Begumbagh: A Tale of the Indian Mutiny — John Shaqi
Begumbagh: A Tale of the Indian MutinyFenn, George Manville
History
Begumbagh: A Tale of the Indian Mutiny
Fenn, George Manville
British -- India -- Fiction; India -- History -- Fiction; India -- History -- Sepoy Rebellion, 1857-1858 -- Fiction
I used to have my turns as sentry here and there; and it was when
standing stock-still with my piece, that I used to see and hear so
much--for in a camp it seems to be a custom for people to look upon a
sentry as a something that can neither see nor hear anything but what
might come in the shape of an enemy. They know he must not move from
his post, which is to say that he's tied hand and foot, and perhaps from
that they think that he's tied as to his senses. At all events, I got
to see that when Miss Ross was seated in the colonel's tent, and Captain
Dyer was near her, she seemed to grow gentle and quiet, and her eyes
would light up, and her rich red lips part, as she listened to what he
was saying; while, when it came to Lieutenant Leigh's turn, and he was
beside her talking, she would be merry and chatty, and would laugh and
talk as lively as could be. Harry Lant said it was because they were
making up matters, and that some day she would be Mrs Leigh; but I
didn't look at it in that light, thought said nothing.
I used to like to be sentry at the colonel's tent, on our halting for
the night, when the canvas would be looped up, to let in the air, and
they'd got their great globe-lamps lit, with the tops to them, to keep
out the flies, and the draughts made by the punkahs swinging backwards
and forwards. I used to think it quite a pretty sight, with the ladies
and the three or four officers, perhaps chatting, perhaps having a
little music, for Miss Ross could sing like--like a nightingale, I was
going to say; but no nightingale that I ever heard could seem to lay
hold of your heart and almost bring tears into your eyes, as she did.
Then she used to sing duets with Captain Dyer, because the colonel
wished it, though it was plain to see Mrs Maine didn't like it, any
more than did Lieutenant Leigh, who, more than once, as I've seen,
walked out, looking fierce and angry, to strike off right away from the
camp, perhaps not to come back for a couple of hours.
It was one night when we'd been about a fortnight on the way, for during
the past week the colonel had been letting us go on very easily, I was
sentry at the tent. There had been some singing, and Lieutenant Leigh
had gone off in the middle of a duet. Then the doctor, the colonel, and
a couple of subs were busy over a game at whist, and the black nurse had
beckoned Mrs Maine out, I suppose to see something about the two
children; when Captain Dyer and Miss Ross walked together just outside
the tent, she holding by one of the cords, and he standing close beside
her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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