleep of childhood, on that 
 dangerous spot. But hush ! he wakens. No ! some 
 few muttered words only hover upon his lips, and 
 in his dreams he is far away, amidst other scenes, 
 
HARCOUET 253 
 
 or recurring to that past, which, in its events and 
 incidents, for the moment obliterates all present 
 sense of hopeless wretchedness ! He is silent again, 
 and heavier, deeper than before his slumber con- 
 tinues ; the hand of Mercy is extended towards 
 him, and there passes that within him which, ere 
 many hours are fled, will produce a crisis in his 
 fate ! Then there arose to his view visions of 
 his early life. He was once more a youth the old 
 Rock stood before him, the bright array of scarlet 
 uniforms, the morning parade, and he was again 
 among his gay and light-hearted comrades. The 
 scene changed, and he was gazing upon the san- 
 guinary conflict at Toulon ; he heard the shrieks 
 of the victims as they were led to the guillotine 
 the boom of the guns, as they executed the mi trail- 
 lades, rang upon his ear : and then they also passed 
 away, and he stood by the side of that young chief- 
 tain whom he had saved ! Anon, a third view 
 rose before him, and he was shouting on his men 
 in the fierce and glorious conflict of Marengo : but 
 it faded from his sight, and he stood in a well- 
 known scene in the rich and fertile plains of 
 Lombardy, looking anxiously around as if he 
 expected the presence of some deeply-loved and 
 cherished object near him ; but beyond that, his 
 troubled brain could proceed no further. Then 
 
254 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 occurred some dreadful, unforeseen calamity, the 
 nature of which he could not, strive as he would, 
 altogether tell; and after that, for a long, long 
 while, all was darkness darkness conjoined with 
 deep and unfathomable mystery from which ema- 
 nated the shuddering picture of raging madness, in 
 its worst and most frenzied form ; of a human 
 being human alone in form chained and man- 
 acled like a wild beast, and the object of horror 
 and dread even to his keepers. There came a 
 period of change in his disorder, and frantic vio- 
 lence had given way to apparent idiotic imbecility, 
 the result of that deeply laid, consummate cunning, 
 which so often manifests itself in similar cases ; 
 when the unhappy victim has some fixed deter- 
 mination in view, and which, in this instance, 
 eventually lulling the suspicions of those who had 
 charge of him, and rendering them less watchful, 
 at length enabled him to effect his escape, and 
 make his way to the sea-coast a measure he had 
 accomplished by travelling by night only, through 
 bye-roads and unfrequented paths. Then recurred 
 his secreting himself on board the foreign vessel, 
 and not making his appearance till she was well 
 out at sea, to the dismay and terror of the crew 
 their leaving him, either through accident or design, 
 at the Cape de Verds, and his subsequently joining 
 
HAKCOURT. 255 
 
 the ruffianly horde with whom he had so recently 
 been associated. 
 
 For some time after this, all was again blank ; and 
 then then he remembered the exact spot where 
 he was at present sleeping. Suddenly the blue 
 firmament above him seemed to open, voices of 
 soft music apparently filled the air, and slowly 
 slowly a bright vision, clothed in white, appeared 
 to descend to the earth towards him. He gazed 
 in breathless awe and wonder upon the seraph 
 being who approached him, an angelic smile upon 
 whose heavenly features seemed to beam with love 
 and tenderness, as it neared the hapless wanderer, 
 from whom there burst forth exclamations of 
 mingled joyful and saddened recognition. The 
 figure continued to hover near him, without touch- 
 ing the earth, and words of holy comfort and 
 consolation issued from its lips, which, in their 
 solemn earnestnesss and loving fervour, appeared 
 like balm poured upon the crushed and wounded 
 spirit of him to whom they were addressed. He 
 was gazing upon that marvellous beauty, now en- 
 shrined in a dazzling halo of glory and brightness, 
 when the vision stooped, and laid its hand upon 
 his burning brow ; from the touch it seemed as 
 if instantaneously all fever at once passed away, 
 and its calm and soothing influence to communicate 
 
256 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 a new and refreshing spirit throughout his whole 
 frame. He stretched forth his arms, as if to clasp 
 the heavenly being beside him to his heart, but 
 which appeared to recede from his touch, though, 
 as it gradually faded from his sight, that sweet 
 and seraph smile illuminated its features, in their 
 radiant brightness, to more perfect beauty, as, 
 pointing to the azure and glittering sky above, it 
 seemed to intimate by the action that there they 
 would hereafter meet again. 
 
 He started up and awoke. Daylight was dawn- 
 ing in the distant horizon ; the sea breeze had set 
 in, imparting a delicious coolness to the morning 
 air ; and as the events of the past night had been 
 fixed indelibly upon his memory, he felt, indeed, 
 he was an altered being ; reason was restored ; 
 and though he endured the agonizing misery, de- 
 rived from all that he had lost and suffered, he 
 sunk upon his knees, to experience that relief 
 never denied, when sought in truth and sincerity 
 of spirit, to the most guilty, or the most wretched ; 
 whilst tears blessed tears the first, perhaps, ever 
 shed since his childhood, poured from his eyes 
 over his pallid, wan, and was ted features, and rested 
 upon the object enveloped in the canvas, which 
 hung suspended round his neck, and which he now 
 drew forth, revealing a minature-case containing 
 
HAKCOURT. 257 
 
 the highly-finished portrait of a young and lovely 
 girl, in the first tide of her spring beauty. With 
 choking sobs he pressed it again and again to 
 his lips, and then, with one last, long, lingering 
 look of mournful emotion, replaced it as before. 
 
 And now, the lone solitude of everything around 
 him seemed to strike upon his imagination. Where 
 he was he knew not, and there appeared but little sign 
 of the foot of man having ever previously trod the 
 apparently trackless forest, which reached, as far 
 as he could observe, the whole extent of the shore. 
 It seemed, however, but to rouse his recently re- 
 covered faculties to yet greater and more deter- 
 mined exertion ; and, after a few moments' reflec- 
 tion, he strode forward with firm and vigorous 
 footsteps, in prosecution of the unknown and 
 perilous voyage before him. 
 
PAET THE FOURTH. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE wars of the British government with the 
 Mahratta confederacy had been brought to a final 
 termination on the conclusion, in 1806, of the pro- 
 tracted and sanguinary struggle which had raged, 
 for so long a period, between the former and the 
 Maharajah Jeswunt Row Holkar. 
 
 Their contest with this formidable chieftain had 
 been the severest that the English power in India, 
 up to this period, had found themselves engaged 
 in ; and the disasters of Monson's retreat, and the 
 terrible and bloody repulse of the repeated assaults 
 upon the stronghold of Bhurtpoor, the conse- 
 quences of a reckless hardihood and energetic 
 daring, engendered by a long course of victory and 
 conquest, which led to the neglect of the commonest 
 means and precautions for ensuring success, were 
 
HARCOURT. 259 
 
 incidents as unforeseen as they proved unfortu- 
 nate, though, forgotten or disregarded in the long- 
 continued, victorious, and brilliant career which 
 finally brought the war to a conclusion. 
 
 Humbled, and deprived of some of the most 
 valuable provinces which he had himself, not long 
 previously, conquered and incorporated into his 
 dominions, Holkar had sued for peace ; and however 
 humiliating the result of the contest had eventually 
 proved to his authority and power, in one respect 
 it was of material advantage to the present and 
 future interests of his family and himself ; and this 
 was his full and entire recognition, by the British 
 government, as an independent sovereign, not only 
 over the territories descending to him by hereditary 
 right, but over those which remained to him of the 
 conquests by which he had so largely added to his 
 possessions, a measure which fully established 
 him as one of the acknowledged Mahratta sove- 
 reigns of India, a position the rest of the confe- 
 derates, the Peishwar, Scindia, and the Eajah of 
 Berar, had, up to this period, only conceded to 
 him upon sufferance, and even then, only with ex- 
 treme reluctance, first, from the dread which his 
 character inspired, and secondly, from his latterly 
 uniting his fortune and interests with their own. 
 
 The force of the confederacy being now entirely 
 
260 EOMANCE OF MILITAEY LIFE. 
 
 broken, it was obviously the policy of the British 
 government to make every exertion in its power to 
 prevent what tended in any way towards its 
 future reunion; and although the acknowledged 
 authority of the Peishwar, as head of the Mahratta 
 states, had long since become more nominal than 
 real ; still, as its existence might eventually serve 
 as a point for future coalitions, and that weak and 
 vacillating prince, though the present ally of the 
 English power, might, like a true Mahratta, here- 
 after turn against those to whom he was so recently 
 indebted for the safety of his throne and kingdom, 
 it was an object of some importance that each 
 should be perfectly distinct from, and independent 
 of, the other. And, therefore, long and sanguinary 
 as their contest with Holkar had been, formidable 
 as his power had proved, and severe as had been 
 the losses they had sustained in the early part of 
 the war, the recognition of his rule and sove- 
 reignty, on its conclusion, was, perhaps, not the 
 less emphatically marked, from the knowledge of 
 the fear and hatred with which he was regarded 
 by the rest of the Mahratta sovereigns, whose 
 efforts to crush him, previous to his acceding to the 
 confederacy against the British government, had 
 been unceasing from the very commencement of 
 his career. 
 
HARCOURT. 261 
 
 This extraordinary man, who had raised the 
 power and influence of his family to its highest 
 pitch of greatness, and increased its territories arid 
 authority to an extent it had never previously at- 
 tained, at a period when both had apparently sunk 
 never more to rise, under the aggressions and en- 
 croachments of its powerful neighbours, the Peish- 
 war and Dowlut Row Scindia, had not even the 
 claim of legitimacy in his favour, when, upon the 
 murder of his brother by the former, he succeeded 
 in escaping from his confinement, and raising once 
 more the standard of his race. Accompanied by a 
 band of followers, as reckless and desperate in for- 
 tune as himself, his life was at first that of a mere free- 
 booter; but as success gradually crowned his efforts, 
 in cutting off and intercepting valuable convoys 
 and scattered detachments of his enemy's forces, 
 the number of his partisans as progressively in- 
 creased; and at length, joined by some few gallant 
 French and English adventurers, who organized 
 his troops, he found himself at the head of a con- 
 siderable army. After a series of bloody conflicts 
 and a variety of vicissitudes, which lasted over a 
 number of years, he not only retrieved the fortunes 
 and favours of his house, but after one of the most 
 brilliant victories ever witnessed in western India, 
 humiliated its bitterest enemy, the Peishwar, to the 
 
262 EOMANCE OF MILITAEY LIFE. 
 
 dust, by obtaining military possession of Poonah, 
 the capital of his dominions. 
 
 From this time, his career had been one of con- 
 tinued success, up to the period of his collision with 
 the British Government ; the result of which, as we 
 have previously mentioned, though it had con- 
 siderably curtailed his power and dominions, had, 
 in a moral point of view, established his authority 
 in the territories which remained to him, on a 
 basis much firmer than any upon which it had 
 hitherto existed. Freed from all external warfare, 
 and left for the first time, since the commencement 
 of his reign, in a state of repose, Jeswunt Row now 
 turned his most serious attention towards the in- 
 ternal administration of his kingdom, which he had 
 too long neglected, and that with the vigour which 
 might have been expected from his active mind. 
 In every department the most searching inquiry 
 was instituted, reforms established, and, above all, 
 the strictest order and most rigorous economy in- 
 troduced into the management of the finances. 
 
 Occupied as he was with the interior affairs of 
 his government, his principal thoughts were, how- 
 ever, directed towards the entire remodelling and 
 reorganization of his army, in the pursuit of which 
 his mind displayed an activity, restlessness, and 
 energy, that scarcely admitted of any intermission, 
 
HARCOURT. 263 
 
 embodying, perhaps, the lurking seeds of that ter- 
 rible disorder which, at no very distant period, 
 brought his singular and eventful career to a close. 
 During the late struggle, though comparatively 
 uneducated, in some instances, almost illiterate, he 
 had proved that he possessed a deep and clear in- 
 sight into the art of war, and with a revenue and 
 resources greatly inferior to either of the other 
 Mahratta sovereigns, the Peishwar, Scindia, or 
 the Rajah of Berar, and with forces infinitely 
 less in numercial strength, he had successfully 
 dared and accomplished against his formidable 
 adversary what the combined forces of the two 
 latter never would have attempted. 
 
 In the new system which he adopted, all the in- 
 formation and improvements which his experience 
 and sagacity had derived even from his reverses, 
 during the recent campaigns, were fully brought 
 into play. He had become well aware that trained 
 and disciplined troops required to be well officered 
 to be completely effective, and that a loose body, 
 however numerous, possessing no claims to dis- 
 tinction but the name and appearance, was the 
 cause of injury, rather than otherwise, to the state 
 they served ; and useless as irregulars, their pre- 
 sence but tended to encumber any really efficient 
 body of soldiery in the field. The object, therefore, 
 
264 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 which he at present had in view, was the formation 
 of a small, yet compact and well-disciplined, and, 
 above all, a well-officered regular army, which, 
 on the renewal of hostilities, he could join to the 
 hordes of Pindarrees, and roving bands of horse- 
 men, whom he knew at a signal he could always 
 rally to his standard, allured by the prospect of 
 plunder; but whose present services, now that the 
 war was terminated, as well as their future stay in 
 his dominions, he was determined to get rid of by 
 the payment of bounties and gratuities, as well as 
 the discharge of all the arrears of pay accruing to 
 them. 
 
 In accordance with this resolution, the artillery, 
 with the exception of a completely equipped siege- 
 train, were altogether horsed.* Among the in- 
 fantry, the most robust and able-bodied, who had 
 been distinguished for their conduct and bravery 
 throughout the war, were formed into regiments 
 (the remainder being disbanded), and placed under 
 the authority of a leader carefully selected, in 
 reference to his ability to command, as well as 
 courage and gallantry* Still greater care was, if 
 possible, manifested in the organization of the 
 
 * It is perhaps necessary to observe that, up to a very late 
 period, the whole of the heavy artillery in India, and even the 
 light field-batteries, were drawn by bullocks. 
 
HABCOURT. 265 
 
 cavalry, which, composed of men recruited from 
 the whole of the provinces of Upper India, were 
 trained on the principle of the British irregular 
 cavalry, though riding the horses of government, 
 and also armed at its expense ;* it being the con- 
 viction of the Mahratta prince that they were far 
 more efficient, in this medium state, than when 
 converted into dragoons, according to the usual 
 European method. 
 
 For his commanders and immediate subordinates, 
 Jeswunt Row had secured the services of a gallant 
 set of French and English adventurers, several of 
 whose names had already become widely known 
 and celebrated throughout the wars in India ; the 
 chief of whom was a gentleman of the former 
 nation, known as " Dharcoor Sahib," a corruption 
 of the word "D'Harcourt," in whom, though he 
 had only recently reached the shores of India, 
 the quick eye of Holkar, with his intuitive saga- 
 city, had detected that superiority of genius and 
 experience, which induced him to nominate him 
 to a position second only to himself, and invest 
 him with a degree of power and authority almost 
 as absolute and unlimited. This confidence he 
 
 * In the irregular cavalry, the horse, arms, and accoutrements 
 of the men are their own personal property, the government 
 being responsible for their pay only. 
 
266 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 very quickly proved had not been misplaced, as 
 not only was every anticipation which the Ma- 
 harajah had formed, in regard to his military 
 talent and ability, eventually most fully verified, 
 but he found he possessed, in an eminent de- 
 gree, that invaluable qualification in a commander, 
 the art of securing the confidence and regard of 
 the soldiery of all ranks, and producing throughout 
 the whole that harmony, and spirit of union and 
 good feeling, which forms the most vital and 
 essential requisite in the moral discipline and 
 efficient working of an army. 
 
 Towards the close of December, in the year 
 1806, there was a sudden and general movement 
 in one of those miniature worlds, an Indian camp, 
 situated on the banks of the Nerbudda river. It 
 was about three o'clock in the afternoon, and a 
 considerable portion of the cattle were still out 
 grazing, the order for an immediate march being 
 wholly unexpected. Horsemen were, however, 
 immediately despatched to hasten their return; 
 tents were struck and packed, and before an hour 
 had elapsed, from the period the first sound of the 
 bugle had been heard, conveying the order to march 
 such was the admirable discipline maintained 
 the ranks were formed up, the camp equipage had 
 taken post in its respective positions, even the 
 
HARCOTOT. 267 
 
 greater part of the bazaar, with its ponderous loads, 
 was ready to move, and all stood prepared, await- 
 ing only the word to advance. 
 
 During the interval while these preparations were 
 "being made, a small routee or sleeping-tent, re- 
 mained the last to be struck, which, from its vi- 
 cinity to the flag -staff, and the presence of some 
 five or six horsemen near it, as well as the ap- 
 pearance of a very beautful jet-black Arab, richly 
 caparisoned, which a syce or groom was leading 
 backwards and forwards in front, announced as 
 being occupied by the commander of the force. 
 
 Within its walls, and stretched upon a charpoy,* 
 reclined that commander, the same we have ad- 
 verted to as being known by the name of Dharcoor 
 Sahib; in whom we trust our readers have had no 
 difficulty in recognising the hero of our narrative, 
 Edward Harcourt, whose history since we last 
 parted with him, in the pestilential marshes of the 
 African coast, a few brief words will suffice to ex- 
 plain. After difficulties and dangers of, the most 
 imminent nature, he had succeeded in making his 
 way to the nearest Dutch frontier settlement, and 
 through the kindness of the warm-hearted Boers, 
 eventually arrived at Cape Town.t He there 
 
 * A description of light sleeping cot. 
 
 f The reader must remember that the Cape of Good Hope was 
 not taken by the British forces till a twelvemonth after the period 
 alluded to. 
 
268 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 learnt all that had transpired in Europe during the 
 three years' interval that had occurred, from the 
 period when all was darkness to him, the esta- 
 blishment of the Imperial throne in France, the 
 renewal of the war, and the utter annihilation of 
 the French naval power in the memorable and 
 glorious, but dearly-purchased victory at Trafalgar, 
 since which time, scarcely a French vessel of any 
 description could show itself on any part of the 
 ocean throughout the world. 
 
 Harcourt's first thought had been once more to 
 return and seek the presence of that wonderful 
 being, now the most powerful sovereign in Europe, 
 to whose warm and steady friendship he had pre- 
 viously owed so much; but the idea was abandoned 
 almost as soon as entertained. If even that now 
 mighty ruler retained any reminiscence of the 
 former ties which existed between them, or could 
 recal them to mind after so long an interval, amid 
 the toils and excitement of his daring, successful 
 ambition, never, never more could he revisit those 
 scenes, which had witnessed his few short fleeting 
 years of transcendant happiness, to be terminated 
 by such frightful and agonizing misery, no ; much 
 rather endure poverty, exile, obscurity, the very 
 worst indeed that fate could inflict in preference. 
 His resolution was soon taken. India was at that 
 
HARCOURT. 269 
 
 period the wide and extensive field for the bold, 
 the daring, and the reckless, and towards its shores 
 he resolved that his footsteps should be turned; 
 there either to find that grave he felt would be the 
 sole haven of rest the world could afford him, or, 
 amid the varied scenes of interest which an altogether 
 new career in life in that singular country would 
 open, to acquire in some measure that tranquillity 
 and repose (happiness he could not dared not 
 anticipate) he felt would be denied him in those 
 lands which had witnessed his previously brief 
 and transient, though brilliant and distinguished 
 fortune. 
 
 In a small trading-vessel he reached one of the 
 foreign settlements on the banks of the Ganges, 
 from whence, as an unknown adventurer, he pro- 
 ceeded into the interior ; and arriving in the terri- 
 tories of Holkar, just after the Mahratta prince had 
 brought his war with the British government to a 
 conclusion, he offered his services in the reorgani- 
 zation of his army. That acute and able chieftain 
 at once discerned the superior merit of the new 
 comer, and before many weeks had passed, as we 
 have previously mentioned, he had nominated him 
 to the supreme command of all his regular forces, 
 by whom he became regarded with a devotion, 
 which has not been uncommon on the part of the 
 
270 KOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 native soldiery of India towards their European 
 commanders, both French and English, though 
 their esteem was not altogether unmingled with 
 fear and awe. Indefatigable in attending to the 
 interests of those under his control, Harcourt was 
 severe, perhaps rigorous, in the maintenance of dis- 
 cipline among his troops; and those disorders 
 peculiar to Asiatics, and their inveterate love of 
 plunder, had on more than one occasion been re- 
 pressed with such an iron, unrelenting hand, that 
 it eventually became a proverb throughout the 
 country, of Dharcoor Sahib's camp proving a 
 blessing to the surrounding villages wherever it 
 moved. 
 
 In his communications with all ranks, whether 
 high or low, his bearing, though distinguished by 
 the highest degree of courtesy, was marked by that 
 cold, grave, reserved exterior, which not unfre- 
 quently is productive of considerable effect upon 
 orientals, but which with him seemed rather to 
 originate in a deep-seated, devouring melancholy, 
 more than any other feeling, since it was never 
 seen to deviate into a smile ; and when not occu- 
 pied by the excitement of his military duties, at 
 which he toiled incessantly, it caused him to sink 
 into a brooding fit of musing, that would almost 
 have been deemed approaching to absolute apathy, 
 
HAECOURT. 271 
 
 but for the expression of agonizing wretchedness, 
 which frequently pervaded his features during the 
 period it prevailed. There was also another feature 
 in his character which made the boldest tremble ; 
 and this was the very rare, but still occasional, 
 outbreaks of furious passion, which sometimes 
 burst from him, generally elicited by acts of op- 
 pression and injustice, which, in the scintillating 
 glances of fire that flashed from his dark eyes, 
 approaching almost to maniac wildness, caused 
 the hearts of the bravest to sink within them : and 
 woe to those, in such moments, who were the cause 
 of this ebullition ! 
 
 On the present occasion it was evident one of 
 these moods had but just passed away, only how- 
 ever to be followed by one yet more dangerous, 
 judging by the deeply unrelenting and menacing 
 expression, which, in calm and settled determination, 
 had succeeded it, caused by the intelligence which 
 had so suddenly broken up the camp, and put the 
 troops in motion at an instant's warning, and which 
 originated in a frightful outrage, perpetrated by a 
 large body of Umeer Khan's Patans, who had 
 recently been disbanded, and who, it appeared, 
 exasperated by the measure, had suddenly sur- 
 prised the strong hill fortress of Beejaghur, the 
 small garrison defending which they had over- 
 
272 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 powered and murdered, at the same time mortally 
 wounding the Killedar,* one of Holkar's most 
 trusted and valued adherents, the Rajah Bulwunt 
 Sing. Disappointed in the treasure they expected 
 to have found there, and dreading the retribution 
 that would follow from the vengeance of the Mah- 
 ratta sovereign, they had seized upon the family 
 of the ill-fated governor, whom they now detained 
 as hostages, and threatened with every species ,pf 
 indignity and insult, in the event of a free passage 
 not being accorded them to the frontier, under the 
 safe conduct of an European officer, and other de- 
 mands in the shape of claims of arrears and 
 gratuities not being immediately complied with. 
 
 Intelligence of this outrage reached Jeswunt 
 Row at a period when he was laid up with severe 
 illness, the consequences alike of the fatigues and 
 hardships he had endured during his recent cam- 
 paigns, and those irregularities of life which had 
 now become habitual to him.f Callous as the 
 Mahratta prince had now become to all the finer 
 feelings which had distinguished him at the com- 
 mencement of his career, there was one trait in his 
 
 * Governor. 
 
 t The shops at Bombay were drained to supply him with 
 wines and liqueurs, in which he indulged to the greatest excess. 
 : Sir John Malcolm's Central India. 
 
HARCOURT. 273 
 
 character, which throughout his whole existence 
 never changed, and which certainly reflects the 
 highest honour upon his name and memory ; this 
 was his devoted and unshaken attachment to those 
 who had adhered to his fortunes in the worst period 
 of his adversity. It may therefore easily be con- 
 ceived how deep were the transports of grief and 
 anger with which he received the intimation of the 
 untimely fate of one who, notwithstanding his high 
 rank and family being allied to the royal race of 
 Jeypoor -had from the first moment of his escaping 
 from the power of the Peishwar, adhered to his 
 fortunes with the most unwearied constancy and 
 fidelity ; having ever been the same brave and loyal 
 soldier, when his chief was a fugitive, wandering 
 outcast, with a price upon his head, as when, at the 
 zenith of his fame and power, he had recovered 
 and so greatly enlarged his ancestral dominion. 
 
 In the first outburst of fierce passion and medi- 
 tated vengeance, Holkar had sprung from his sick 
 couch with the determination of exacting a fear- 
 ful retribution in person. Unable, however, even to 
 sit his horse, he transmitted his orders to Harcourt, 
 stating all that he owed to the deceased rajah, and 
 conjuring him, with the most earnest and energetic 
 entreaty, to break up his camp, and proceed at 
 once by a forced march to the fortress, from which 
 T 
 
274 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 lie was only forty miles distant, before the muti- 
 neers could gather in provisions, and make pre- 
 parations for an effectual resistance; and haying 
 given his first thought towards preserving the life 
 and honour of the wife and daughter of his unfor- 
 tunate friend at any sacrifice, then to inflict such 
 a lesson of retributive vengeance upon his murder- 
 ers, as would be long after remembered, and which 
 was the more absolutely necessary on this occasion, 
 from the circumstance that the grievances of which 
 they complained were wholly without foundation, 
 every fraction of their arrears having been dis- 
 charged, with a handsome gratuity paid them in 
 addition. 
 
 But a few minutes elapsed subsequently to the 
 receipt of this communication, before the trumpets 
 and bugles rang throughout the camp, the order 
 being transmitted to march on the instant; and 
 though some slight delay intervened in consequence 
 of its unexpected nature, before three o'clock, as 
 we have previously mentioned, the columns were 
 formed, the baggage packed, and all ready to move. 
 Harcourt still remained plunged in his gloomy 
 reverie, till the tramp of a horse approaching the 
 tent aroused him, when, as he started up and 
 stepped outside, he encountered an English officer, 
 who dropping his sword said, " All ready, Sir." 
 
HARCOURT. 275 
 
 " Forward, then!" was the reply; " we have a 
 long march before us, and must reach Beejaghur 
 as soon as we possibly can after midnight, that 
 the men may have some three or four hours rest 
 for their work in the morning." 
 
 The officer bowed, but despite the military prin- 
 ciple of " hear and obey," a slight exclamation of 
 surprise escaped him, evidently on learning the 
 place of their destination. 
 
 " You shall hear what has occurred as we pro- 
 ceed," returned Harcourt, in answer to the implied 
 query the interjection conveyed ; " but in the 
 meantime, tell Captain de la Mothe to have his 
 guns in readiness for blowing open the gates, as 
 the business before us w r ill require sharpness and 
 promptitude to ensure success, though our fellows 
 will not be slack in entering upon their task, when 
 they know the cause upon which they have been 
 summoned." 
 
 He mounted his horse as he spoke, and in the 
 next moment the troops were on their march. 
 Harcourt had well divined that, on being made 
 acquainted with the nature of the duty before them, 
 the men would enter zealously, or rather perhaps 
 vindictively and fiercely upon its execution. Ee- 
 cruited almost exclusively from the Rajahpoot 
 tribes of northern and central India, intelligence 
 
276 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 of the wanton and cold-blooded murder, perpe- 
 trated on the person of a scion of one of their 
 noblest and most revered families, more particu- 
 larly in this instance, where the victim was a com- 
 mander generally known and esteemed throughout 
 the whole army, would have been sufficient to have 
 created the highest degree of exasperation in the 
 minds of the soldiery ; but, coupled on the present 
 occasion with the atrocious threats of the murderers, 
 in reference to the helpless beings in their power, 
 embodying disgrace, dishonour, and, worst of all, 
 the loss of caste, every feeling of their common 
 nature was roused, and the compressed lip, the 
 clenched teeth, and the flashing eye, fully ex- 
 pressed the determination by which they were 
 actuated. 
 
 Throughout the night the march continued, the 
 men apparently wholly insensible to every sensa- 
 tion of fatigue ; and after a constant route of more 
 than twelve hours, interrupted only by a short 
 respite of half-an-hour's halt, in secrecy and silence 
 they reached the place of their destination, where 
 the dark rock loomed out gloomily in the deep 
 shadow of the night, when each corps as they came 
 up, successively occupied the positions which had 
 been previously assigned them. 
 
 Harcourt's intention from the first had been to 
 
HAECOUKT. 277 
 
 take the place by surprise, feeling assured that the 
 mutineers would be wholly unprepared for his 
 rapid march; and though he looked for a bloody 
 resistance, from the conviction they must have 
 entertained that no mercy would be shown them, 
 his great source of anxiety was the unfortunate 
 females, the only chance for whose safety lay in 
 the desperate expedient he proposed, and the hope 
 that they would be altogether forgotten, in the 
 sudden and unexpected assault he had resolved 
 to hazard at daybreak, which would give the 
 Patans enough to think of, in attending to their 
 own safety. Both the lower and upper fortresses, 
 the one at the base of the rock, and the other on 
 its summit, were well known to Harcourt, as indeed 
 they were to almost every officer and soldier in 
 the force he commanded, and this would prove a 
 great advantage to the assailants when once the 
 gates were forced. He however was not without 
 some latent idea, that secret and rapid as his 
 march had been, and evidently up to this moment 
 unknown to the enemy, some adherents of the late 
 Rajah, who had escaped from the scene of slaughter 
 which had occurred, would be on the look out, or 
 lurking in the neighbourhood, for the purpose of 
 giving information or assistance to any of Holkar's 
 commanders who might approach, for the purpose 
 
278 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 of revenging his murder, and effecting the liberation 
 of his family, since the character of the Maharajah 
 was too well known for it to be supposed for an 
 instant that he would allow such an outrage to be 
 passed o vef-- with impunity. 
 
 The expectations he had formed were fortunately 
 very quickly verified, and that to an extent his 
 most sanguine hopes never could have anticipated. 
 Scarcely had the fortress been invested, and the 
 troops, fully accoutred, directed to lie down and 
 rest themselves after their toilsome march, prepa- 
 ratory to the work of the morning, before four or 
 five men, more or less wounded, who had presented 
 themselves at the outposts, were conducted to the 
 commander's presence, and were immediately re- 
 cognised as followers of the late Kajah. From their 
 statement Harcourt ascertained, that nearly the 
 whole of the mutineers were in all probability at 
 that moment buried in profound repose, the conse- 
 quence of a debauch in the early part of the evening, 
 and of their in no way suspecting the proximity 
 of any danger, not only from their not being 
 aware of the vicinity of Harcourt's camp, but from 
 the circumstance that, no answer being returned to 
 their insolent demands, and confident in the security 
 the important hostages in their possesion afforded, 
 they were led to believe some attempt at iiegoti- 
 
HARCOURT. 279 
 
 ation would be tried before force was resorted to. 
 The ladies were confined in a stone building in the 
 Upper Fort, at the very summit of the rock, a small 
 guard, relieved at stated intervals, keeping watch 
 constantly over them. 
 
 This intelligence, satisfactory as it was in many 
 respects, considerably increased the anxiety of 
 Harcourt in regard to the principal object he had 
 in view, viz. the safety of the unfortunate women. 
 He well knew the character of the ruffians to whom 
 he was opposed, and that their remorseless and 
 sanguinary nature would speedily induce them to 
 carry their hideous threats into execution, if only 
 as a display of the last impotent efforts of vin- 
 dictive hate. Had they been detained in any part 
 of the lower fortress, there was every chance they 
 might have been rescued in the confusion occa- 
 sioned by a vigorous and unexpected onslaught 
 upon every part of the place at once : now, how- 
 ever, the full peril of their situation flashed upon 
 him, and for some time he pondered in doubt and 
 perplexity as to what course he could pursue. 
 
 As, momentarily lost in thought, he revolved in 
 his mind what prospects of success appeared likely 
 to be the result of any different plan tq^ that he 
 had proposed, he was suddenly relieved by a piece 
 of information from one of the rajah's followers, 
 
280 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 as important as it was agreeable in the hopes 
 which it inspired. This man, who fortunately also 
 was the only one of the party unwounded, stated 
 that there was a secret, and to the Patans an un- 
 known path, that himself and several of his com- 
 panions had discovered when in pursuit of the 
 chace, which led from the base of the rock on 
 the eastern side, to where the walls of the fort did 
 not extend to its summit by which with great 
 labour and difficulty it might be reached, though 
 accompanied also with considerable danger; not 
 only from the chance of discovery by the mutineers, 
 or the certain death that would inevitably attend 
 any person attempting the ascent missing their 
 footing, but from the wild beasts who haunted the 
 track, particularly at night, and who had repeatedly 
 carried off cattle when grazing in its vicinity. The 
 soldier concluded by declaring that, hazardous as 
 the experiment was, yet to avenge the fate of his 
 late commander, and rescue those most dear to 
 him when in life, as well as to secure the favour of 
 so great and distinguished a commander as Dhar- 
 coor Sahib, he was ready to lead the way, if a 
 small number of men would accompany him, and 
 either effect the liberation of the ladies or perish 
 in the attempt. 
 
 Almost before the man had concluded his state- 
 
HARCOURT. 281 
 
 ment, Harcourt's resolution was formed, and des- 
 perate as the proposed experiment appeared, lie 
 resolved not only to hazard it, but to head the 
 enterprise himself. Luckily the night, though dark, 
 was clear, and with three hours before them ere 
 daylight would break, there was at least time to 
 try the chance of success. Laying his hand there- 
 fore on the shoulder of the sepoy, he said, " You 
 are a brave and gallant soldier, and shall duly 
 receive the reward of your faithful service ; I my- 
 self will accompany you in this business." 
 
 " Yourself, Dharcoor Sahib?" 
 
 " Ay, myself," replied Har court, quietly: " and 
 now to get the men together; for what is to be 
 done, must be done speedily, as we have no time 
 to lose." 
 
 " General Harcourt," said a voice beside him, 
 " with your permission I am the first volunteer for 
 this duty." It was that of the English officer we 
 have already adverted to, which spoke. 
 
 " Colonel Eyan," replied his commander gravely, 
 " this cannot be ; if if in fact it is useless to 
 conceal it you have been witness to what has 
 passed, and must be aware that the service of to- 
 night is one of more than usual hazard; and risking 
 more lives than are absolutely necessary, would be 
 a wanton and useless sacrifice." 
 
 " When a superior officer," returned the English- 
 
282 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 man calmly, " takes the duty of a subordinate upon 
 himself, he surely will not debar that subordinate 
 from participating in a danger, which more properly 
 belongs to him to encounter." 
 
 " But/ 7 replied Harcourt, " considerations of 
 the highest moment, relative to the success of the 
 enterprise in which we are engaged, must prevent 
 my complying with your request ; you know even 
 better than myself, that the whole stay and hope 
 of the troops are centered in their European supe- 
 riors. If I fail in the proposed undertaking, there 
 is certainly one less, though that is a loss which 
 can be repaired, and must at all events in the pre- 
 sent instance be hazarded ; but your presence will 
 be vitally necessary with the men in the morning, 
 the more particularly in the event of anything 
 occurring to myself ; for if I mistake not, we may 
 look out for desperate work when the assault takes 
 place, as these scoundrels will be well aware when 
 the conflict begins, that they fight with halters 
 round their necks, and in that conviction will resist 
 to the last." 
 
 " There are," returned Ryan, " De Meuron, 
 Harding,* Vickers, and De la Mo the, all at their 
 
 * There were two brave and gallant young men of this name 
 in Holkar's service, but I am unaware if they were in any way 
 related to each other. The one more generally known and 
 celebrated in Indian history, was killed, some years previous to 
 
HAECOURT. 283 
 
 respective posts, and ready at a moment's notice, 
 only awaiting the signal. Under such leaders 
 success cannot but Ibe certain, and therefore once 
 more, whatever may be the fate of the expedition 
 on which you are bound, let me earnestly solicit 
 that I may share it. I have a much greater ex- 
 perience of the character of the sepoy than you 
 have; brave as they are, they not unfrequently 
 lose nerve under a sense of secret or unseen danger, 
 and in an enterprise like the present, coolness 
 and presence of mind are far more essential to its 
 success, than even the most determined courage." 
 
 "You are a true Numukwallah," * said Har- 
 court with a melancholy smile. " Beit, then, as you 
 
 the events mentioned in our narrative, in command of the Mah- 
 arajah's infantry, at the battle of Poonah ; the action which gave 
 to Holkar military possession of the capital of his enemy, the 
 Peishwar. This loss deeply effected Jeswunt Row, and for 
 years afterwards he never failed to express the greatest regard 
 for his memory. 
 
 * It is difficult to impart to the European reader the true 
 meaning of this expressive Oriental term ; perhaps the best ex- 
 emplification of it will be found in the " Gurwood Despatches/' 
 when the Duke in answer to the complaint of some of his friends, 
 relative to how his meritorious services had been neglected, and 
 wondering at his condescending to accept the simple command 
 of a brigade, after having commanded armies, and been invested 
 with almost absolute political power, writes to his correspondent 
 in reply, " The reason is found in my being a Numukwallah, 
 as we say in India." 
 
284 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 wish, but quick, and pick the men whom you 
 think the best adapted for the service, and stay, 
 tell De la Mothe to let us have a few of the drag- 
 ropes from his guns, as occasion might arise in 
 which they may prove of material assistance." 
 
 The Englishman hastened away to give the 
 necessary order, and in the space of a few minutes 
 all was ready for the proposed expedition, a momen- 
 tary difficulty only occurring in selecting the 
 requisite number of volunteers from the crowds 
 who readily came forward by whole companies to 
 offer themselves for the duty. They consisted of 
 about forty in number, athletic, splendid looking 
 fellows, of whom about two-thirds were armed, the 
 remainder carrying the drag-ropes, hatchets, and 
 bill-hooks, which, as a measure of precaution, their 
 commander had deemed it advisable to take with 
 them. They moved forward at a rapid rate, the 
 men having divested themselves of the whole of 
 their clothing, with the exception of a cloth tight- 
 ened round their loins, and soon reached the base 
 of the hill. The ascent at first, though difficult, was 
 easier than either of the European officers anti- 
 cipated ; as, though the path lay occasionally along 
 a track which skirted some dark looking chasm, by 
 the aid of the trees and bushes they were enabled 
 to make their way with comparative facility. 
 
HAKCOURT. 285 
 
 More than two-thirds of their task had been ac- 
 complished with success, when the whole party 
 were abruptly brought to a stand-still, by what 
 their guide had previously warned them during 
 their route would prove the most difficult and 
 hazardous part of the whole journey. This was 
 what at first appeared a mass of bluff, almost per- 
 pendicular rock, which reached to an extent of 
 nearly three hundred feet in height, and which 
 skirted an abyss, which apparently reached to the 
 very bottom of the ascent. 
 
 For a moment the boldest among that fearless 
 band was somewhat startled, and even the guide 
 seemed to hesitate at the prospect that here lay 
 before them, the great danger of which, the dark- 
 ness, while not impeding the view, may perhaps 
 have exaggerated, but the hand of Harcourt was 
 promptly laid upon the latter 's shoulder, as in a 
 low stern voice he said, " Lead on." 
 
 Gradually and cautiously an artillery lantern, 
 which had hitherto been covered, was now dis- 
 played, and, except on one side, darkened, so as to 
 throw the whole force of its rays in an upward 
 direction, by which means everything became 
 clearly visible. Thick and stunted bushes grew 
 out from clefts on the surface, and there was 
 occasionally some degree of footing, caused by the 
 
286 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 rock in a few places being worn away. Dangerous 
 as any further advance appeared, it could only be 
 made in this direction ; accordingly, Harcourt di- 
 recting every one but the guide and himself to 
 remain fast for the present, each throwing a loose 
 coil of rope over his arm, commenced their perilous 
 task. In breathless anxiety their companions 
 awaited the result below, scarcely daring to glance 
 upwards, from the dizzy and sickening feeling of 
 giddiness the action engendered ; but after a com- 
 paratively short interval, in which the minutes 
 appeared like hours, the shaking of the cords as a 
 signal for those who held them to let go, announced 
 that their commander and his attendant had reached 
 the summit in safety. Ryan and a second soldier 
 quickly followed, carrying additional ropes, and 
 hauling themselves up by those which had already 
 been made fast to the trees above. 
 
 In this manner the whole party were safely 
 landed upon the ledge above, from whence the 
 remainder of the ascent was not only easy of ac- 
 complishment, but only a very short distance from 
 the low walls of the fortress, towards which they 
 now cautiously and silently turned their footsteps. 
 A short time sufficed to bring them to the foot of 
 the rampart, and, on arriving at the spot which 
 the guide pointed out as where the building was 
 
HAECOURT. 287 
 
 situated in which the ladies were confined, which 
 proved to be close to the parapet, they found the 
 wall in so dilapidated a state from the heavy rains 
 of the recent monsoon forming indeed almost a 
 practical breach as to render their entrance a work 
 of very little difficulty. Whispering final instruc- 
 tions to his men, Har court led the way, and stealth- 
 ily ascending, as he reached the top, and cast a 
 keen and guarded look of scrutiny around him, the 
 glance was sufficient to render him master of every 
 detail connected with the place. 
 
 Almost immediately in his front was a large 
 window reaching nearly to the ground, opening to 
 an apartment, from which a broad light streamed, 
 giving to view two female figures within. A few 
 paces in advance, within two yards indeed of him- 
 self, was a man who stood motionless, and was 
 evidently the watch, who had fallen asleep upon 
 his post ; while upon a description of platform to 
 the right, lay the recumbent forms of some fourteen 
 or fifteen others, who were also buried in profound 
 slumber. Kyan and his followers were close behind 
 him, and there was not a moment to be lost. 
 With a single bound he sprang over, and seizing 
 the sentinel in his powerful grasp, he hurled him 
 over the rampart, and then dashed through the 
 window. A cry of terror burst from the inmates 
 
288 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 of the chamber, but catching the foremost, a very 
 beautiful girl, or rather child, for she scarcely ap- 
 peared thirteen years of age, in his arms, he placed 
 his hand upon her mouth, and said, " Hush! your 
 safety everything depends upon silence; we are 
 friends from the Maharajah." In the next instant 
 there was heard the sound of a scuffle without, 
 followed by deep and heavy groans, suppressed 
 almost as soon as heard. Too late for their safety, 
 the sleepers had started to their arms, but before a 
 sword could be drawn, or a single blow struck, the 
 weapons of their adversaries were buried in their 
 hearts, and each lay weltering in his gore, a lifeless 
 corpse. 
 
 Calling to Ryan and his followers to assist the 
 elder female, and carrying the young girl himself, 
 the party now commenced retracing their steps 
 with all possible expedition. They met with little 
 difficulty till they came to the descent of the rock, 
 which had previously so nearly frustrated their 
 enterprise ; but after a few whispered words with 
 the Englishman, the eyes of both ladies were band- 
 aged, and while Harcourt with the younger one 
 lowered himself to the bottom, the former, and one 
 of the men supporting the elder between them, 
 following in his track, were equally successful. 
 Pressing downward with all the speed that a 
 
HARCOURT. 289 
 
 regard for their safety permitted, they soon reached 
 the open plain, and arrived in camp just as the 
 first light of the false dawn* intimated that they 
 were not far from daybreak; their hazardous under- 
 taking accomplished under circumstances of such 
 cool energy and daring, having met with no 
 other impediments than those which we have 
 already adverted to. 
 
 " Let an escort at once attend these ladies on 
 the road to Indore,"f said Harcourt, " and my 
 own tents follow for their use." Both knelt at 
 his feet, and each seizing a hand, pressed it with 
 Oriental devotion to their head and heart, and 
 while the sobs of the younger prevented her giving 
 utterance to the deep and grateful feelings which 
 oppressed her by their weight, the elder, in that 
 simple yet impressive dignity of tone peculiar to 
 the higher class of women of the Rajapootne tribes, 
 expressed her fervent acknowledgments by the 
 invocations of future victories to his all-conquering 
 
 * In many parts of the East there exists what is called by 
 Orientals the False Dawn. Its light is extremely deceptive, and 
 without the means of ascertaining the actual time of the morn- 
 ing, the most experienced traveller is often deceived by its 
 appearance, which usually comes about half-an-hour before day- 
 break, and is succeeded by a greater degree of darkness than 
 prevailed previously. In some parts of Persia it is of longer 
 continuance. 
 
 f The capital of Holkar's dominions. 
 U 
 
290 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 sword, of a numerous posterity to wliom should 
 be transmitted his glorious fame and courageous 
 spirit, and similar Eastern aphorisms peculiar to 
 the warlike race from which she drew her origin. 
 
 Gently disengaging himself, Harcourt led them 
 towards the elephant which had been prepared to 
 carry them on their journey; the young girl seemed 
 to cling to him to the last, as if, parting from him, 
 she lost her best and surest safeguard ; and it was 
 only as she prepared to ascend the howdah,* she 
 murmured in almost inarticulate tones, " May the 
 God of the Christian, the Hindoo, and the Mussul- 
 man, befriend you for this deed. I am, alas ! 
 fatherless and friendless, but the prayer of the 
 orphan is not always lost, even when directed to- 
 wards imploring blessings upon the greatest and 
 the most powerful, and averting from them those 
 dangers, common alike to the mightiest and the 
 meanest." 
 
 The first faint streaks of dawn were visible upon 
 the horizon, and lulled in their fancied security, 
 the mutineers but little imagined the doom that 
 was impending over them. The dark masses were 
 now seen silently moving forward ; in low arid 
 suppressed tones the word of command was passed 
 
 * The seat or litter placed upon the back of the elephant. 
 
HAECOURT. 291 
 
 along the ranks, and even yet no alarm was raised! 
 At once there was heard a loud stunning crash, 
 accompanied by the roar of artillery, and the 
 vengeful columns of the stormers rushed through 
 the breach the Frenchman's guns had so effectually 
 made, for not only were the gates blown to atoms, 
 but large portions of the wall adjacent to them 
 were brought down by the shock and wheeling 
 outwards, they scoured the ramparts. Too late 
 sensible of their fatal apathy, and the false confi- 
 dence they had entertained, the Patans yet made 
 a desperate resistance, fighting with all the reckless- 
 ness of despair ; quarter was neither asked for nor 
 obtained ; and though some endeavoured to make 
 their escape by dropping over the ramparts, their 
 fate was equally as certain, since they were sabred 
 or speared without mercy by the cavalry outside. 
 Within an hour from the commencement of the 
 attack all was over, the interior of the fortress pre- 
 senting but one general picture of human slaughter, 
 the ramparts and all throughout being covered 
 with corpses, which lay in heaps on every side. 
 
292 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 A PERIOD of nearly two years had elapsed, since 
 the occurrence of the events recorded in our last 
 chapter. The territories of Jeswunt Row had at- 
 tained a state of flourishing prosperity, under the 
 able administration of his minister Balaram Seit, 
 who, notwithstanding his weak and timid nature 
 in a physical point of view, exhibited a considerable 
 degree of moral courage, not only in conducting 
 the affairs of the state, and enforcing, in spite of 
 the opposition of powerful interests, those measures 
 necessary for its prosperity ; but in remaining firmly 
 at his post, when the boldest and bravest among 
 the Maharajah's followers shrunk from approaching 
 him, from the now constant prevalence of those 
 terrible bursts of phrenzied passion, to which he 
 was constantly subject, announcing the approach 
 of that fearful malady, which, furious at first, 
 gradually sunk into vacant idiotcy towards the 
 last few years of his life, and in the paroxysms 
 
HARCOURT. 293 
 
 of which he constantly issued orders for putting 
 numerous innocent persons to death, whose lives 
 were only saved through the minister's dexterous 
 and humane intervention. 
 
 During this time, his army had reached a spirit 
 of discipline and organization, that perhaps no 
 native state in India, either before or since (with 
 the exception of the Seikhs,) had ever previously 
 attained. In attending to and inspecting the 
 minutest details connected with it, the Mahratta 
 sovereign was unremitting ; being occupied from 
 the earliest hour in the morning till late at night, 
 in superintending and assisting his French and 
 English subordinates in their duties, not unfre- 
 quently discharging himself every office in person, 
 from drill corporal to commander of the forces. 
 
 At first, on peace being concluded between the 
 British government and the Maharajah, he had 
 shown every disposition to observe his engage- 
 ments; and in spite of the reverses he had sustained, 
 really to cultivate the most friendly relations with 
 his victorious enemy, owing perhaps either to the 
 moral influence the alliance afforded him, or from 
 his sagacity enabling him to perceive that success- 
 ful aggression was out of the question, if indeed it 
 was not a mixture of both. As his malady however 
 gained ground upon him, these sentiments under- 
 
294 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 went a sudden and violent change ; though with all 
 the cunning of his race, heightened by the terrible 
 disorder which afflicted him, he sought to conceal 
 his intentions till they should be ripe for execution. 
 He at first commenced sounding his European 
 officers, as to what course they would pursue in 
 the event of a renewal of the contest, and their 
 opinion as to the result; but finding them either 
 unable or unwilling to enter upon any discussion 
 broached under such ambiguous circumstances, he 
 at length spoke more openly and plainly, intimating 
 his determination of attempting to regain at every 
 risk, on the first fitting opportunity, the provinces 
 he had lost, and desired to know their views on 
 the occurrence of such a contingency. 
 
 From all the English he at once received a re- 
 spectful, but firm and decided refusal to serve against 
 their government and country ; and from the French 
 almost the same reply. The situation of the latter, 
 indeed, was certainly different from that of the 
 former; but belonging exclusively to families of 
 the old French nobility, they were reluctant to 
 serve against the only land which had afforded a 
 refuge, in the dark period of their adversity, to 
 their proscribed race, with the people of which, 
 more particularly in India, they possessed several 
 ties in common friendships cemented by many 
 
HARCOURT. 295 
 
 perils, shared while serving together in the armies 
 of the native princes and other bonds of union, 
 which would be broken for no other purpose than 
 to create the deepest injury, if not ruin to them- 
 selves, as they foresaw and distinctly hinted to the 
 Maharajah, that the contest would only terminate 
 in the destruction of his sovereignty and power, if 
 not of his family and himself. 
 
 No less surprised than irritated at this opposi- 
 tion, there was one circumstance connected with 
 it, which caused a more than usually frightful ebul- 
 lition of phrenzied passion on the part of Jeswunt 
 Row, an event we have already adverted to as being 
 now unhappily of too common occurrence, and this 
 was the peremptory refusal of Harcourt to accede 
 to the measure, and his declaration that, on the 
 first shot being fired, he should tender his resig- 
 nation. From one or two trivial incidents, Holkar 
 had entertained the impression that his commander 
 disliked the English extremely, and had therefore 
 relied upon at least securing his services, by far 
 the most valuable of the whole, in the event of his 
 proposed rupture ; enraged therefore at his unex- 
 pected disappointment, on the conclusion of the 
 interview which terminated the discussion, and 
 which took place at a private Durbar, the tiger-like 
 glare which glittered in his eye was observed by 
 
296 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 all present, and deemed an augury of evil, which 
 the vindictive hate it exhibited would seek to 
 gratify to the utmost on the first fitting oppor- 
 tunity. 
 
 Unmindful, or regardless however of what had 
 occurred, more particularly since the Mahratta 
 prince almost immediately afterwards resumed his 
 usual frank and courteous bearing towards him, 
 Harcourt a few weeks afterwards quitted the capi- 
 tal, to superintend the camp of exercise and 
 instruction under his command ; several of these 
 having at his suggestion been formed each year in 
 different parts of the country, during the continu- 
 ance of the cold weather. 
 
 Occupied with his military duties, to which he 
 as usual gave almost his exclusive attention, as if 
 from the relief they afforded him from thought, 
 Harcourt after a time became sensible of what ap- 
 peared to him to be a series of petty annoyances, 
 inflicted upon him by orders from the Durbar. 
 His force at this period consisted of two batteries 
 of light field-artillery, two regiments of cavalry, and 
 six battalions of infantry, the whole commanded 
 by European officers, and composed of the troops 
 which had from the first been entrusted to his 
 command, and had been raised and disciplined by 
 himself. Gradually, however, of late, his com- 
 
HARCOURT. 297 
 
 manders, both French and English, had been 
 changed, and natives, of whom he knew nothing, 
 substituted in their place, greatly to the dissatis- 
 faction of the men, whose murmurs, at first low 
 and muttered, at length became loud, and indeed 
 somewhat threatening in regard to their new 
 leaders. 
 
 Harcourt sternly strove to repress the move- 
 ment, though he at once saw his inability to do so, 
 deprived as he was of the presence and assistance 
 of those, under whose rule and authority not the 
 slightest sign of insubordination, or misconduct of 
 any kind, up to this moment, in the remotest degree 
 ever manifested itself. He soon, however, became 
 aware, that there were some other latent causes 
 connected with himself, in regard to this movement, 
 which, though he was unable thoroughly to 
 understand its ramifications, he felt sensible had 
 reference to his own security and safety, which 
 his men were resolutely determined to protect and 
 defend at every hazard. The guard of honour 
 usually mounted over the tent of a Commander, 
 within the last few days, without any order from 
 himself, had been doubled, the men composing it 
 never putting off their accoutrements, or lying 
 down to rest for an instant, while in taking his 
 evening ride or walk, if he proceeded a hundred 
 
293 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 yards from the camp, a strong escort was ever in 
 attendance to follow him, his reiterated desire that 
 such a retinue should be discontinued being either 
 respectfully disregarded, or followed by such earnest 
 solicitation on the part of the soldiers to remain, 
 that perplexed and half angry, yet not without 
 suspicion that they must have some grounds for 
 their apparently singular conduct, he was induced 
 to acquiesce in their request. 
 
 He had returned from a general parade one 
 evening, and was proceeding towards his tent, 
 when an elderly native who was sauntering lei- 
 surely along, gradually approached him. The man 
 had the appearance of a respectable banyan,* and 
 it was not improbable was one of that class residing 
 in the grand bazaar of his camp. There was 
 something prepossessing in the old man's exterior, 
 and it struck Harcourt that his object in loitering 
 in his path was a wish to speak to himself. As 
 he was within two hundred yards of his tent, he 
 dismissed his orderly, the only person by whom he 
 was attended, upon some trifling errand, and slowly 
 continued his walk. Scarcely, however, had the 
 soldier quitted him, before the native we have men- 
 tioned walked rapidly up, and glancing cautiously 
 around, placed a sealed billet in his hand; then 
 
 * A combination of merchant, broker, and general dealer. 
 
HARCOUET. 299 
 
 putting his finger to his lip as a signal for secrecy 
 and silence, hurried away. 
 
 Surprised beyond measure at the incident, Har- 
 court hastily opened the letter, and read the 
 following words : U 0n no account whatever cross 
 the river, or allow yourself to be separated from 
 your men, who are faithful and true. You are 
 surrounded with danger and treachery of every 
 kind, even in your own camp, but they will defend 
 you from both. This is from one, who owes every- 
 thing in life to you, and who is constantly occupied 
 in watching over your safety." 
 
 Harcourt gazed upon this mysterious epistle with 
 equal wonder and perplexity : it was written in the 
 Persian language and character, and the singular 
 beauty and delicacy it exhibited in its delineation, 
 fully expressed that it was not the production of a 
 person accustomed to the usual loose, half-legible, 
 running hand generally in vogue, or still less the 
 laboured and measured writing of the professed 
 carcoon.* From the letter his thoughts reverted 
 to the question of who was the person whose in- 
 terest in himself seemed to be so striking and 
 peculiar, and what could be the nature of the obli- 
 gations alluded to, which had created such a feeling 
 in the mind of the writer ? As he hastily ran over 
 
 * Writer. 
 
300 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 the whole of his career, from the period of his first 
 entry into Holkar's service, in order to obtain some 
 clue to its discovery, he tasked his imagination in 
 vain to find anything that appeared to rest upon 
 any reasonable foundation. There were many of 
 the nobles of the Maharajah's Durbar, who had 
 experienced courtesy and kindness at his hands, 
 but the coldness of his usual demeanour had in- 
 variably prevented his forming those ties, which 
 resembled anything approaching to intimacy or 
 friendship. 
 
 Wearied with useless conjecture, Harcourt re- 
 turned to his tent, with the determination of ascer- 
 taining, if possible, on the morrow, who was the 
 person from whom he had received the communi- 
 cation, and if he was an habitual resident in 
 camp. 
 
 On the following morning, however, a very serious 
 event occurred, which for the time drove the remi- 
 niscence of every other circumstance from his mind. 
 The gun had scarcely fired, and the reveillee 
 sounded, and Harcourt was about issuing forth to 
 mount his horse for the purpose of proceeding 
 to his usual exercise and inspection, when the 
 Havildar, or sergeant commanding his guard, 
 hurriedly entered the tent, and announced that the 
 artillery were in a state of open mutiny. 
 
HARCOURT. 301 
 
 Bushing to his horse which stood ready without, 
 and springing into the saddle, Harcourt galloped 
 with all speed to the right of the lines, where the 
 guns were posted, and arrived in the midst of a 
 state of uproar and confusion which baffles all 
 description. The horses were harnessed, Ibut the 
 head and heel ropes, used at their picquets, though 
 packed as if ready for a march, were thrown on 
 the ground ; some of the cannon were limbered up, 
 but the tumbrils of the others were at some distance 
 from their pieces, as if expressly placed there for the 
 purpose of preventing their being brought together, 
 while two or three of the latter were even dis-* 
 mounted, and the materiel scattered around! In 
 front of the whole was the recently joined com- 
 mander, encircled by a small party of the oldest 
 and steadiest among the soldiery, evidently with 
 the purpose of protecting him from the violence 
 of the rest; although that this was merely an 
 obligation of duty on their part, and originated in 
 anything but a regard for himself, might easily 
 have been gathered from the very expressive but 
 coarse and unflattering adjurations that were occa- 
 sionally addressed to him by his protectors, as the 
 author of the storm which had arisen, and the dis- 
 grace which it had entailed upon them all. 
 
 The spirit of exasperation among the men had 
 
302 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 evidently reached its highest pitch, when Harcourt 
 suddenly arrived upon the ground. It was now 
 broad daylight, and although altogether ignorant 
 of what had caused this sudden outbreak among 
 men renowned throughout the whole of India for 
 their loyalty, fidelity, and discipline,* a single 
 
 * There are few troops in whom these qualifications are so 
 conspicuous, united to the most undaunted bravery, as the 
 Golundauze, or Native Artillery of the Indian army, which 
 has everywhere and on every occasion manifested itself both in 
 the British Service, and that of the various Eastern Sovereigns. 
 Their devotion to their guns is something which perhaps no 
 other army in the world ever witnessed ; and whatever odds may 
 be opposed to them, however desperate any chance of success, 
 they will defend them to the last ; and in every contest celebrated 
 in the annals of India, they have invariably been found scorning 
 to retreat when their pieces could not be carried off, and re- 
 jecting all quarter, have been cut down at their guns. In the 
 bloody battle of Mahidpoor, which followed the second rupture 
 of Holkar's government with the English, some years after the 
 malady of Jeswunt How had terminated in his death, this fate 
 attended the men to whom our present narrative refers, who 
 perished amid the universal regret and admiration of their 
 enemies. Almost at the very commencement of this memorable 
 action, a large body of Holkar's cavalry, who were stationed on 
 the left rear of the artillery, seized with a disgraceful panic, 
 abandoned their position in the most dastardly manner, and 
 such was the indignation of the artillerymen at this cowardly 
 defection of their comrades, by which their flanks and rear were 
 altogether uncovered, that, turning round some of their guns, 
 they poured a storm of grape and canister into their ranks, 
 giving them, as they characteristically expressed it, " something 
 to run for." The feeling we have alluded to certainly reaches 
 the highest pitch of enthusiasm, and has even something 
 
HARCOURT. 303 
 
 glance had been sufficient to explain to him how 
 matters stood. As the figure of the well-known 
 
 reverential in its nature, or at least had, as I remember it some 
 eight and twenty years since, when in the artillery lines it was 
 no uncommon occurrence to see the guns decorated with chaplets 
 of flowers, in commemoration of any event in which they had 
 been engaged. So strong and sensitive is this peculiarity, that 
 it has occasionally given rise to scenes somewhat bordering upon 
 the ludicrous, and of one of these I was myself a witness. On 
 a grand field-day, in which all the troops composing the division 
 were assembled, under a distinguished General Officer recently 
 arrived from Europe, who had never previously served in India, 
 it had been arranged in the programme of the manoeuvres 
 to be executed, that the light field-artillery were to be momen- 
 tarily captured by a squadron of cavalry detached for the purpose. 
 All had proceeded with the utmost order and precision, till the 
 period arrived for the execution of that part of the order 
 of the day relative to the guns, which were posted between 
 two squares of infantry, the one composed of one of Her Majesty's 
 Corps, the other of a regiment of Sepoys, into whose ranks the 
 artillerymen were to have fallen on the charge being made. On 
 the cavalry galloping up and making known to their commander, 
 a veteran old Soubahdah, how they were to proceed, the latter 
 was first at a loss to understand the meaning of what was intimated 
 to him. He was, I think, one of the finest specimens of the Raja- 
 pootne race I ever remember to have seen : upwards of six 
 feet in height, his powerful athletic figure, though he had been 
 nearly half a century in the service, was erect as a poplar, form- 
 ing a singular contrast to the silvery colour of his enormous 
 whiskers and mustachios, which were white as the driven snow. 
 On its being explained to him, that the guns were by the existing 
 hypothesis supposed to be taken, the effect of the announcement 
 was as unexpected as it was surprising, as jumping astride the 
 nearest gun, the old gentleman waved his sabre round his head, 
 and swore that he would cut down the first man who pre- 
 sumed to touch them, while his whiskers and mustachios seemed 
 
304 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 noble Arab charger and his rider burst upon the 
 scene, there was a momentary increase in the con- 
 fusion which prevailed, but which almost imme- 
 diately subsided into the most perfect silence. 
 
 " What is this?" said the deep, stern accents 
 of Harcourt, and his voice seemed to echo like 
 a trumpet-call to the remotest extremity of the 
 ground. " Who has dared to create a spirit of 
 disaffection and mutiny where I command? To 
 your guns this instant! serrez vos rangs! at- 
 tention !" he continued, giving the prefatory orders 
 as if for his usual parade, "and let me see if 
 all order is lost here ! " 
 
 positively to dilate and stand erect, with, the wrathful and 
 indignant feeling the intimation had excited. " Confound the 
 old fellow's obstinacy ! " said the captain commanding the squad, 
 ron : " lay hold of the guns there directly," he shouted to his 
 men, feeling perhaps in some slight measure irate at the loud 
 laughter which issued from the ranks of the infantry, to whom 
 the scene was evidently a source of considerable amusement. 
 Several of the troopers sprang from their horses in compliance 
 with their leader's orders, but the belligerent attitude of the 
 veteran Soubahdar was now backed by the rammers and sponge- 
 staffs of his men, which, brandished in their brawny and vigorous 
 arms, threatened a solution of the question at issue, which must 
 inevitably have terminated in some broken heads, when fortu- 
 nately the General, followed by his staff, galloped up to the 
 spot to enquire what was the cause of the confusion apparently 
 prevalent. On the state of affairs being explained to him, he at 
 once withdrew the order, and apologising to the old warrior for 
 his inadvertence in having issued it, good humour was at once re- 
 stored. I accompanied Sir Edward to his quarters, when 
 
HARCOURT. 305 
 
 His words seemed to act with the spirit of 
 magic upon the rioters ; all was order and obedi- 
 ence upon the instant ; the scattered pieces of the 
 guns were collected, and the cannon remounted, 
 the men fell into their ranks, the horses were har- 
 nessed to the tumbrils, and the whole stood forth 
 the representative of the most exact and perfect 
 discipline, where a few minutes previously all had 
 been turbulence and insubordination. 
 
 " And now," said Harcourt, "what has been 
 the cause of all this disturbance ? Let me repeat 
 the question, and demand who has dared to create 
 mutiny and disaffection in a camp under my orders ? 
 
 the parade was over, and apparently the incident had deeply im- 
 pressed him, as he constantly repeated : " They are splendid 
 fellows those men certainly true soldierly feeling true soldierly 
 feeling." It was not till twenty years afterwards that I again 
 met the veteran in England, when his first question was whether 
 I remembered the episode of the old Soubahdar, and requesting 
 to know if the men still retained the chivalrous and high-minded 
 sentiments which then distinguished them. I could not reply 
 to the latter part of his query from my own personal know- 
 ledge, but mentioned I had recently been informed by some 
 Artillery officers, that the reduction of the pay, and some other 
 impolitic measures on the part of the Government, prevented 
 their now obtaining the superior class of men who formerly 
 entered the service. The gallant captain who commanded the 
 squadron of cavalry upon this occasion, is now a Reverend Doctor 
 in the North of England, and should these pages by any chance 
 ever meet his eye, it may perhaps cause a smile in the remi- 
 niscence it will recal to his mind. 
 
306 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 The men glanced from one to another, but for 
 some time no answer was returned; at length a 
 non-commissioned officer stepped forward, and 
 reverentially saluting his chief, said : 
 
 " Joonab (Excellency), about half-an-hour before 
 daybreak, we received a sudden order, as if issued 
 by yourself, in the name of the Maharajah, to 
 march to Indore. The mandate was promptly 
 complied with, and it was only when prepared 
 to mount that we found no such instructions had 
 been conveyed to the rest of the troops, and it 
 was doubtful if any directions regarding this 
 movement had been given by yourself. On respect- 
 fully seeking to ascertain this, that person (pointing 
 to their newly arrived commander,) threatened us 
 with the vengeance of the Government, in whose 
 name he acted, unless the most implicit obedience 
 was yielded to his orders. We demanded the 
 sanction of your concurrence, and were then me- 
 naced with force to compel us to submission, on 
 hearing which, some of the men would have torn 
 him to pieces, but he was saved from their fury 
 for the purpose of being delivered up to you." 
 
 "This, then, is your work?" said Harcourt, 
 turning upon the man with a flashing eye. 
 
 The detected conspirator replied sullenly, that 
 he acted under Holkar's orders; but alarmed 
 
HARCOUKT. 307 
 
 perhaps at the fierce and vindictive glances which 
 met his view on every side, he produced written 
 instructions under the Maharajah's seal, to show 
 that he asserted nothing but what was absolute 
 truth. The scroll which he tendered to Harcourt 
 was in the Mahratta language, of which he 
 possessed a very limited knowledge, but a glance 
 was sufficient to convince him that the signet 
 was genuine; and although he entertained no doubt 
 in his own mind that the man was a willing 
 agent in what was a treacherous intrigue against 
 his authority, and in all probability his life, 
 under existing circumstances he could not bring 
 himself to use any measures of retaliation against 
 a mere hireling, acting under the instructions of 
 one too powerful to be reached. 
 
 " Were I to serve you as you merit," said Har- 
 court, sternly addressing the traitor, "I should cause 
 you to be hanged to the nearest tree ; as whether 
 this document is a forgery or otherwise, no person 
 has the power to issue any orders, no matter ema- 
 nating from whom, unless by the sanction, and 
 through the channel of the soldiers' immediate su- 
 perior. But begone ! quit the camp on the instant, 
 and in the event of your again being found within 
 its precincts, the consequences rest with yourself." 
 
 The man scowled darkly at him with a glance 
 
308 ROMANCE .OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 of impotent but vindictive hate, and then hastily 
 quitted the spot. 
 
 In the course of the day, Harcourt rode down 
 the lines of 'the general bazaar at the period 
 when it was usually most crowded, in hopes of 
 discovering the man who had delivered him the 
 letter on the preceding evening. His expectations 
 were not disappointed, as, seated in a tent sur- 
 rounded with bales of cloth, and other articles 
 of merchandise betokening the opulence of a 
 wealthy and flourishing trader, was seated his 
 friend, apparently diligently occupied in the 
 exercise of his calling. The stir created by Har- 
 court's appearance caused him to look up, when 
 their eyes met in instantaneous recognition ; a warn- 
 ing glance, however, unseen by any but himself, 
 intimated to the soldier that he was not in any 
 way to notice him, though in passing down the 
 street, after adverting to some casual commissariat 
 details, he carelessly enquired of the Kotwal,* 
 who assiduously attended him, if he knew any- 
 thing relative to the merchant in question. 
 
 The answer was that he had only recently 
 arrived in camp, but from being evidently rich, 
 had been enabled to appropriate to himself a 
 considerable traffic, by underselling his com- 
 
 * The Chief or Superintendent of the Bazaar. 
 
HARCOURT. 309 
 
 petitors, and consequently acquiring no slight 
 degree of popularity among the soldiery. There 
 was nothing in any way remarkable in this com- 
 munication, and musing upon what could create 
 the interest this man seemed apparently to take 
 in what concerned him, or by whom he could be 
 actuated in doing so, Harcourt vainly strove to 
 obtain a solution of the enigma. 
 
 For nearly three weeks after the occurrence 
 which had created such commotion in the camp 
 all was order and tranquillity. The different 
 commanders who had succeeded their European 
 predecessors, if they nourished any hostile in- 
 tentions towards their superior, at least carefully 
 concealed them, sensible that they were vigilantly 
 watched by their men, and in fact, in some 
 measure, prisoners in their hands, as not an order, 
 even of the most trivial nature, dared they after- 
 wards issue, till the soldiery were satisfied it had 
 been ratified and confirmed by their chief. It 
 was one evening just as night was setting in, 
 after Harcourt had returned from the evening 
 parade, that he was aroused by a voice at the 
 door of his tent, the accents of which seemed 
 not unfamiliar to his ear, demanding admittance. 
 
 There is a vague feeling in the human mind 
 difficult to define, which the merest trifles will 
 
310 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 often create, and which events, unimportant in 
 themselves, will render lasting and impressive; and 
 how often has some peculiarity in the voice, some 
 slight characteristic of manner, neither of which, 
 under ordinary circumstances, would have led to 
 any observation, been the precursor of the inward 
 conviction which strikes upon the hearer or be- 
 holder, that something of unusual moment has 
 either happened or is about to occur. 
 
 It was perhaps an instinct of this nature which 
 pervaded Harcourt at the present time ; and he 
 was on the point of rising to desire that the 
 person without, whoever he was, should be im- 
 mediately admitted, when the Banyan who had 
 previously appeared before him suddenly entered 
 the tent, and notwithstanding his efforts to dis- 
 guise it, in a state of the highest degree of 
 agitation, his eyes being bloodshot, and his whole 
 frame apparently trembling under the influence 
 of horror and alarm. 
 
 "Are we alone, Sahib?" he said in a low, 
 suppressed voice, and speaking in Persian as if 
 familiar with that language. 
 
 Harcourt glanced around, but no one was near 
 with the exception of a servant who had followed 
 the old man upon his entrance, in evident curiosity 
 and surprise. He signed to the man to withdraw, 
 
HARCOURT. 311 
 
 and then turning to his singular and unexpected 
 visitor, and speaking the same tongue he himself 
 had used, he said, " Fear not, no one here shall 
 do you the slightest injury speak frankly what 
 is your business ? " 
 
 The man with trembling hands drew forth 
 from the folds of the loose cloth which enwrapped 
 him a letter, which a glance sufficed to show to 
 Harcourt was in the same hand-writing as that 
 which the Banyan had previously delivered to 
 him. Tearing open the seal, the following words 
 met his view. " Fly the instant this reaches you, 
 every arrangement has been made, and the 
 bearer will conduct you to the only place of 
 safety Holkar's dominions can afford, for any 
 attempt to gain the frontier would too surely 
 end in your destruction. The Maharajah's anger 
 against you has been excited to madness ; at this 
 moment troops are marching upon your encamp- 
 ment from all quarters and in four and twenty 
 hours from the receipt of this, your men will be 
 surrounded by a force, any resistance opposed to 
 which can but terminate in one continued scene 
 of human slaughter; they will refuse to sur- 
 render you, and will stand to the last ; but will 
 the brave and noble Dharcoor Sahib, from false 
 pride or a mere disregard of his own life, cause 
 
312 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 the blood of his gallant soldiers to flow like 
 water, for no useful purpose whatever, when, 
 by a timely but temporary concealment, he pre- 
 serves both their lives and honour, hereafter to 
 manifest to them how highly he appreciates 
 both?" 
 
 It would be difficult to describe the feelings 
 which pervaded Harcourt as he perused the warn- 
 ing this singular epistle conveyed, of the truth 
 and accuracy of which he felt an inward con- 
 viction, that no suspicion caused by the mystery 
 attending it could dispel. Careless, reckless of 
 death himself, in fact, perhaps, almost disposed 
 to welcome it as the greatest boon fate could 
 award him would he be justified in what would 
 virtually amount to raising the standard of revolt 
 against a Government, which, notwithstanding its 
 present treachery, had previously honoured, trusted, 
 and confided in him to the very highest extent, 
 and who at least would have this excuse for the 
 conduct they had displayed, that ever accustomed 
 to duplicity and falsehood themselves, they could 
 not be led to disbelieve in its existence in others ? 
 Besides, as the letter specified, could he wantonly 
 sacrifice the lives of the brave men he com- 
 manded, for what was at least a very questionable 
 point of honour ? 
 
HARCOURT. 313 
 
 He strode rapidly up and down the tent for 
 a few minutes, and then suddenly facing his 
 visitor, whom he eyed with the sternest and 
 closest scrutiny, he said, " Old man, disposed as 
 I am to place implicit confidence in the intelli- 
 gence you have conveyed, what proof have you 
 to adduce that would justify me in acting up 
 to it?" 
 
 " If the noble Dharcoor Sahib," returned the 
 stranger, clasping his trembling hands together, 
 " would receive a corroboration of what that letter 
 contains, five kos* from this he will find it to 
 an extent he little thinks of." And again the 
 feeling of horror, which had previously manifested 
 itself in the agitation visible on his first entering 
 the tent, seemed to shake his whole frame more 
 convulsively than before. 
 
 Suddenly he approached Harcourt, and in falter- 
 ing but distinct accents, whispered something in his 
 ear. The effect was magical ; the soldier started 
 back, and in a low, broken voice, expressive of 
 the deepest anguish and sorrow, exclaimed, "Good 
 God ! can this possibly be true ? " 
 
 The old man shook his head. " In two hours 
 time," he said, "you will have no occasion to 
 repeat the question, as you will have convinced 
 
 * A kos is something less than two English miles. 
 
314 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 yourself; but darkness is around us, Dharcoor 
 Sahib; time to us at this moment is what gold 
 is to the world, and each minute that passes is 
 a loss that cannot be repaired. My lord's re- 
 solution I am to conclude is taken?" 
 
 " It is," replied Harcourt, and seizing his sabre 
 and placing his pistols in his belt, he threw his 
 cloak over his shoulders, and followed his guide 
 from the tent. They moved forward swiftly and 
 silently, and entering the lines of the general 
 bazaar, passed out at the extremity, a few paces 
 from which was situated the river, upon whose 
 banks the encampment had been pitched. The 
 night was fortunately extremely dark, and as 
 they neared the line of the watchful and vigilant 
 sentinels, the summons to stand and for one of 
 the party to advance and show himself, was 
 answered by the native. In this manner they 
 proceeded without molestation, and descending the 
 bank of the stream, found a small boat in readiness, 
 on entering which, it was immediately pushed off 
 from the shore, the men in charge of it pro- 
 pelling it with the utmost rapidity towards the 
 opposite side. 
 
 On arriving there, they found a horse ready 
 saddled and accoutred in the native style, and 
 a stout, strong, ambling, pony of the description 
 
HARCOURT. 315 
 
 usually ridden by merchants, bankers, and others 
 occupied in peaceful professions. Whispering to 
 Harcourt that he was to ride the first, the old 
 man mounted the second, and leading the way, 
 they both rode off at a sharp, brisk rate, which 
 soon left the encampment far behind them. 
 
 After a ride of rather more than two hours 
 they came to a large village, which the soldier 
 recognised as one containing in its neighbourhood 
 a summer-house and gardens belonging to the 
 Maharajah, a place which, accompanied by his 
 Zenana, he was formerly in the habit of often 
 frequenting, though of late his visits there had 
 been discontinued. All was still as they ap- 
 proached; the inhabitants, even at that early hour, 
 being apparently buried in profound slumber. 
 His guide reined up as they reached the outskirts, 
 and requesting Harcourt on no account to stir 
 from the spot, dismounted from his pony, and 
 fastening the bridle to a tree that was near, left 
 him alone. 
 
 He was absent for some time, and a slight 
 degree of suspicion had begun to arise in the 
 Englishman's mind, when the man returned, 
 desiring him also to leave his horse, and follow 
 him. His guide bent his steps towards a chuoltry 
 about fifty yards distant, situated in the midst 
 
316 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 of a tope, or grove, on arriving at which, he pro- 
 ceeded to blow into a flame a torch that he carried 
 in his hand. He had however scarcely ac- 
 complished this before his whole frame shook with 
 such visible agitation, that he almost let it fall. 
 
 " The illustrious Dharcoor Sahib," he at length 
 said with a faltering voice, " has asked me for 
 proof of what I have asserted; let him then 
 enter this foul den of treachery and murder, and 
 satisfy himself with his own eyes of the truth 
 of the hideous history I have related to him." 
 
 With a feeling of sickening horror which he 
 could not dispel, Harcourt followed the old man 
 into the interior of the building, but had scarcely 
 proceeded a dozen steps, before his very feet seemed 
 rooted to the ground, as they splashed in a perfect 
 stream of human gore, while before him, covered 
 with innumerable wounds, lay the lifeless bodies 
 of Ryan, and two other of his brother officers, all 
 of whom were English. 
 
 The soldier felt his brain reeling, though he could 
 not withdraw his gaze from the frightful, ghastly 
 spectacle he beheld. From the position in which 
 the unfortunate victims lay, they had evidently been 
 murdered as they slept ; worn out in all probability 
 by fatigue, which enabled the assassins to steal 
 upon them without creating any alarm, as there was 
 
HARCOURT. 317 
 
 no vestige whatever of any struggle having occurred, 
 and the sword even of one of them, which their 
 destroyers had forgotten in their haste, lay undrawn 
 by the side of its unfortunate owner ! 
 
 As Harcourt leaned against a pillar for support, 
 the old man, casting a mournful glance upon the 
 terrible sight presented to their view, said with 
 tears streaming from his eyes, " Ah ! Dharcoor 
 Sahib, noble and unsuspicious themselves, they 
 were too late sensible of the wiles of the false and 
 treacherous tyrant they had served but too well ; 
 and yet it was thought they were warned in time, 
 but murder, when actuated by the most fiendish 
 malice, and prompted by that spirit of fear and dis- 
 trust, the absence of which it cannot appreciate in 
 others, is ever beforehand with its victim. Con- 
 vinced of their danger, and of the treachery intended 
 them, they fled in hopes of finding a temporary 
 shelter with you, till they could gain the British 
 frontier, unaware that you yourself were the object 
 of the bitterest rancour to the Maharajah. Over- 
 powered with fatigue, for they had ridden nearly 
 eighty miles without food or rest, and arrived 
 within this short distance of your camp, deeming 
 themselves in safety at least for some hours, they 
 lay down to obtain a short respite of repose. Al- 
 most in the first moment of their slumber, their 
 
318 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 murderers stole upon them, and one who was on the 
 road, bound with all speed upon the errand of your 
 own preservation, witnessed the departure of the 
 assassins, as, all covered with the blood of their 
 victims, and taking with them their horses, and 
 whatever other plunder they had been able to 
 collect, they hurried from the village. The horror- 
 struck spectator continued his journey with all the 
 rapidity which fear could dictate, and on his arrival 
 in camp, hastily communicated to me the fearful 
 scene he had witnessed, as well as the measures 
 which had been taken for securing your own safety. 
 But come, Sahib, this is no place now for us : before 
 morning you must be miles away, or destruction 
 will await not only yourself, but but many others 
 besides." 
 
 He gently touched Har court by the arm, who 
 still remained with his gaze enchained, fascinated 
 by the dreadful spectacle before him : rousing him- 
 self however from his stupor, he staggered after his 
 guide, almost unconscious where his footsteps led 
 him. The old man proceeded towards the gardens 
 of the Maharajah which we have already referred to, 
 and on arriving at the wall, he listened attentively 
 for a few moments, and then opening a small pos- 
 tern door, he motioned to Harcourt to follow him. 
 
 Swiftly but cautiously they moved towards the 
 
HARCOURT. 319 
 
 house, in which a light glimmered at one of the 
 windows only, apparently satisfied with which, the 
 native approached the verandah in its front, where 
 stood a palanquin packed and arranged as if for a 
 journey. 
 
 " The greatest of the perils," he said, addressing 
 Harcourt, " which surrounded you, Dharcoor Sahib, 
 are now passed away : they were many and immi- 
 nent, and such as you, perhaps, unaccustomed to 
 Mahratta duplicity and treachery, would scarcely 
 comprehend. To whose exertions your safety has 
 been owing, should all things terminate as prospe- 
 rously as they have begun, you will one day know ; 
 in the mean time the rest of the journey before you 
 must be completed in this," pointing to the palan- 
 quin, u which, throughout the whole period, is on 
 no account to be opened, even during the night, but 
 kept carefully closed, except on such occasions 
 as it may be set down during the relief of the 
 bearers, when for a given time you will find your- 
 self alone. Any infringement of these instructions 
 will not only be productive of instantaneous de- 
 struction to yourself, but incur the risk of being 
 equally fatal to those, who have hazarded life, and 
 more than life, to preserve you from that doom 
 which has so unhappily befallen your friends and 
 countrymen." 
 
320 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 He assisted Harcourt to enter the palanquin as 
 lie spoke, the latter having during this period alto- 
 gether recovered his courage and presence of mind, 
 which instinctively assured him that following 
 the counsel and directions of his guide was the 
 only course for him now to pursue. Having placed 
 himself in the conveyance, and disposed his sabre 
 and pistols so as to be ready to his hand at a 
 moment's warning, he awaited the result of what 
 was subsequently to follow, as the old man, closing 
 the door, and repeating emphatically the word 
 "Remember!" immediately afterwards quitted him. 
 
 Within a quarter of an hour after his depar- 
 ture the light of torches was seen and the sound 
 of human voices heard approaching, which Har- 
 court conjectured proceeded from the bearers who 
 were to carry him on his journey. His surmise 
 proved correct, as the palanquin was almost imme- 
 diately lifted up and he was borne rapidly away. 
 Throughout the night his route continued, the men 
 being changed at each stage with the rapidity of 
 magic ; at times it struck him he heard the clatter 
 of hoofs at a short distance, expressive of a body 
 of horsemen being either in pursuit or following 
 the vehicle as an escort, but the sound was in- 
 distinct, and as they came not near, nor seemed in 
 any way to gain upon them, it was evident the 
 
HARCOURT. 321 
 
 former supposition was unfounded, and twice only 
 when the palanquin was placed on the ground, and 
 he opened the doors of the conveyance, for the pur- 
 pose of breathing the fresh air in greater freedom 
 than could be afforded by the half-closed lattice, 
 Harcourt, as the old man had previously apprised 
 him, found himself wholly alone, the blaze of the 
 torches and the voices of the bearers invariably 
 warning him of their approaching return. 
 
 A short period before day-break, as far as he 
 could judge, he felt the blood rush to his heart, and 
 then course fiercely through his veins, as the con- 
 viction forced itself upon his mind, that he was 
 in the midst of a large body of troops proceeding 
 upon a service, of the nature of which he felt too 
 well assured. It was evident, however, that the 
 vehicle which conveyed him, everywhere inspired 
 the highest degree of respect, as the ranks were 
 opened, and way promptly made for its advance 
 upon the instant, though in what this feeling origi- 
 nated it was impossible for him to conceive. 
 
 As morning dawned he was enabled to observe 
 the interior of the conveyance in which he reclined, 
 which was not only most luxurious, but gorgeous 
 in the extreme. The lining was of rich figured 
 yellow damask, fringed with gold embroidery, with 
 pillows, and rezyes, or coverlets of the finest 
 Y 
 
322 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 cacliemire, of a similar colour ; it was different in 
 construction from those generally in use among 
 Europeans, being much broader, more commodious, 
 and made of much lighter materials : he was also 
 partially enabled to discover that the exterior was 
 covered with a profusion of gilding, the whole ex- 
 pressive of its having belonged to some person of 
 the highest rank and station. On the roof was a 
 light silk network in which were placed papers of 
 dried fruits, and a description of rusk, or biscuit, 
 which were evidently intended as provisions 
 for the journey. 
 
 For two successive days and nights the route 
 continued, Harcourt wearying himself in the effort 
 to discover who was the being to whose unaccount- 
 able interest in his welfare he had been so much 
 indebted, and vainly endeavouring to arrive at 
 some probable solution, as to how his present sin- 
 gular adventure was to terminate. As the evening- 
 closed in of the second day of his journey, and 
 darkness was falling, the palanquin entered the 
 suburbs of what was evidently a large and populous 
 city. It proceeded for some time through a variety 
 of by-streets, occasionally crossing some wide 
 and well-lighted bazaar the busy hum of which 
 announced the flourishing energy and activity of its 
 commerce and then it entered a vaulted arch way, at 
 
HAECOURT. 323 
 
 which, from the clang of arms which fell upon his 
 ear, and the sound of the measured tread of the 
 sentinels, it was evident a military guard was sta- 
 tioned. Passing onward, it apparently moved 
 through several courts, in one of which it was set 
 down, a voice almost immediately afterwards com* 
 manding the bearers to withdraw. 
 
 There was a period of silence of some moments, 
 during which Harcourt was led to believe he heard 
 a suppressed whispering ; then there was the sound 
 of a door opening close beside him, a hand was 
 laid upon that of the palanquin, and a female voice 
 exclaimed, "Let the noble Surdur* enter without 
 distrust and suspicion, since all danger and 
 hazards are at an end as long as he remains within 
 these walls." 
 
 Harcourt stepped out, and then became aware 
 that he was within the precincts of a court belong- 
 ing to some very large and extensive native build- 
 ing, evidently the residence of a person of high 
 rank or great wealth, and close to a door leading to 
 a narrow staircase, at the entrance of which stood 
 an elderly female, partially veiled, bearing a light, 
 and who, as soon as he appeared, beckoned to him 
 to follow. The Englishman complied without the 
 
 * A term signifying a Military Chief, or Commander of high 
 rank. 
 
324 EOMANCE OF MILITAEY LIFE. 
 
 slightest hesitation ; and passing through the open- 
 ing, they ascended to what seemed to be a square 
 gallery, extending round the sides of an inner 
 court, the balustrades of which were of curiously 
 antique carving in teak-wood, almost black by 
 age. Branching from this, at one of the angles 
 at the extremity, was a broad passage, appa- 
 rently leading to other apartments, from several 
 doors opening into it, and at one of these his 
 guide stopped. Touching a lock or spring, it 
 rolled back upon its hinges, and revealed a small 
 but handsomely furnished chamber, adorned with 
 every description of Eastern luxury and splen- 
 dour. 
 
 Accosting him in imperfect Hindostanee, the 
 female now gave Harcourt to understand that the 
 suite of rooms of which the present one formed 
 the sleeping apartment was to be his abode for 
 some time ; and that irksome as such a confinement 
 must be to him, he must on no account seek to go 
 beyond them, as in doing so, he would not only 
 entail certain death upon himself, but cause the 
 ruin and destruction of many other innocent per- 
 sons, including those through whose influence 
 and exertions his own life had been preserved ; 
 that his sole attendant, during this interval, would 
 be herself, to whom had been assigned the duty of 
 
HAECOURT. 325 
 
 being near him, to answer to his slightest com- 
 mands ; and that every effort would be made 
 during his stay to render his seclusion as agreeable 
 as such a state could permit. 
 
 In saying this having made a reverential orien- 
 tal salutation she withdrew, leaving the soldier 
 alone. Left to himself, Harcourt for a moment 
 glanced round the apartment, which was lighted 
 with perfumed oil from a large silver lamp. Over- 
 come, however, by the fatigue of his journey (for 
 oppressed with anxiety and anguish during its 
 continuance, he had scarcely closed his eyes 
 throughout the whole period), he undressed, and 
 despite the perplexing nature of his present situa- 
 tion, its mystery, and, perhaps, its danger, he threw 
 himself upon a charpoy, and was soon buried in 
 profound repose. 
 
 His slumber was evidently of a deep and length- 
 ened character; as the next morning, when he 
 awoke, the sun was streaming brightly through the 
 lattice of the chamber. He started up ; a strain of 
 soft sweet music seemed to ring upon his ear, and 
 for some moments he was doubtful of the reality of 
 all that had passed. The reminiscences of the 
 last few days, however, quickly and vividly recurred 
 to his mind, and as he sprang from his couch, he 
 became sensible of the nature of his position. 
 
326 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 The music lie had heard proceeded from a hand- 
 some ormolu French clock, chiming the hour of 
 eight ; and the air it played a pretty little ro- 
 mance which he well remembered having heard 
 in former days caused him to press his hand 
 tightly to his heart, as if endeavouring to keep 
 down the aching and spasmodic emotion that arose 
 within him. Almost in the same instant his atten- 
 dant of the preceding evening entered the apart- 
 ment, bearing a tray containing the bread, fruit, 
 and other suitable refreshments, forming the usual 
 oriental meal of the morning. 
 
 Having placed these on a low inlaid table, she 
 again withdrew ; and the soldier found himself 
 once more alone. Left to his own reflections, 
 Harcourt turned his attention towards examining 
 his chamber, which excited within him no less 
 curiosity than surprise ; and in the richness which 
 distinguished it, he had certainly never met with 
 anything similar throughout his Eastern career; 
 though he called to mind having frequently heard 
 it asserted that the houses of the omrahs, or nobles, 
 and opulent natives, often exhibited in their in- 
 terior (to which few persons beyond their own im- 
 mediate family circle were ever admitted), a degree 
 of luxury and splendour, very different to the plain 
 and unadorned style observable in their apartments 
 
HAKCOURT. 327 
 
 usually devoted to the reception of visitors or the 
 transaction of business ; for these, as far as he 
 had observed, formed a singular contrast to the 
 room he now occupied, which, though small, ex- 
 hibited a perfect picture of oriental elegance and 
 richness. 
 
 The doors and lattices were of deeply and beauti- 
 fully carved dark wood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl 
 and every variety of coloured ivory, blending in 
 character with the walls and ceiling, which were 
 covered with a profusion of gilding, intermixed 
 with brightly-painted birds and flowers, in all the 
 gay and brilliant colouring of the East. The floor 
 was carpeted with the choicest productions of the 
 various looms of Hindostan, carelessly scattered 
 over which were several cushions of sky-blue satin, 
 embroidered in gold ; and in various niches in the 
 wall were several very valuable French clocks, of 
 the style generally known as Louis Quatorze ; but 
 with the exception of what we have mentioned, 
 and the small table and charpoy upon which Har- 
 court had slept during the night, the apartment was 
 destitute of furniture, in the European acceptation 
 of the term. These two last-named articles were 
 of wood, covered with thick plates of massive 
 silver, carved in workmanship of the most highly- 
 finished description, while the bedding and cover- 
 
328 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 lets of the latter were formed of shawls of the 
 finest cachemire. 
 
 Leading from this chamber was a small bathing 
 room, with water placed in vessels of earthenware, 
 and large folds of linen ready for immediate use ; 
 while at the opposite extremity it opened upon one 
 much larger, of a character similar to the first, and 
 round which ran a gallery of fretwork, reaching 
 within a few feet of the ceiling. In this apart- 
 ment Harcourt found writing materials, and, some- 
 what to his astonishment, several French works, 
 more than half a century old, and which, appa- 
 rently placed there as a source of recreation to him- 
 self, had in all probability once belonged to those 
 earlier gallant French adventurers, whose presence 
 was everywhere welcomed throughout Central 
 India, under the power and influence of the re- 
 nowned and celebrated Bussy (the French Clive), 
 till the genius and brilliant talents of that great 
 soldier and statesmen became neutralized by the 
 mean jealousy of Lally, a feeling which led to 
 those reverses that ultimately terminated in the 
 downfall of the empire of his countrymen in the 
 East, and in consigning himself to the scaffold. 
 
 On preparing to dress, he found that during the 
 night his clothes had been removed, and a plain 
 but rich Mahratta costume substituted in their 
 
HARCOUKT. 329 
 
 place. His arms, however, remained ; and satisfied 
 of the necessity for the change, considering the 
 peculiar nature of his present situation, he at once 
 assumed the dress that had evidently been left for 
 the purpose. The day glided away without his 
 seeing any one but the female slave we have 
 already adverted to, w^ho, ever watchful and on the 
 alert to comply with his slightest wishes, appeared 
 studiously to avoid anything like a prolonged con- 
 versation with him, which her real or affected 
 ignorance of the Hindostanee language rendered her 
 the more easily able to elude, though, apparently, 
 readily comprehending the meaning of any want 
 which he occasionally gave expression to. Har- 
 court's only resource, therefore, lay in the books 
 we have mentioned, the contents of which, unfortu- 
 nately, were not altogether of a nature likely to 
 prove attractive for any lengthened period. 
 
 In this manner hours, days, the space of nearly 
 three weeks had passed over, and Harcourt had 
 begun to feel impatient under the restraint he was 
 compelled to endure, and, indeed, in some measure 
 to find his health fail, in consequence of a mode of 
 existence so wholly different from what his previous 
 active life had been accustomed to. This was ap- 
 parently observed, as one morning, when in the 
 larger chamber,, a letter was dropped from the 
 
330 ROMANCE. OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 gallery above, which alighted at his feet. As he 
 picked it up, he saw at a glance it was in the same 
 handwriting as the two previous communications 
 which had reached him, and on opening it read 
 the following words : 
 
 " Have patience ; your confinement draws to- 
 wards a conclusion ; but the clouds which hovered 
 round you, threatening destruction on every side, 
 though they are dispersed, have not yet altogether 
 subsided. The search after you has been long- 
 continued and unremitting, having been conducted 
 with all the skill, cunning, and malignity which 
 baffled hate and the most persevering enmity 
 could dictate, rendering the discovery of any other 
 place of refuge than the one in which you have 
 found shelter sure and certain. That sanctuary 
 has been found under the roof of your bitterest 
 enemy, in the very Zenana of Holkar himself, who 
 little J dreams that the foe he pursues to death 
 with such unrelenting perseverance, as the being 
 who has destroyed his long-cherished visions, alike 
 of vengeance and ambition each night rests in 
 peace and security under the same dwelling as 
 himself!" 
 
 It would be difficult to pourtray the feelings of 
 astonishment with which Harcourt perused this 
 singular and unexpected epistle. That he owed 
 
HAECOURT. 331 
 
 his preservation to some extraordinary exertion of 
 female influence was now plainly manifest: but 
 to whose counsels and guidance could he ascribe 
 the prudence, daring, and skilful ability, which 
 had effected so successful a result in an enterprise 
 fraught with such imminent peril to all engaged in 
 its execution ? It was in vain he tried to arrive 
 at any solution of the question connected with this 
 adventure, which was only rendered the more re- 
 markable from the extraordinary degree of fidelity 
 and secrecy which must have been observed in 
 conducting it. 
 
 It was a short time only after this occurrence 
 that, one night, Harcourt, having dismissed his 
 attendant, had retired to rest, when he was 
 aroused from slumber by the sounds of a confused 
 uproar and disturbance, which, distant at first, 
 seemed to grow more distinct in its nearer ap- 
 proach to his own chamber. He started up, un- 
 able in any way to account for this extraordinary 
 contrast to the usual quietude and stillness which, 
 up to this period, had so universally prevailed 
 around him. Suddenly the confusion appeared 
 greatly to increase, and became intermingled with 
 wild cries of alarm, accompanied by piercing 
 screams. 
 
 Harcourt sprang towards his arms, and with a 
 
332 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 pistol in one hand, and his sabre in the other, he 
 awaited the denouement of what was about to occur. 
 He was not long left in doubt, as the door of his 
 apartment suddenly, but quietly opening, gave to 
 view the person of his attendant, accompanied by 
 three other females, closely veiled, who remained 
 without, while one of them exclaimed, in a voice 
 which it struck the Englishman at the time was 
 not unfamiliar to his ear, "Quick, quick! the 
 hour has arrived, and he must leave on the 
 instant!" 
 
 Swiftly, but half mechanically, the soldier fol- 
 lowed their footsteps, and passing through the 
 gallery, and down the staircase into the court 
 below, which we have already adverted to, they 
 hurried across it, and from thence successively 
 into several others. On every side they encoun- 
 tered groups of terrified women flying with alarm, 
 which, as they reached the exterior buildings of 
 the palace, became intermingled with men, while 
 cries which, suppressed at first, became every 
 moment louder in their exclamation, continually 
 arose of, " Maharajah dewanee hoguya!" ("The 
 sovereign has gone mad.") 
 
 Upon entering a large square, in the centre of 
 which was a broad gateway, where a military guard 
 was stationed who were now under arms, the 
 
HARCOURT. 333 
 
 party turned down towards a small door at the 
 opposite extremity. It proved to be open, and, 
 passing through, they found themselves beyond 
 the walls of the palace, around which a dense crowd 
 had now begun to assemble. They made their 
 way without the least hindrance, or being in any 
 way questioned ; the populace being too anxiously 
 occupied to notice them, as the vague rumours every- 
 where circulated relative to what was the cause of 
 the confusion which prevailed, led to the impres- 
 sion that some hostile movement, or endeavour to 
 plunder the bazaars of the city would be attempted, 
 a not unusual occurrence in Indian capitals, when 
 scenes of a similar description have occurred. 
 
 On emerging from the throng, the party pro- 
 ceeded rapidly through the city, avoiding the larger 
 and more populous streets, and passing down those 
 which, at this late hour, were either silent or de- 
 serted. After some time they reached the suburbs, 
 and found themselves in the open country, not far 
 from the high road. Ketreating from the last, they 
 struck across some fields, the women increasing 
 their pace at times to a run, and at length arrived 
 at what appeared a ruined mosque, situated in the 
 midst of some trees, where stood several palanquins 
 with their bearers in readiness, attended by a small 
 body of horsemen, whose lances were planted in 
 
334 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 the ground by their chargers' heads, the animals 
 being bridled and saddled, with the reins hanging 
 loosely over the shoulders of their riders, as if on 
 the watch to move at a minute's notice. 
 
 " Now is our time," said the same voice which 
 Harcourt had previously heard, and one of the 
 females, approaching him, pointed to the nearest pa- 
 lanquin, as if intimating by the motion that he was 
 to enter it; " We have a long journey before us, 
 and it is best that we reach the place of our desti- 
 nation with all speed, as there is no knowing what 
 the events of this night may eventually give 
 rise to."* 
 
 The Englishman entered the conveyance, which 
 
 * The night here alluded to must be the same as that de- 
 scribed in Sir John Malcolm's History of Central India, wherein 
 he mentions, that the insanity of Holkar of which premonitory 
 warnings had long previously appeared all at once burst forth 
 in the most outrageous frenzy, and was first discovered to the 
 people of the capital by the ladies of the Zenana and the whole 
 of its inmates rushing from the palace in the dead of the night, 
 frantic with terror, and declaring that the Maharajah had at- 
 tempted to murder several of them. After some consultation 
 among his ministers, a party of soldiers was ordered into the 
 interior apartments, where the unhappy prince was found en- 
 deavouring to secrete himself. He was overpowered and secured, 
 though not without considerable difficulty, as, owing to his 
 great personal strength, it required the utmost exertions on the 
 part of the whole guard to master him, when he was obliged to 
 be pinioned like a wild beast. No lucid interval, it would 
 appear, ever afterwards revisited him. 
 
HARCOURT. 335 
 
 was promptly lifted from the ground, the horsemen 
 sprang into their saddles, and the whole cavalcade 
 moved off with as much rapidity as their mode of 
 travelling admitted, a guarded silence Ibeing main- 
 tained even for a long time after the capital had 
 been left behind them. 
 
 For three nights and two days the journey con- 
 tinued almost without intermission, the relays of 
 bearers being apparently vigilantly on the watch, 
 and no time lost in changing them. Twice only, 
 during the heat of the day, the palanquins were 
 put down, at which period Harcourt always found 
 himself alone, with the exception of two or three 
 of the horsemen who were in attendance upon him 
 for the purpose of procuring anything he required ; 
 though he could perceive, at no great distance, and 
 generally withdrawn from view as much as pos- 
 sible, several other conveyances of a similar nature, 
 which were evidently accompanying him on his 
 route. 
 
 On the morning of the third day, as dawn was 
 just visible above the horizon, they passed a broad 
 and rapid river, which, from the features of the 
 country upon its banks, appearing in some mea- 
 sure familiar to his memory, Harcourt guessed 
 to be the Nerbudda; that stream forming the 
 eastern boundary of Holkar's dominions between 
 
336 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 the British territory and the state of Bhopal. On 
 landing on the opposite side, after a further con- 
 tinuance of their route between three and four 
 miles, the loud shouts of the bearers, the usual 
 intimation of their being near the end of their 
 journey, caused the Englishman to look out, when 
 he became aware of their approaching a small 
 encampment, situated in a thick grove of trees 
 near a large village. In a few minutes more, amid 
 the cries of " Earn, ram ! "* as the conveyance was 
 set down, he found himself surrounded with all his 
 old servants, who had evidently been awaiting him, 
 and who now greeted their master's presence and 
 safe return with an applause and sincerity of 
 feeling, the more remarkable from Harcourt's 
 bearing towards them ; which, while never harsh, 
 imperious, or even insulting, as is too often the 
 case with Europeans in regard to natives, in its 
 cold and reserved exterior, presented a marked con- 
 trast to that respectful familiarity ever found sub- 
 sisting between the French and their dependents, 
 which, in its consequences, has often been pro- 
 ductive of advantages to them in many countries 
 
 * An exclamation expressive of " bravo," or " well done/' 
 common among the natives of India, and usually given utter- 
 ance to by palanquin-bearers on the termination of a journey, 
 or after a very long and fatiguing stage. 
 
HARCOUET. 337 
 
 besides India, that their English rivals are very 
 little aware of. 
 
 Almost, however, "before he could acknowledge 
 the greeting of his dependents, the soldier became 
 sensible of a singular feeling which pervaded his 
 whole frame, the force and intensity of which 
 seemed to overpower him on the instant. He 
 tried to speak, but his tongue failed him ; his 
 entire form seemed palsied by cold, his teeth 
 chattered like castanets, while liquid fire appeared 
 pouring through every vessel in his brain. In the 
 next moment he sunk upon the ground, and a few 
 hours afterwards lay stretched upon his couch, in 
 all the danger and delirium of one of the worst 
 fevers of the country. 
 
338 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 FOR days and weeks Harcourt remained in a 
 most precarious state, hovering between life and 
 death. His whole existence was a world of dreams, 
 in which fearful visions of the past became inter- 
 mingled with fantastic ideas relative to the present, 
 alternating, in the various stages of the dangerous 
 disorder which had seized him, between the phrensy 
 of delirium, and that utter prostration of mental 
 and bodily strength, which places even the most 
 trifling exertion beyond the remotest possibility 
 of being attempted. 
 
 And yet sometimes he would task his mind to 
 the utmost, in the endeavour to remember what 
 was passing around him, though all that he could 
 recal was the appearance of a middle-aged, in- 
 telligent looking man, an European, who at times 
 stood by his bedside, and spoke to him both in 
 French and English, succeeded by what he 
 deemed the feverish phantasy of his own dis- 
 
HARCOURT. 339 
 
 ordered vision, in the form of several female figures 
 clad in the flowing drapery of the East, who seemed 
 to glide like spirits with noiseless tread around 
 him. During this period the heated volcano that 
 pressed upon the brain apparently never ceased 
 for an instant, even when the agonized frame be- 
 came blue in its fleshy colouring, from the violence 
 of the cold which at intervals paralysed its entire 
 being. 
 
 Thus time passed on. One clear, bright after- 
 noon, after a prolonged and unusually severe extent 
 of suffering, the invalid had sunk into a profound 
 slumber, in the course of which a marked and de- 
 cided change seemed to take place in the progress 
 of his malady. Deeper and yet deeper that 
 slumber continued, until the apparent loneliness of 
 the solitude which reigned around, appeared to 
 steep the senses of the sleeper into the most 
 absolute oblivion, engendering a feeling of tran- 
 quillity and repose, that was still not altogether 
 without some degree of consciousness, which 
 seemed to create, in its ideal hemisphere, a thin 
 transparent mist, that filled the entire space in 
 which he lay, the prelude to a cool, gentle breeze 
 that issued from it, imparting a sense of delicious 
 freshness to the seared brain, and wearied, fevered 
 form of the sufferer. He felt that influence he had 
 
340 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 once before experienced amid the pestilential 
 marshes of the African coast, though unlike then, 
 he heard nothing, saw nothing, though he knew 
 that that same unseen and hidden spirit was ex- 
 tending its benign and soothing power over him, 
 in clearing his mind from the phantasies which 
 oppressed it. And for hours this deep and pro- 
 longed sleep continued, and so calm and tranquil 
 was its nature, that a spectator might almost have 
 been led to believe the spirit of life had passed 
 away from its earthly tenement. 
 
 It was towards the approach of one of those 
 bright and gorgeous Eastern sunsets, that after a 
 period of upwards of three weeks' suffering, Har- 
 court first awoke to consciousness, and gazed for a 
 moment in doubt and bewilderment upon the scene 
 which immediately presented itself to his view, 
 which almost rendered him disposed to question the 
 reality of the events of the last two months, and 
 to consider them as the mere chimeras of a dis- 
 ordered imagination, consequent upon his illness. 
 He was in his own tent, a very large and hand- 
 some one, forming one of an entire suite, lined with 
 red cloth, which had been presented to him by 
 Jeswunt Row only a twelvemonth previous, when 
 he was in the height of his favour with the Maha- 
 rajah : the furniture was exactly the same as he 
 
HARCOURT. 341 
 
 left it the night of the murder of his comrades, 
 when the mysterious warning he had received 
 alone saved him from a similar fate, his arms, 
 books, everything appeared in exactly the same 
 position, no change whatever apparently having 
 taken place since then, with the exception that 
 without, the usual stir of a camp had now given 
 place to the most profound stillness. 
 
 What we have described was visible to the 
 Englishman at a glance, on his first restoration to 
 a sense of what was passing around him, but on 
 attempting to raise his voice, or even to turn him- 
 self upon his couch, he found himself so utterly 
 debilitated by weakness, as to be wholly incapable 
 of the one, and scarcely able with the utmost 
 difficulty to effect the other. He had, however, after 
 considerable exertion accomplished the last, before 
 he became aware of one object in the tent, which 
 at first had escaped him, and the sight of which 
 half led him to believe that even now he was 
 still under the delusion of some disordered vision. 
 
 Seated by his bedside, on a large cushion, was a 
 very young and beautiful native girl, whose years 
 seemed scarcely to have passed the boundaries of 
 childhood. She was fast asleep, with her head 
 leaning against the side of the couch, and it was 
 evident from her deep and almost breathless repose, 
 
342 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 as well as the weariness and exhaustion pour tray ed 
 upon her features, that slumber had stolen upon her 
 senses when oppressed, and no longer able to bear 
 up against the spirit of fatigue which had over- 
 powered her. She was exquisitely lovely, the 
 eyes were firmly closed in the deep Lethean trance 
 in which she was buried, but the long dark silken 
 lashes rested in their jetty fringe upon the downy 
 rounded cheek, the complexion of which, of the 
 hue and fairness of that Arab race inhabiting the 
 range of the Alpuxarras (the mountain land, skirt- 
 ing the rich garden province of Grenada), was 
 rendered the more glowing by the slighest tinge 
 of colour, which in its peach-like brightness 
 seemed to enhance the expression of her features 
 to more perfect beauty. The finely cut lips were 
 half open, revealing teeth which in their pearly 
 whiteness rivalled the ivory of Serendeb ; * the 
 beautiful head lay upon one rounded arm which 
 equalled that of a Phidian statue, while the other 
 hung listlessly by her side ; but the hands and un- 
 slippered feet, they were so small, they seemed 
 actually almost infantile in their petite fairy-like 
 proportions. 
 
 As Harcourt gazed bewildered upon the bright 
 vision seated near him, he was for the moment half 
 
 * Ceylon. 
 
HARCOURT. 343 
 
 disposed to give credit to the Eastern legends lie 
 had heard, relative to the Gins and Peris which oc- 
 casionally visited the earth, particularly when after 
 his first astonishment had passed away, his atten- 
 tion was turned towards her costume, which 
 consisted of a flowing drapery of white muslin, 
 completely enshrouding the figure, leaving only 
 the lower part of her crimson silk peijamas, or 
 trousers exposed to view. In contrast to this sim- 
 plicity, however, jewels of apparently great value, 
 were mingled in the dark braids of her jet black 
 clustering hair, which, parted in front, fell in thick 
 masses over her shoulders, while around her finely- 
 moulded, delicate, swan-like neck, was a pearl neck- 
 lace, the beads of which were of uncommon size, 
 the clasp that held them being composed of one 
 large diamond of the most lustrous beauty. 
 
 Lost in wonder, the Englishman closed his eyes, 
 to shut out what he believed to be an object created 
 by his still fevered and excited imagination. On 
 re-opening them, however, they again fell upon the 
 fair vision seated as before, so still, so motionless, 
 his thoughts might well have led him to believe it 
 was a being of another sphere that he beheld be- 
 fore him. He tried to speak, in hopes that his 
 voice would dispel the illusion, but either through 
 weakness, or perhaps an ill-defined feeling par- 
 
344 KOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 taking in some measure of superstitious awe, created 
 by long and continued illness, his voice failed him. 
 and the words he would have spoken, seemed al- 
 most suppressed as they rose to his lips. 
 
 Suddenly he heard a low and distinct voice behind 
 him, which in guarded and cautious tones said, 
 " Meet-ha Meet-ha, my child, you have fallen 
 asleep in so obstinately adhering to the determina- 
 tion of continuing your watch, when the Hukeem 
 Sahib * told you it was beyond your strength, after 
 so many successive days and nights of a similar 
 duty, and that you would only injure your own 
 health in doing so." 
 
 Harcourt had half closed his eyes as these words 
 reached him, but he saw the beautiful being spring 
 to her feet with the grace and agility of an antelope, 
 and placing her finger on her lips, reply in the 
 same subdued tone, " Mother, what the Hukeem 
 Sahib foretold, has been already accomplished ; his 
 sleep has been prolonged up to this period without 
 the slightest suffering, the crisis has arrived, and 
 our noble preserver will be saved, as throughout 
 the whole period since the opiate was administered, 
 nought but the utmost tranquillity has prevailed, 
 all raving and delirium has ceased, and it was per- 
 haps the effect of this unusual silence that lulled 
 
 * Physician. 
 
HARCOURT. 345 
 
 my own senses to repose, when I should have been 
 vigilant and watchful." 
 
 " At least no evil has resulted from the circum- 
 stance," was the reply; and the soldier became 
 aware that a second female had entered the tent, 
 whom he could perceive to be a person of tall and 
 commanding figure, of middle age, and whose re- 
 lationship to the younger one it would have been 
 easy to determine, had not the address of the 
 latter proclaimed the tie which existed between 
 them. 
 
 " It wants still an hour to the period when the 
 Hukeem Sahib mentioned the patient might be 
 awakened, should he be unable to be with us at 
 the period he anticipated," continued the elder 
 lady, " and he yet slumbers in the deep lethargy 
 caused by past suffering; but now that there is 
 some chance of his restoration to healthful life, tell 
 me, Meet-ha, what will this man be to you?" 
 
 The young girl cast down her eyes, a bright 
 crimson flush suffused her features, which was 
 succeeded by an expression of acute pain, followed 
 by the most deadly paleness. After some time she 
 seemed to subdue her emotion, and replied in low 
 but firm accents "Mother, we have discharged our 
 duty to our benefactor and preserver, to him who 
 saved us from a fate we dare not even think of." 
 
346 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 " That obligation at least has been requited in 
 the active and continued exertions which have 
 twice snatched him from the very jaws of destruc- 
 tion. Whose influence but your own could have 
 persuaded your father's Soucar,* old Ram Dass, 
 timid and fearful as he is, to undertake the office 
 of proceeding to his camp, and settling himself 
 there as a banyan, to warn him of his danger, and 
 circumvent it when he arrived, which his ex- 
 traordinary means of intelligence alone enabled 
 him to effect? Who but yourself could have in- 
 duced your father's devoted and faithful retainers 
 to enter upon a service that must inevitably have 
 sacrificed not only their own lives, but ours, to the 
 despot's wrath, had but the most trifling suspicion 
 been entertained, that the palanquin they escorted 
 to Indore, not only violated the sacred precincts of 
 the Zenana, but actually contained the enemy he 
 had sought for with such unrelenting and implac- 
 able perseverance. I speak not of your attendance 
 at his bedside during the past month, as however 
 compromising it may have been in the eyes of our 
 people, as equally unbecoming our race, rank, and 
 station, gratitude may not only have justified, but 
 sanctified the act ; though now that this duty has 
 every prospect of being brought to a termination, let 
 
 * Banker. 
 
HAECOURT. 347 
 
 me repeat the question I have before put to you, What 
 further interest will this stranger possess for you?" 
 
 There was a pause of some minutes, which was 
 again broken by the elder lady saying sternly, 
 a Girl, remember who and what you are, and think 
 not to disguise from me what your true feelings 
 are : gratitude for services rendered is indeed an 
 obligation of the holiest nature, and one to which 
 our race have never been indifferent, but it seldom 
 leads to the reckless hazardous risks in which you 
 have involved not only yourself, but all around you; 
 emblem indeed of that wayward, yet noble blood, 
 which adhered to an outlawed chief, in preference 
 to accepting the rank, wealth, and dignities, which 
 were proffered to his acceptance by the greatest 
 rulers of Hindostan." 
 
 "Mother," said the young girl softly, yet proudly, 
 and steadfastly regarding her parent, " did he, 
 whose fortunes my gallant father adhered to in all 
 their bitterness and adversity, did he in the period 
 of his power and greatness, even when a terror to 
 all around him, ever forget what he owed to his 
 brave and loyal soldier ? At his fall, who directed 
 the arm and spirit which avenged him ? who shel- 
 tered the orphan under his own roof as his most 
 cherished, honoured, and royal guest? who secured 
 to her the wealth she inherited, and added largely 
 
348 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 to its substance, who but the prince he had so 
 nobly, so faithfully served?" 
 
 " Were you mindful of these benefits, Meet-ha," 
 replied the elder lady, " when you incurred the risk 
 of blighting your name and honour, however inno- 
 cent, and sacrificing yourself as well as the lives of 
 the most devoted adherents of your family, in shel- 
 tering the enemy of that being to whom you declare 
 you owe so much?" 
 
 " Mother," returned her daughter calmly, " of all 
 the great and manifold services my father ever 
 rendered to the Maharajah Jeswunt Row Holkar, 
 none have ever exceeded that conferred by his child, 
 in rescuing her benefactor's name and memory 
 for alas ! both fame and name in regard to him 
 now are of the past, from the stain of the blackest 
 treachery, the foulest, the most ungrateful baseness, 
 exercised too towards one, whom we were bound by 
 every human tie and feeling to revere." 
 
 "Under his auspices," said the mother sadly, 
 " you might have entered into the marriage state, 
 in a manner becoming your birth and station, but 
 all was rejected, and now, among the Eajahpoot 
 nobles and princes, think you no other motives will 
 be attached to what has recently transpired, than 
 those which have actuated you, which will wholly 
 preclude such an event?" 
 
HARCOURT. 349 
 
 " Mother," replied the young girl firmly, " none 
 know better than yourself, that the heart and 
 affections of the Kajahpootne are rarely lightly, 
 and never unworthily bestowed. Who gave her- 
 self to the brave and noble and yet then impove- 
 rished and outlawed Bulwunt Sing ? and who has 
 since said, time after time, even when weeping with 
 anguish for his untimely fate, " were life to be re- 
 newed, my choice should ever be the same ?" Be not 
 unjust then with me, that I equally participate in 
 this feeling of our race, for believe me, sooner would 
 I become a Suttee,* than give myself to one un- 
 worthy of my father's honoured name." 
 
 The elder lady gazed steadfastly and fixedly 
 upon her daughter. " Tour affections, then," she 
 said after a slight pause, "are irrevocably, irre- 
 trievably given to this unknown stranger?" 
 
 A stream of sunshine at this instant poured into 
 the tent, and falling upon the countenance of the 
 young girl, seemed to lighten it into an absolute 
 glow of deep, intense burning crimson, as casting 
 down her eyes, she murmured "The Rajahpootne' 
 has been sought in marriage by the Mahomedan 
 Sovereigns of Delhi, who have deemed themselves 
 honoured in such an alliance." 
 
 " True, Meet-ha, but they were princes and rulers 
 
 * Mount the funeral pile. 
 
350 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 in the land, and mingling their blood with that of 
 our race was of advantage to both, and to the 
 people over whom they reigned. But when has the 
 European ever formed any ties of a holy and bind- 
 ing nature in this country? He stands a class 
 apart if you will, the lord, the absorbing conqueror 
 of all with whom he is brought in contact, yet ever 
 still in the midst of all the sects, castes, and people 
 that surround him, the same isolated being, here 
 for a time, and then away to his own far western 
 land of Frangestan ; beside, know you aught as to 
 who or what this stranger is ?" 
 
 " His soldiers used to say, they had heard he 
 was of a high and noble race in his own land, but 
 he is brave and honourable, and one whose name 
 and deeds are a theme in the mouths of every one, 
 as emblematic of the gallant soldier, the just and 
 beneficent ruler." 
 
 "That he is all that you describe I am well 
 aware, and believe also there is every possibility of 
 his being what his sepoys have described him; 
 but were he ranked even among the most power- 
 ful princes of Frangestan, would that remove the 
 bar that exists between you ? Besides, Meet-ha, my 
 child," and the elder lady hesitated for a moment, 
 "have you forgotten what occurred only two days 
 since, when the fever reached its height, and we 
 
HARCOURT. 351 
 
 then became aware of the real nature of the 
 supposed charm he wears continually round his 
 neck?" 
 
 Now indeed a change came over the countenance 
 of the young girl, which once more became pale 
 as ashes, an expression of the acutest anguish 
 overspreading every feature, as with one hand 
 pressed to her side, she caught at a table for sup- 
 port with the other. " True true," she mur- 
 mured, " how beautiful it was! yet the Hukeem 
 Sahib assured me it was a memorial of the dead." 
 " Memorials of the dead, my child," replied her 
 mother gravely, " when guarded with so much care, 
 presage but little of affection for the living; there 
 may be ' her daughter's head fell upon her 
 shoulder, the figure of the youthful Princess being 
 stiff and rigid as if locked in the embrace of 
 death. 
 
 " Meet-ha! Meet-ha! my child, oh, my child !" 
 exclaimed the agonized parent, " look at me, only 
 look at me, my beloved one ! do what you please, 
 act as you will, I will accompany you anywhere, 
 to the furthest extremity of the earth. Oh ! daughter 
 of my heart, look at me, but once more, my sweet- 
 est, and dearest." 
 
 " Hush, hush mother! " said the young girl, whom 
 a spirit of alarm seemed to revive; "hush! or you 
 
352 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 will awake him," and she pointed towards Har- 
 court's couch; "remember what the Hukeem Sahib 
 said would be the consequence, in the event of any 
 sudden shock arousing him from his slumber. I 
 am better now, and feel you are right, but what 
 does it not cost me to make the avowal ? The mar- 
 riage state I can never hope to enjoy, but on my 
 noble preserver's recovery, I will transmit him the 
 Rakee,* and as my bound brother, in his own far 
 
 * Bracelet. Among the Rajapoot tribes, there exists a custom 
 somewhat similar to that prevalent in Europe in the days 
 of chivalry, which authorizes a lady to send to any one she 
 may select, a bracelet, either as a pledge of her esteem for ser- 
 vices of the greatest value rendered her, as a demand for 
 assistance, or as an injunction to avenge her, should there exist 
 no possibility of coming to her immediate aid. The person to 
 whom this pledge is forwarded, becomes in the language of the 
 country the " Rakee bund bha'ee," or bracelet-bound brother of 
 the lady by whom it is sent, a tie in the estimation of the Raja- 
 pootne, of the holiest and most sacred nature, which even that 
 of blood and consanguinity cannot exceed. Though usually 
 confined to themselves, there is apparently no law rendering it 
 of an exclusive character, as in the annals of India, there are 
 two instances of this gallant distinction having been sent to 
 Mahomedan Princes, who both nobly redeemed the pledge its 
 acceptance was intended to convey. The first was the Emperor 
 Humayoon, the second was one of the earlier AfFghan Sovereigns 
 of the northern Deccan. For a detail of the circumstance em- 
 bodying the tragic and eventful history which led to the former's 
 receipt and adoption of the obligation the bracelet conveyed, the 
 reader is referred to the various Histories of Hindostan. 
 more particularly to that most interesting and able work, 
 Colonel Tod's Rajapootana. 
 
HARCOURT. 353 
 
 distant and happy land, or wherever he may roam, 
 he will perhaps, sometimes think of the poor Rajah- 
 pootne girl whom he saved, who to the end of life 
 will have every thought of her heart turned towards 
 the remembrance of him." Choking sobs for the 
 moment burst from her bosom ; but almost imme- 
 diately with wonderful firmness suppressing them, 
 she continued as if wishing to dismiss a subject 
 which had agitated her so much, " The sun will 
 set ere another half-hour expires, and the Hukeem 
 Sahib will then be here." 
 
 The mother clasped her child to her heart, as if 
 she understood the nature of the appeal these words 
 conveyed, and the utmost silence prevailed through- 
 out the tent. 
 
 During the whole of this conversation, Harcourt 
 had been an unwilling listener, and several times 
 had essayed to speak, to let the ladies know that he 
 was aware of their presence, but to such a state of 
 weakness and prostration was he reduced, that each 
 effort he made to raise his voice only seemed to 
 create, if possible, a still greater degree of debility. 
 What with the long illness he had endured, and 
 the effect of the opiate that had been administered, 
 which had again commenced its influence over him, 
 and was gradually sealing his senses in that state 
 of slumber, or torpor rather, from which he had 
 A A 
 
354 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 temporarily awakened, his brain could scarcely al- 
 together comprehend the nature of all that he had 
 heard, although the face and figure of the young 
 beauty had been indelibly impressed upon his 
 memory, as well as the reminiscence of all that she 
 had risked and endured for his sake. As his mind 
 wandered, and he vainly struggled to embody into 
 a distinct form, or clear and explicit train of ideas, 
 the illusions which had reached him, sleep in its 
 heaviest, deepest form, again overtook him, and 
 once more he was buried in profound repose. 
 
 In an hour afterwards he again awoke ; the 
 shades of evening were closing in, a fresh yet 
 gentle breeze imparted a luxuriant influence 
 throughout the tent, and weakened and prostrate 
 as he yet was, Harcourt could not but be sensible 
 that he was a different being to what he had been, 
 even so short a period previously. The first object 
 he encountered as his eyes unclosed, was the figure 
 of an elderly, benevolent looking man, evidently a 
 medical gentleman, who stood by his bedside, hold- 
 ing his wrist, and the expression of whose coun- 
 tenance was expressive of the satisfaction the 
 renovated state of the invalid afforded him. 
 
 " You have had a severe trial," he said to Har- 
 court, " but the worst is now passed, and we have 
 every reason to hope that, by care and attention, 
 
HARCOURT. 355 
 
 you will soon be on the road to complete and per- 
 fect recovery. I should apologise to you perhaps 
 for using English, were I not riot led to believe 
 you at least understand, if not speak it." 
 
 " I speak it perfectly." 
 
 " I am glad to hear it, but for the present must 
 place a most peremptory prohibition upon any con- 
 versation taking place, the most absolute quietude 
 being requisite for some days yet. I shall now bid 
 you adieu, but will again see you in the morning, 
 though before my departure will prescribe what I 
 have every expectation will produce a yet further 
 amelioration before I again see yon." 
 
 He took from the table as he spoke a glass con- 
 taining a liquid, which to Harcourt appeared a 
 description of lemonade, and the freshness of which 
 seemed to diffuse itself throughout his whole frame. 
 It is not improbable that it contained either some 
 new opiate, or acted upon that already adminis- 
 tered ; as shortly after its being taken a gentle lan- 
 guor stole over him, and he again sunk into a deep 
 sleep, which continued with scarcely any intermis- 
 sion throughout the entire night ; his medical 
 attendant in the morning, on making his promised 
 visit, finding his state of improvement far beyond 
 what his most sanguine expectations could have led 
 him to anticipate. 
 
356 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 From this period the health of Harcourt conti- 
 nued progressively to return, and after a few days 
 he was permitted to have some conversation with 
 his kind physician, the only person he saw, 
 with the exception of one or two confidential do- 
 mestics, especially directed by the latter to wait 
 upon him ; all others belonging to his household, or 
 whoever else might be near him, being rigidly ex- 
 cluded from the tent by the latter's orders, and the 
 receipt of all notes, letters, or communications of 
 any kind being inflexibly prohibited, to guard 
 against all chance of any relapse occurring. From 
 this gentleman Harcourt learned every particular 
 relative to his recent illness. He was the sur- 
 geon of the English Civil Station, about two miles 
 distant, and had received a sudden summons to 
 attend upon a French officer of distinction, who 
 had fallen dangerously ill while journeying from 
 the capital of Holkar, whose service he had quitted, 
 in consequence of the anarchy and troubles that 
 had ensued upon that prince's malady, which 
 was now pronounced to be wholly beyond relief. 
 On hastening to the spot, he found the officer in 
 question labouring under the influence of one of 
 the worst and most dangerous attacks of jungle 
 fever, and and and . The good Doctor here 
 evidently became extremely embarrassed, and ap- 
 
HARCOURT. 357 
 
 patently earnestly wished to discontinue his nar- 
 rative. 
 
 Harconrt fixed his sunken yet keen eyes upon 
 him as he said calmly, " Go on,, Sir, I beseech you ; 
 if I mistake not, there are two ladies to whom I 
 am greatly indebted not only for your own invalua- 
 ble assistance, but for what has materially tended 
 towards my present restoration and recovery." 
 
 "By Heaven!" returned Dr. Lurgan warmly, 
 " you owe everything to one, who, if ever there was 
 an angel upon earth, she is one. Oh! the devil ! " he 
 muttered in alarm, " now for a scene, I suppose." 
 
 But while apparently listening with extreme in- 
 terest, his patient exhibited none of the excitement 
 the physician had anticipated, and as Harcourt ob- 
 served the latter still hesitated, he again said, 
 " Pray proceed, let me entreat you." 
 
 " Well, Sir," continued the Doctor, " as I am 
 led to believe I can pursue my narrative without 
 danger to yourself, I may mention that on my 
 arrival here, much to my surprise, I was accosted 
 by two native ladies, evidently of high rank, who, 
 in the utmost distress and agitation, implored me 
 to save you. The state of despair of the youngest, 
 I am free to confess, profoundly impressed me. 
 She was, I think, really the most beautiful crea- 
 ture I ever saw ; and as she threw herself at my 
 
358 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 feet, proffered to my acceptance jewels of appa- 
 rently the rarest and greatest value, only con- 
 juring me to preserve the life of her benefactor, as 
 she termed you. I endeavoured to soothe and 
 console her by every means in my power, but, in 
 good sooth, scarcely knew what to say, as a glance 
 was almost sufficient to intimate the dangerous 
 nature of the malady which had seized you. I 
 could therefore only refer to their own favourite 
 doctrine of the Kismet* (destiny), and observe 
 that the fate of all upon earth rested with a far 
 higher power, before which the Hindoo and Euro- 
 pean alike must bow, but that, as regarded myself, 
 no exertions on my own part should be wanting 
 to accomplish a result that would afford me equal 
 pleasure with herself. 
 
 " In some measure tranquillized by my assurances, 
 vague as they were, her grief became calmer ; and 
 constituting herself your head-nurse, from that pe- 
 riod up to the present, when I pronounced you be- 
 yond all danger, she has scarcely ever moved from 
 your bedside ; entreaties, remonstrance, all warnings 
 of danger which might occur from infection, being- 
 alike unavailing in inducing her to withdraw from 
 her self-imposed duty; and as to threats, which, as a 
 
 * Kismet, or Nusseeb. This, though the Mussulman doc- 
 trine, is also peculiar to the Hindoos. 
 
HARCOURT. 359 
 
 last resource, were had recourse to, egad! the 
 young lady quickly manifested that, sweet and 
 gentle as she appeared, there lurks in her no slight 
 portion of the spirit of her race ; and the fire which 
 flashed from her large dark eyes at the intimation 
 at once precluded all chance of its repetition. 
 
 " On being appealed to myself, I deemed it best 
 to indulge her, as the lesser evil of the two, since 
 when the human mind, in an excited and un- 
 healthy state, is resolutely bent upon pursuing any 
 particular object, it is far better to let it take its 
 course ; lest in seeking to prevent the consequences 
 which may arise from its indulgence, we create 
 others of a much more serious nature and greater 
 magnitude than those we wish to avoid. 
 
 " It was not till some days after that I learned the 
 cause of this feeling towards you, from one of her 
 people, who mount guard over you as if in the 
 midst of an enemy's camp which it would appear 
 is derived from the important service you on one 
 occasion rendered both ladies, in preserving them 
 from a fate, to which death were almost preferable 
 in any land, but which in this country is even yet 
 more hateful in its results. You may perhaps not 
 have forgotten the circumstance I have alluded 
 to? 77 
 
 Harcourt recalled to mind the adventure at 
 
360 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 Beejaghur, and the release of the ladies previous 
 to the storm of the fortress. It was to their grati- 
 tude, then, that he owed so much which had pre- 
 served him from the knife of the assassin, had 
 induced them to risk their own lives to secure 
 him an asylum in the only spot where safety could 
 be found, and to whose exertions and watchful 
 vigilance he was again indebted in all probability 
 for his existence. He now remembered how often 
 it had struck him that the voice of the elder lady 
 was familiar to his ear, though in the confusion 
 which prevailed during the only time he had 
 seen her, he possessed but very little recollec- 
 tion of her features. And the sweet and gentle 
 child that had clung to him on that eventful 
 night, she then was the beautiful being whose 
 devoted and grateful feelings had rendered her 
 regardless of all danger to herself, in her constant 
 and unwearied watchfulness at his bedside. He 
 turned uneasily on his couch, and for some moments 
 maintained a deep and thoughtful silence, his mind 
 perhaps reverting to the conversation he had heard 
 between that parent and her child when he * first 
 awoke to consciousness. 
 
 Addressing himself at length to Dr. Lurgan, he 
 again said, though in a voice which shook with 
 emotion, " I presume it will be permitted me once 
 
HARCOURT. 361 
 
 more to see these ladies, if only to express my 
 profound sense of the very great obligations I am 
 indebted to them." 
 
 " Most certainly," replied the physician, with a 
 smile; " though a short time must elapse before 
 I can sanction your meeting. In the first place, in 
 regard to yourself, it is indispensably and ab- 
 solutely necessary that everything likely to create 
 the least agitation should be carefully avoided; 
 in the next, I regret to say, the younger lady, now 
 that the excitement has passed away, has been 
 suffering under the influence of its reaction, 
 which has brought on a low nervous attack ; ren- 
 dering it equally requisite that she herself should 
 be kept profoundly quiet, to guard against her 
 own health being seriously injured." 
 
 " You surely will not deceive me," said Har- 
 court, in an excited tone, " when I ask you if 
 what she has endured on my account is likely to 
 prove " 
 
 " Of little moment," interrupted Dr. Lurgan, 
 " provided the suggestions I have made are only 
 acted up to : and I shall look to you," he con- 
 tinued, smiling, " as an example for their being 
 enforced. I must confess, the episode I have 
 witnessed in regard to this young girl, has given 
 me an idea of the native character I had never 
 
362 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 previously, with all my experience, entertained ; 
 the instance may be, and in all probability is, an 
 isolated one ; though Europeans are rarely, if ever, 
 brought in contact with persons of the class to 
 which these ladies belong : but the depth and 
 strength of the grateful feeling manifested towards 
 you by them, is what I must candidly declare I 
 never could have imagined ever previously existed. 
 But come I must bring our conversation to a 
 close, otherwise I shall be the first to infringe 
 upon my own orders, which, remember, I look 
 to you for being obeyed." 
 
 He quitted the tent as he spoke, leaving Har- 
 court to his own reflections, which were of a 
 nature that for a long time afterwards seemed to 
 create in his mind considerable agitation. Sub- 
 sequently this settled into deep and profound 
 thought, and then terminated in calmness and 
 tranquillity; the expression of his features being 
 that of a person who had taken a final resolution 
 upon a question, that had previously engendered 
 anxiety, grief, uncertainty, and other feelings 
 equally painful, which the imagination vainly 
 strove either to repress or control; but which were 
 at length subdued by the mental determination he 
 had formed in regard to the line of conduct it was 
 incumbent upon him to pursue. 
 
HARCOURT. 363 
 
 In the course of a few days afterwards, as there 
 was no return of the fever, and the health of Har- 
 court continued slowly yet progressively to im- 
 prove, he received a visit from the elder lady, who 
 had previously sent him notice of her intention. 
 She was veiled, and came accompanied by several 
 of her retainers, who remained without, spectators 
 of the interview, at which Dr. Lurgan, at his own 
 request, was present, lest it should prove too much 
 for his patient. Though very weak, and obliged 
 to be propped up by pillows, the Englishman was 
 enabled to express gracefully and forcibly his deep 
 and grateful sense of all the services she had 
 rendered him, which no future devotion on his part 
 ever could sufficiently repay. The lady at first 
 was apparently cold and stately, at least as far as 
 could be judged by her exterior; but whether it 
 was the reminiscence of the daring enterprise which 
 Harcourt had formerly risked for the preservation 
 of herself and child, and the contrast then afforded 
 by his bold and gallant bearing to his present 
 emaciated form, which, according with the soft 
 and musical, yet mournful and depressed accents 
 which issued from his lips, awoke that latent feeling 
 of pity, ever prevalent in a woman's heart, par- 
 ticularly in sympathy for the brave and noble 
 
364 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 certain it is, before long, the Bhye drew closer to 
 his couch, and pressing his hand between both of 
 hers, she expressed her sincerest and earnest wishes 
 for his complete and early restoration to health and 
 strength. 
 
 This visit was several times repeated, and each 
 time the lady's manner grew warmer and more 
 cordial towards him : she now came alone, her veil 
 was thrown aside, but still he saw not the younger 
 one; and delicacy, not to mention the rigid pro- 
 priety of Oriental etiquette, prohibited his making 
 any inquiry regarding her, beyond sometimes 
 asking the physician, when the opportunity pre- 
 sented itself of being alone with him, a few 
 questions relative to her health; to which he 
 received in reply, the assurance of her having 
 wholly recovered from the trifling indisposition 
 which had seized her. 
 
 One morning he was plunged into profound 
 thought ; the volume on which he had been endea- 
 vouring to fix his attention had dropped listlessly 
 by his side, and for nearly an hour he remained 
 lost in a continued fit of mental abstraction ; 
 a rustling noise beside him was the first incident 
 that roused him from his reverie, and within a few 
 paces of his couch, stood the veiled form of the 
 
HARCOURT. 365 
 
 young Peri, on whom his reflections were perhaps 
 at that moment turned, and who remained standing 
 as if timidity had rendered her uncertain whether 
 to advance or retire ; but as Harcourt, half endea- 
 vouring to rise, sunk back with the effort, she 
 sprang towards him with the evident intention of 
 preventing any further exertion. 
 
 As he took that small and delicate hand within 
 his own, and she seated herself beside him, he 
 could feel that she trembled violently. For some 
 time both were silent ; but at length the English- 
 man said in low, yet calm and distinct tones 
 " Lady, to express to you the deep and grateful 
 feelings which pervade me, in return for all the 
 generous and unmerited kindness you have ren- 
 dered, the risks and dangers you have incurred to 
 preserve an almost thankless existence, would be 
 wholly beyond my power. But with nothing in 
 life to look forward to destitute alike of all ties 
 common to others a being situated like myself, 
 while cherishing every reminiscence that the most 
 fervent gratitude and reverence could dictate, can 
 only hope that no circumstance may again arise, 
 which, in creating danger to his benefactress, 
 may call for the sole means he would have it in his 
 power to afford of manifesting his sense of all that 
 he owes to her." 
 
366 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 " The obligation was on our part," she mur- 
 mured, in soft and thrilling accents, " in expressing 
 to the noble Dharcoor Sahib, that his generous 
 devotion and matchless bravery, in defence of two 
 persons wholly unknown to him, had not been 
 forgotten." 
 
 " In the slight service you allude to," replied 
 Harcourt, " I merely discharged the common 
 obligations of a man, my duty as a soldier to 
 the prince I served; but in the hazards incurred 
 by yourself, lady, for one too I will not revert to 
 them, then, since it would appear to be a theme 
 distressing to you ; but can only hope you will 
 receive the sincerest and most fervent wishes of 
 my own heart for your future welfare and happi- 
 ness ; these, alas ! being all that a stranger like 
 myself has it in his power to offer.' 5 
 
 " Happiness!" repeated the young girl, passion- 
 ately ; " that indeed is a feeling I can never look 
 forward to in this life." 
 
 The blood rushed to the heart of Harcourt ; for 
 some moments he was violently agitated, a dark 
 flush passed over his features, and then left them, 
 if possible, still paler than before. He drew the 
 youthful Bhye towards him, and gently raised the 
 veil which concealed her features ; she offered 
 a faint resistance as he did so, though as the 
 
HARCOURT. 367 
 
 covering was thrown aside, it revealed her counte- 
 nance bathed in tears, and now crimsoned with the 
 deepest blushes. 
 
 " Lady," said the Englishman, slowly and 
 deliberately, and his words, in the solemn clearness 
 of their tones, seemed to thrill through her entire 
 frame ; " fate has decreed that I should, uninten- 
 tionally, become aware of the feelings of that noble, 
 generous, and gentle nature for one an alien to its 
 blood, race, and religion ; nay, shrink not from 
 this avowal, and turn not thus away ; hear me to 
 an end, and then decide if, painful as the duty is 
 before me, I am not compelled to discharge it as 
 a man, as a soldier, and above all, in requital 
 of what I owe to yourself. That young fresh 
 heart has fixed its best affections upon one, who has 
 nothing to offer in return as in him those feelings, 
 sapless, seared, and withered, have long since rested 
 in the grave of one who " his voice faltered, the 
 words seemed to choke his utterance, he pressed his 
 hand to his brow, but after a minute's silence 
 continued " whose love he gained during a period 
 of past happiness, now gone for ever, and which 
 never can be revived again ; and whose image is 
 engraved on his mind, in those characters which 
 never for an instant can be banished from its 
 reminiscence, till the sepulchre closes over him. 
 
368 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 Lady, I have told you that you may be aware of 
 who and what the being is you have thus hon- 
 oured. I may add, that I am a wandering 
 adventurer, without home or country, whose career 
 in the path of glory and distinction was blighted 
 on the same day that wrecked every prospect of 
 earthly happiness. And now having fully explained 
 everything, without the least mental reservation, in 
 regard to myself, let me conclude by declaring, if 
 after all you have heard, you deem the hand of one 
 such as I have described is worthy your acceptance, 
 and the forms of your religion admit of the 
 possibility of such an union, let me proffer it to 
 your service, with the assurance, that if I have no 
 heart to accompany it, it shall at least prove the 
 token of a life in future to be devoted to yourself 
 alone, in exerting itself to the utmost for the 
 security of your future prosperity and welfare." 
 
 He ceased speaking ; but the w^ords had scarce 
 issued from his mouth, before the young girl threw 
 herself upon her knees by the bedside, and seizing 
 his hand, pressed it to her lips and forehead, as in 
 a passionate burst of tears, she exclaimed, "Yours 
 yours until death ! Drive me not from you ! Oh ! 
 noble Dharcoor Sahib, my preserver, my benefactor, 
 your religion, your land shall be mine, only do 
 not part from me, for without you life were indeed 
 
HARCOURT. 369 
 
 a burden too miserable to be borne. Be to me 
 what you will, so that you do not leave me ! and 
 I I will be your slave, or whatever you may 
 command, so that I am only permitted to remain 
 near you." 
 
 Deeply affected by this outpouring of artless and 
 spontaneous devotion, the Englishman raised her ; 
 and imprinting a kiss upon her smooth and polished 
 brow, pressed her to his heart. 
 
 Three months afterwards, when Harcourt was in 
 a great measure recovered, though still pale, and 
 yet bearing traces of his recent severe illness, his 
 marriage with the young Rajahpootne took place, the 
 ceremony being performed by a celebrated French 
 ecclesiastic, who was then making a tour of inquiry 
 relative to the various Christian sects throughout 
 the whole of India,* and under whose auspices the 
 
 * The Abbe du Bois. The views of this eminent divine and 
 traveller on the subject of caste, were in a great measure 
 subsequently adopted by Bishops Middleton and Heber. In 
 reference to its being a civil, instead of a religious distinction, 
 and that among the higher classes of well-educated natives, it is 
 understood and admitted to be so, in spite of the representa- 
 tions and exertions of the Brahminical priests, who naturally 
 wish to inculcate the latter doctrine, with the intention of 
 maintaining their own power and influence, which would be 
 shaken to its foundation, were the former supposition to become 
 general. The late celebrated Earn Mohun Eoy asserted in his 
 writings, that the religion of Brahma was a pure Theism, till 
 gradually sapped and corrupted by the priesthood for their own 
 
 B B 
 
370 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 youthful Bhye was received into the pale of the 
 Roman Catholic Church, of which Har court was 
 a member ; the rules of caste in other respects not 
 being merely permitted, but even enjoined by the 
 Missionary; a proceeding on his part in all proba- 
 bility derived from the record of such having been 
 the usage of the mixed marriages that formerly 
 
 selfish interests and ambition ; and it was in reference to works 
 of a similar nature, by many profound thinking and philosophic 
 Hindoos, (themselves Brahmins,) that induced the Abbe* to 
 declare, that the system of Caste, while the greatest drawback 
 to the propagation of Christianity in India, was still compatible 
 with its institutions, and might be made materially to assist in 
 its advancement, if permitted to remain, being strictly under- 
 stood as a civil institution solely; though he admits it would 
 not long exist as such, when the principles of the Christian 
 religion once became permanently established, and clearly and 
 thoroughly understood by the mass of the population. It is 
 relative to this subject, that he deems Missionaries, both 
 Catholic and Protestant, have committed a great error in not 
 recognising the principle, and in seeking to attach themselves 
 rather to the lower, in preference to the upper and better 
 informed classes ; without whose conversion, he deems that of 
 the great body of the people to be utterly hopeless. In regard 
 to the latter, he has repeatedly expressed his conviction, that 
 among the numerous converts he had made, he did not think 
 there was one who altogether comprehended the doctrines of 
 the religion he professed, or who would not have at onde 
 abandoned it if it entailed any degree of sacrifice, or created any 
 injury in adhering to it. The question has given rise to a great 
 deal of animated, and even angry discussion, not the most 
 edifying in regard to Christian charity, although the belief seems 
 very general, that the custom was admitted, if not sanctioned 
 by the Apostles in reference to the earlier Jewish converts. 
 
HARCOURT. 371 
 
 occurred between ladies of the Rajahpootne tribes, 
 and the princes and nobles of the Mogul Empire, 
 and which certainly afforded the highest degree of 
 satisfaction to the elder Bhye ; going far towards 
 reconciling her to an event, her consent to which, 
 given with deep and evident reluctance, had only 
 been accorded from a sense of how deeply her 
 child's happiness was concerned in the issue. 
 
 Tranquilly and serenely, if not happily, the 
 existence of Harcourt glided onward. With what- 
 ever feelings and under whatever circumstances his 
 union with the young Rajahpootne had taken place, 
 it was impossible to regard such a simple, artless 
 child of nature otherwise than with sentiments of 
 esteem and affection. Her devotion and love to 
 her husband appeared to know no bounds; she 
 seemed never so happy as in his presence, and 
 when occupied with his writing, drawing, or music, 
 (for in these two last acquirements he excelled 
 even many professed artists,) in which his time, in 
 the absence of his usual active employment, was 
 now constantly engaged: she would seat herself 
 noiselessly and quietly for hours at his feet, in the 
 earnest occupation of studying what she had 
 requested Harcourt to set before her. She was by 
 no means ill educated ; and in addition to her own 
 native tongue, not only wrote and spoke the 
 
372 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 Persian, at this period the language of the Durbar 
 throughout all the Courts of India, with consider- 
 able elegance and fluency, but was intimately 
 acquainted with the writings of its most celebrated 
 poets and historians. She had now urgently 
 entreated her husband to act as her instructor in 
 French, in the study of which she manifested 
 a quickness, capacity, and intelligence, that at the 
 expiration of a few months exhibited itself in the 
 highest degree of proficiency. 
 
 Sometimes timidly and gently she would refer to 
 the far distant lands of the west, though her large, 
 dark, lustrous eyes would fill with tears, as she 
 observed the saddened expression the theme would 
 recal to Harcourt's features. He however rather 
 encouraged the subject than repressed it, as after 
 the first pang had passed away, it seemed in some 
 degree more to lighten the load at his heart than 
 otherwise, in referring to it. On these occa- 
 sions Meet-ha would listen, in childish awe and 
 wonder, to the narrative she heard of Frangistan, 
 of the various kingdoms into which it was divided, 
 its wealth, its innumerable and well-appointed 
 armies, its feuds and jealousies above all, to the 
 history of that wonderful soldier of fortune, whose 
 fierce struggles with his persevering, determined 
 Island foe, were more or less known, although in 
 
HARCOURT. 373 
 
 vague and indistinct forms, from one extremity of 
 India to the other. And thus days, weeks, and 
 months flew over them, a period of unalloyed, 
 exquisite happiness to that young, fond, and 
 devoted being, whose radiant countenance and 
 confiding affection could not but impart somewhat 
 of a similar feeling to the heart of her husband. 
 
374 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE Monsoon, or rainy season, had burst forth 
 with more than usual violence, though at present 
 there was a pause, it being one of those periods when 
 the hot, moist, and oppressive state of the atmo- 
 sphere intimated its approaching renewal with 
 even yet greater fierceness than before. Thick, 
 dense, black, and murky clouds had overspread 
 the heavens, from which, at intervals, issued bright, 
 gleaming, and forked flashes, accompanied by the 
 low rumbling peals of distant thunder. 
 
 Within an hour afterwards, the lurid light had 
 greatly increased, both in rapidity of action, and 
 in its luminous glare, while the sounds of the 
 thunder had deepened into a more constant and pro- 
 longed echo. Again there was a pause, and the 
 air felt thick, and almost stifling, in its hot, moist, 
 oppressive sultriness and stillness. At once the 
 whole vault of heaven seemed illumined by one 
 dazzling, fearful, terrific sheet of flame, the herald 
 
HAKCOUET. 375 
 
 of a roar, which appeared like the simultaneous 
 discharge of a hundred pieces of heavy artillery : 
 and then the clouds apparently burst asunder, 
 pouring down upon the earth such a seething 
 torrent of rain, as could almost have led the terrified 
 spectator to regard it as the harbinger of a second 
 deluge. It streamed upon the fields and gardens 
 bordering upon the Ganges, the greater part of 
 which became transformed into one vast, continued 
 flood, under whose influence the growth of the 
 foliage and verdure seemed almost visible to the 
 eye,* while the river itself became one continued 
 foaming torrent, into which its banks fell with an 
 explosion, the force of which rivalled that of the 
 thunder itself.f 
 
 From a large and handsome dwelling, the inte- 
 rior of which was fitted up with luxury and 
 splendour, there issued the sounds of woe and 
 wailing. In one apartment was an elderly female 
 figure, whose alternate sobs, and low, heavy moan- 
 ing, indicated that grief which refused to be 
 
 * Such is the luxuriant vegetation of the tropics, that in the 
 rainy season, the grass would almost seem to grow under the 
 view of the spectator. D' HERBELOT. 
 
 f The masses of earth falling from the sides of the Ganges 
 into the river during the monsoon, have been known, after a 
 series of years, to create the necessity of a new survey being 
 made, for the adjustment of territorial claims in reference to 
 value, the revenue, &c., &c. 
 
376 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 comforted, while her surrounding attendants beat 
 their breasts with all the frenzied gestures of oriental 
 despair. In a second, was the kind and bene- 
 volent English physician, Dr. Lurgan, who, sum- 
 moned from a distance of nearly a hundred and 
 fifty miles, had flown upon the wings of humanity 
 and friendship ; but, alas ! without the power to 
 save. His countenance was pale and mournful, and 
 as he strode hastily up and down the room, he 
 muttered, " So young, so good, so beautiful, and 
 yet so suddenly taken from life! transient indeed 
 has been her passage through its joys and cares, 
 though are we not taught to believe that they who 
 die early are the most blessed? " 
 
 Within a third chamber, upon a bed of death, 
 lay stretched the form of that youthful and lovely 
 being who, eighteen months previous, had bestowed 
 her heart's best affections upon him who now sat 
 by her bedside one hand clasped in both of 
 hers, the other shading his vision, as if he would 
 shut out from his view that last fond look of 
 fervent, devoted love, with which the dying girl 
 regarded him. On a couch, at the further extre- 
 mity of the apartment, and covered with a linen, 
 sheet, lay what a glance sufficed to indicate as the 
 body of a new-born infant. Alas ! the mandate 
 had gone forth that inscrutable decree, before 
 
HAECOURT. 377 
 
 which all must bow, that she, that young, bright, 
 and beautiful being, must also die ; and ere the 
 morrow's eve had closed in the darkness of night, 
 she would be consigned to the same silent grave 
 that contained the remains of her child. 
 
 He sat by that bedside in tearless, silent agony, 
 as if grief denied him the utterance of those words 
 he fain would speak. But they came not ; and the 
 first sound that broke the stillness which prevailed, 
 was the faint, though clear and distinct voice of 
 the dying sufferer, as she murmured, " Mourn not 
 for me, oh ! my Dharcoor Sahib : deeply afflicting 
 as it is to leave you thus, I have at least this con- 
 solation, that never did you love me as you do 
 now." 
 
 A deep groan of unutterable anguish escaped 
 the unfortunate Harcourt, as these words reaching 
 him, he turned a glance of mute, despairing grief, 
 upon the now fast sinking form beside him. 
 " Had our boy lived," she continued, " oh ! with 
 what pleasure should I have watched his progress ; 
 following in the footsteps of his loved and gallant 
 father, he would have been a Surdar like himself, 
 a soldier studying to emulate his nobility of fame 
 and glory ; but now, husband and child are lost to 
 me for ever yet no, not for ever, my Dharcoor 
 Sahib ! " she resumed with sudden energy, " our 
 
378 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 stay upon earth, as the good Padre assured me, 
 was only the prelude to our future eternal reunion 
 in a brighter and happier land. See, my lord, my 
 life, the memento I have preserved of that good 
 spirit who, I have the conviction, now watches over 
 us, and will prove my guiding star to a more 
 glorious hemisphere." 
 
 As she spoke, she drew from under her pillow a 
 highly-finished miniature, which, unknown to 
 Harcourt, she must in secret have had copied from 
 the original by some able European artist. The 
 dying girl half smiled, as she observed the glance 
 he directed towards it, but grew alarmed as she 
 remarked the wild and maddened expression which 
 succeeded. 
 
 " My Dharcoor Sahib," she continued, and her 
 plaintive accents, sounding like low, sweet music 
 upon his ear, recalled the Englishman to himself; 
 "She must indeed have been worthy of your choice, 
 and of that love so wholly and exclusively given 
 to her. You married the poor ignorant Rajahpootne 
 girl from a feeling of compassion the compassion 
 of a noble and generous nature and yet with what 
 tenderness and affection you shielded, regarded, 
 and protected her ! How the darkness increases 
 around me ! can it be owing to the raging of the 
 storm without my lord ! my love! " 
 
HARCOURT. 379 
 
 The voice ceased ; some further murmured but 
 unintelligible sounds issued from her lips an 
 effort was made to clasp the hand she held to her 
 heart that grasp grew fixed, cold, and rigid; a 
 seraph smile seemed to illumine her features she 
 lay still, calm, and motionless ; and without a 
 struggle, without a sigh, her spirit passed away ! 
 
 And there, by the bedside, remained the be- 
 reaved husband, as if in silent communion with 
 the dead, his hand still locked in that of the 
 corpse, which he never attempted to withdraw. 
 He spoke not, moved not, stirred not ; and a 
 spectator, upon entering that chamber of death > 
 might almost have been led to believe that Fate had 
 stricken both at the same instant. 
 
 In this state Harcourt was found by the phy- 
 sician, whose entry at this period was in all 
 probability the means of preserving his life, by 
 the profuse bleeding it was requisite to have 
 recourse to more than once during the night, 
 though for weeks afterwards he lay in all the 
 delirium of a brain fever. 
 
 Upon a gentle eminence, overhanging the banks 
 of the Ganges, in the neighbourhood of a now 
 
380 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 deserted but once flourishing factory and settle- 
 ment, there is a tomb, at present overgrown with 
 low jungle and high thick grass. The monument 
 is of plain, solid masonry, and upon a white marble 
 tablet in the centre, now scarcely legible, is simply 
 engraved the following inscription : 
 
 M. H. AGED 16 YEARS. 
 
 Some twelve years since, it attracted the attention 
 of a passing traveller, proceeding down the river, 
 one of those inquiring minds by whom nothing is 
 overlooked, when likely to prove of interest in in- 
 vestigating causes and circumstances productive of 
 information of an unusual nature. His perse- 
 vering and diligent inquiries led to his acquiring 
 a detail of the incidents which have now been em- 
 bodied in the present narrative ; few persons, if any, 
 being aware that the French officer, who acquired 
 so much reputation during the short period he re- 
 mained in the service of the Maharajah Jeswunt 
 Row Holkar, was in reality an Englishman, the 
 once great favourite of Napoleon, whose distin- 
 guished fame at one time bade fair to rise to the 
 highest pitch of military glory, and rival those 
 great names, whose celebrity and renown subse- 
 quently became extended from the Borodino to 
 the Ebro. 
 
HAECOURT. 381 
 
 For many months after the tomb had first risen, 
 a tall, dark figure might be observed in the depth 
 of the night ever near it, being often wont to re- 
 main there till daylight was about gleaming over 
 the horizon. The superstition of the people in the 
 neighbourhood declared it held communion with 
 the invisible spirits of the air, and carefully 
 avoided venturing near the spot for long after- 
 wards, when the supposed phantom had suddenly 
 disappeared, and was seen no more. 
 
 L'ENVOL 
 
 Towards the close of the year 1812, in one of 
 the wildest spots of the south-west part of Ireland, 
 a gentleman (supposed to be a foreigner) had taken 
 up his residence, whose mode of life and appear- 
 ance excited among the turbulent, half lawless 
 people among whom his abode was chosen, the 
 highest degree of curiosity, not unmingled with a 
 salutary feeling of awe and fear. From being 
 always dressed in deep mourning, it was at first 
 imagined he was an ecclesiastic, though this sup- 
 position was very soon laid aside. His hair was 
 white, and his tall, and evidently once athletic 
 figure bent ; though it was easy to perceive from 
 his careworn, sorrow-stricken features, on which 
 grief had ploughed the deepest furrows, that this 
 
382 KOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 was not the effect of time, but that he was one 
 whom the extreme of misery, and the acutest men- 
 tal suffering of the intensest and most agonizing 
 nature, had bowed to the dust. 
 
 Previous to his arrival, an old, but moderate 
 sized mansion, belonging to an ancient and decayed 
 family, was taken by an agent who came down 
 from Dublin, which having been completely and 
 carefully repaired, was fitted up with plain but 
 handsome furniture that arrived in vans, and was 
 soon followed by the master and his household, 
 which consisted of an elderly housekeeper and 
 two other female domestics of advanced years, 
 and a tall, powerful, burly looking man, a Scotch- 
 man, whose look and bearing would at once have 
 proclaimed the discharged soldier, had even the 
 circumstance of a slight lameness, (the result of a 
 severe wound in the hip, which however scarcely 
 interfered with the activity of his movements,) been 
 wanting as a corroboration of the suspicion. 
 
 On their first arrival every effort was made to 
 obtain through the servants some information in 
 regard to their master, but without success: the 
 females, who were English, were cold and reserved, 
 and either were, or affected to be, entirely ignorant 
 of everything regarding him up to the period of 
 their engagement, which was only a few weeks 
 
HAKCOURT. 383 
 
 previous, while the keen grey eyes of the Celt 
 seemed to express a malicious pleasure in altern- 
 ately raising and baffling the curiosity of his 
 auditory, as they sought for similar intelligence 
 from himself. 
 
 In one instance the presence of the stranger was 
 quickly found to be productive of considerable 
 benefit to the surrounding peasantry. If not 
 wealthy, his circumstances appeared to be by no 
 means limited, and numbers of the poor found occu- 
 pation in laying out and working in the grounds 
 and plantations surrounding the house ; while to the 
 sick, the infirm, and the unfortunate, his purse was 
 ever open to an extent that caused him to be re- 
 garded with reverence and respect; and when in 
 his solitary rambles in the neighbourhood, made 
 generally in the evening, he encountered any of the 
 labouring population, every hat was raised, while low 
 and deep, yet fervent blessings, from men, women, 
 and children alike, were invoked upon his head. 
 Nor was it in this instance alone that the stranger's 
 influence was felt and acknowledged; as in the 
 faction fights, which sometimes took place, his 
 voice, raised to a pitch af stern command that 
 instilled alike both fear and attention, was ever 
 sufficient to still the tumult, even when it raged 
 the fiercest. 
 
384 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 Of the resident gentry of the country there were 
 very few whose seats were immediately near ; and 
 as any advances made to the recluse were invariably 
 courteously but firmly declined, he soon became left 
 wholly alone in his solitude, the only enlivenment to 
 which appeared in the exquisite music which, ema- 
 nating from a master hand, was constantly heard, 
 particularly at night, proceeding from his dwelling. 
 
 But the neighbourhood came to be seriously dis- 
 turbed, and murder and agrarian outrage, the se- 
 quel of the unhappy risings of 1798 and 1801, which 
 up to this period had not been altogether repressed, 
 became at length so open and daring, as to stalk 
 abroad in the open day ; rendering it imperatively 
 necessary on the part of the Government to have 
 recourse to the most energetic measures for its sup- 
 pression, the entire province being consequently 
 proclaimed and placed under martial law. During 
 the prevalence of these scenes of anarchy and 
 violence, the stranger had not only never received 
 the slightest molestation, but when even a suppo- 
 sition was raised, in regard to the existence of such 
 an intention, a sturdy band voluntarily came 
 forward on the instant,* and under the direction of 
 old Archy, the veteran Scottish soldier, kept watch 
 and ward around the premises, with the emphati- 
 cally expressed determination of giving a good 
 
HARCOURT. 385 
 
 account of whoever should dare to venture near 
 with any hostile purpose. 
 
 But the retired mode of life of the stranger, his 
 supposed foreign extraction, and the inflexible re- 
 solution with which he shunned all approach to 
 intercourse or society with any one, and it is not 
 improbable his very popularity in the neigh- 
 bourhood, led to himself in some measure falling 
 under suspicion ; and accordingly, one day, Mr. 
 Edwards, the name by which the recluse was 
 known, was waited upon by the stipendiary magis- 
 trate of the district, who requested him to commu- 
 nicate with the General commanding the troops, 
 Sir Richard Osborne, to whose authority the civil 
 power was now subordinate, and who had recently 
 established his head quarters about five miles dis- 
 tant. The stranger started, and for the moment 
 seemed much agitated as the name of the Com- 
 mander was mentioned, an incident which did not 
 escape the vigilant functionary's attention : what- 
 ever interpretation, however, he may have applied 
 to it of a sinister nature, received but little cor- 
 roboration from the bearing of the recluse, who 
 courteously, though coldly, if not haughtily, im- 
 mediately acquiesced in the measure he suggested. 
 
 Within an hour afterwards his servant was 
 despatched in a car, with a sealed packet to the 
 c C 
 
386 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 General, into whose hands alone he was instructed 
 to deliver it. Archy executed his commission with 
 the promptitude and precision of an old soldier. 
 and found the Commander engaged with the 
 magistrate already referred to, from whom he was 
 in all probability receiving a report relative to his 
 morning's visit to the stranger. On breaking the 
 seal, and perusing the letter, the General seemed 
 deeply and strangely moved, as he half inaudibly 
 uttered, " Good God! can this be possible? " Rising 
 from his seat, he for some time paced up and down 
 the room, to the evident surprise of his confederate, 
 and then suddenly turning to the Scotsman, and 
 ascertaining from him how he had come, requested 
 him to drive back to his master at once, as he 
 wished to accompany him. 
 
 Apologising to his astonished companion, and 
 desiring that his horse might be sent after him, the 
 General hastily quitted the apartment, and mounting 
 the car with Archy, they proceeded with all speed 
 to the recluse's dwelling. 
 
 The interview between the two was long and 
 protracted, but what passed never afterwards 
 transpired. On its termination Sir Richard quitted 
 the house in a serious and thoughtful mood, but 
 the following day returned, accompanied by Lady 
 Osborne. This lady, a Spaniard by birth, though 
 
HARCOURT. 387 
 
 no longer young, still retained a degree of beauty 
 at once dazzling and striking, which, joined to 
 accomplishments of the highest nature, and manners 
 of the most fascinating and agreeable description, 
 had rendered her a universal favourite in the circles 
 of English society, and an object of still greater 
 and more fervent regard to those brought into more 
 immediate relationship and intimacy with her. 
 
 This second visit to the stranger was even more 
 lengthened than the first ; and on its conclusion, as 
 the General and his lady took their departure, and 
 the latter let down her veil, apparently to screen 
 her countenance from observation, the traces of 
 recent tears were visible upon her features, the 
 evident result of long and continued weeping. 
 
 From this time, though the recluse himself never 
 deviated from the resolution he had formed on his 
 first arrival in the neighbourhood, he was con- 
 stantly, almost daily, visited by Sir Richard and 
 Lady Osborne ; the presence of the former being 
 still deemed requisite in the country, though the 
 large force of the military quartered there had 
 quickly put a stop to every outrage, and estab- 
 lished order and tranquillity throughout the whole 
 province. 
 
 Lady Osborne was a perfect musician; and 
 she would sometimes sit for hours in the calm 
 
388 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 summer evenings, singing the beautiful ballads of 
 her own sunny land of the glories of the gallant 
 Abencerrages, the might and power of the fierce 
 Zegris, and the nobility of the Castilian chivalry, 
 the effect of which upon the stranger was that 
 usually produced by those souvenirs of the past, 
 in which it is difficult to say whether pleasure 
 or melancholy most predominates, as motionless, 
 breathless, he would listen to the strains that fell 
 upon his ear ; deep and smothered sighs alone pro- 
 claiming the intense and fervent interest with 
 which they inspired him. 
 
 As the autumn advanced, the recluse's health 
 began visibly and rapidly to decline, though he 
 refused to see any medical attendant, stating that 
 he well knew the nature of the disorder which 
 affected him, and the only remedy which could in 
 any way alleviate it. Swiftly, though gradually, 
 his disease gained upon him ; and at length he was 
 confined to his apartment, and obliged to recline 
 altogether upon a couch, attended more constantly 
 than ever by his attached friends, whose presence 
 invariably seemed to soothe and console the intense 
 suffering he appeared at intervals to experience. 
 
 One morning, when the keen east wind sighed 
 heavily among the trees, scattering in showers the 
 blighted and withered leaves now fast falling from 
 
HAECOURT. 389 
 
 their branches, the servant proceeded at the usual 
 hour to the stranger's apartment. He tapped at 
 the door, but receiving no answer, opened it, and 
 entered, and much to his surprise found that the 
 recluse was already dressed, and seated in a 
 fauteuil. Alarmed, though he scarcely knew why, 
 yet with a vague presentiment of evil, the old 
 soldier hurriedly approached his master ; he called 
 to him, but received no answer ; he touched him 
 on the shoulder, but he moved not, and then he 
 glanced upon his countenance, one look at which 
 sent a cold chill to the veteran's heart. The eyes 
 were closed as if in sleep ; a calm placid expression 
 pervaded the features, upon which a smile still 
 lingered; and the hand had closed over a miniature 
 case in its nerveless grasp, the fingers being cold, 
 stiff, and rigid. He was dead! and apparently 
 must have been so for many hours, as it was 
 evident the bed had not been lain in throughout 
 the night; and the probability is, his soul had 
 passed from its earthly tenement, the very moment 
 he was preparing for repose. 
 
 As the soldier glanced in momentary stupor 
 round the apartment, his eye fell upon a paper on 
 the writing table near, gazing upon which, he 
 found it was a memorandum dated a few days pre- 
 vious, which fully expressed that the stranger was 
 
390 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 well aware of, and fully prepared for the fate lie knew 
 must sooner or later befal him. It simply bore the 
 inscription " My will is in the left-hand drawer of 
 the bureau, should any sudden accident occur, let 
 Sir Richard Osborne be sent for on the instant." 
 
 This document recalled the veteran to a sense of 
 the duty that lay before him. He hastily sum- 
 ^moned the females of the household, who were 
 horror-struck at finding their kind and indulgent 
 master a lifeless corpse ; and then set out with all 
 speed to report what had occurred to the General. 
 
 Both Sir Richard and Lady Osborne were 
 quickly upon the spot, and on entering the chamber 
 of death, the latter, throwing herself in a chair 
 beside the dead, and clasping that now senseless 
 hand within her own, exclaimed in a voice of deep 
 and passionate grief " Oh, Heaven ! for his life to 
 have ended thus ! " 
 
 The General gazed fixedly and sorrowfully for 
 several minutes upon the body, and then said in 
 low, broken accents, " Farewell, brave and gallant 
 heart ! may Providence grant you in a better world 
 that happiness denied to you in this." He took the 
 hand of his lady as he spoke ; she still continuing 
 to weep bitterly, and gently but forcibly removed 
 her from the sad spectacle presented to her view. 
 
 A Coroner's Inquest was held, but a medical 
 
HARCOURT. 391 
 
 investigation quickly revealed the cause of the 
 stranger's decease, and a verdict was returned of 
 " Died from disease of the heart." The only 
 additional evidence that was called for, was that 
 of the servant, and Major General Sir Richard 
 Osborne. The deposition of the former merely 
 related to the first discovery of his master's death, 
 and that of the latter to a corroboration of his 
 testimony, with the addition, that he was intimately 
 known to the deceased in early life, but as any 
 reference to this period was wholly unconnected 
 with the subject under investigation, and could be 
 productive of no good whatever, he must decline 
 entering upon anything concerning it. 
 
 The body was consigned to the grave in the 
 Catholic cemetery, and was followed to its last 
 home by the whole of the neighbourhood, amidst 
 the tears and lamentations of all assembled. A 
 very beautiful sarcophagus of white marble shortly 
 afterwards rose over it; but simply bearing this 
 inscription : 
 
 E. H. OBIIT OCTOBER 1813 ; 
 
 a memento which seemed to intimate that the 
 recluse had once borne a different name from that 
 by which he was distinguished at the period of his 
 death. 
 
392 ROMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 The day after the funeral the will of the de- 
 ceased was opened in presence of the authorities, 
 no claim of kindred whatever being asserted by 
 any one ; when it was ascertained that Sir Richard 
 Osborne had been named sole executor, a sealed 
 letter also in the hand- writing of the stranger being 
 found addressed to him. By this, the furniture of 
 the house, and the entire property it contained, were 
 directed to be sold, and the proceeds, united to a 
 further considerable sum of money, distributed in 
 specified proportions among the poor of the neigh- 
 bourhood and his domestics, the latter of whom 
 were especially commended to the General's care 
 and protection : the only exception to this, was in 
 regard to the paintings and several portfolios of 
 beautiful and highly-finished drawings, the whole 
 of which were bequeathed to Sir Richard himself; 
 and some very fine, and apparently valuable jewels 
 of foreign setting and workmanship, that were left 
 to Lady Osborne. No record was left of any other 
 funds possessed by the deceased, though it was 
 supposed a large packet, addressed to a gentleman 
 of the medical profession in India, Dr. Lurgan, 
 and forwarded to him by the General, had reference 
 to considerable property belonging to him in that 
 country. 
 
 Shortly after tranquillity had been restored in the 
 
HARCOURT. 393 
 
 disturbed districts, and the authority had been 
 returned into the hands of the civil power, Sir 
 Eichard Osborne returned to England. In his 
 ancestral mansion, situated in one of our northern 
 counties, there was a room which, appropriated 
 exclusively to Lady Osborne, appeared to possess 
 a singular attraction for travellers and visitors. It 
 was hung with paintings, both oil and water-colour, 
 from the ceiling to the floor, the whole being as 
 remarkable for the beauty of colouring and execu- 
 tion . which distinguished them, as the variety of 
 subjects which they embodied ; consisting, as they 
 did, of portraits, landscapes, figures and buildings, 
 derived from various climes and countries, the rich 
 scenes of Italy and Southern Europe being inter- 
 mingled with representations of the picturesque 
 costumes, high mountains, and trackless forests of 
 the East. 
 
 Among them were several large highly finished 
 acquarelles, descriptive of apparently foreign mili- 
 tary service, the most striking among which was 
 what seemed to be the portrait of an officer of high 
 rank, clad in a cuirassier uniform, before which 
 both Sir Kichard and Lady Osborne would often 
 stand and gaze till the eyes of the latter filled with 
 tears, as she murmured, "How like, oh! how 
 
394 EOMANCE OF MILITARY LIFE. 
 
 like." There were, however, two others, which no 
 one ever passed without expressing an equal degree 
 of interest and admiration. They were hung on 
 each side of the picture of the General Officer 
 alluded to ; the first representing a young girl of 
 exquisite loveliness, apparently an Italian, or 
 Spaniard the expression of whose features seemed 
 emblematic of melancholy sweetness, as with one 
 hand supporting the finely formed head, she leaned 
 over the balcony of a gorgeous, palatial mansion, 
 filled with the choicest and most brilliant flowers of 
 the south ; the second was also that of a youthful 
 female, scarcely indeed emerged from the age of 
 girlhood, of Eastern, and it would seem from the 
 costume, of Indian origin. She was also of 
 surpassing beauty, though in a wholly different 
 style : the richly carved, half-opened coral lips, 
 being expanded into a smile, expressive of a 
 buoyant spirit, while the large, dark, lustrous, 
 oriental eyes were fixed as if in playful, yet rooted 
 and all absorbed attention, upon some loved object 
 before her. 
 
 Many and various were the conjectures and 
 observations these pictures excited; not the less 
 so, perhaps, that the curiosity awakened upon the 
 subject, was heightened by the reserve it could not 
 
HARCOURT. 395 
 
 fail to be remarked was observed regarding them, 
 by the General and his lady; whose manner, 
 courteous and urbane as it invariably was, never- 
 theless intimated that any questions or allusions to 
 the paintings referred to, were not only highly 
 distasteful, but when too openly pressed or ad- 
 verted to, became extremely painful. 
 
 THE END. 
 
R. CLAY, PRINTER, BREAD STREET HILL. 
 
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