Blackwood's Edinburgh magazine, Vol. 93, No. 571, May, 1863Various
History
Blackwood's Edinburgh magazine, Vol. 93, No. 571, May, 1863
Various
England -- Periodicals; Scotland -- Periodicals
Finally, General Warfield was so good as to accompany me to the chief
town of Iowa State, where he introduced me to the legal authorities, by
whom his statements were fully confirmed, and the Nauvoo and Nebraska
declared a transparent swindle. In this town we suddenly came on
“Colonel” Sling, who had come out by the next packet, and was tracking
me, no doubt in the hope of hoodwinking or silencing me in some mode or
other. But when he saw the General, his swaggering air collapsed, a
guilty crimson suffused his yellow cheeks, and he slunk away and entered
a tavern without accosting us. And yet when, after giving hearty thanks
to my kindly Virginian friend, I hurried to embark at New York, I had
the honour of finding Colonel Coriolanus Sling, my fellow-passenger. He
now ventured to address me, but by this time I was on my guard against
his specious eloquence, and he retired with an air of mingled effrontery
and shame. At Liverpool, as I took my seat in the train, which I did
without the loss of a moment, I saw Colonel Sling dart into the
telegraph office. So busy was my brain with what was before me, that I
did not, during the principal part of the journey, attach any particular
meaning to this proceeding of my treacherous ally. When I _did_ think of
its probable object, I struck my forehead, and could have cursed my
blind stupidity, my dulness of conception. After all my haste,
scampering as quickly as possible to the station at Liverpool, was I to
be too late, after all? Was this Yankee rascal to be permitted to warn
his brother knave in London through my inattention, and was the paid-up
capital to fatten the two harpies whose tools we had been? Heavy
misgivings filled my heart as I arrived in London, hurried to Scotland
Yard, and requested that a detective policeman might at once be ordered
to accompany me to the residence of Dr Titus A. C. Bett, cashier to the
Nauvoo and Nebraska Company. Luckily I was a man of credit and character
in the city; my request was granted instantly, and off whirled the
hansom cab, as fast as hansom cab could be impelled by the most lavish
bribe, on its way to Piccadilly, bearing me and a quiet man with a
resolute, thoughtful face, in plain clothes. Ha! there is a cab waiting
at the door as we jump out—I hot and breathless, the policeman cool and
steady. The gaping servant-girl belonging to the lodgings comes quickly
at our knock. It is morning yet, early morning, from a London point of
view—not much after nine.
“Is Dr Bett in?”
“Yes, sir,” replies the girl, “but he’s just a-going. He sent me out for
the cab five minutes ago, and he’s called away so sudden he won’t take
breakfast.”
“Ah, indeed!” says the detective; “telegram, I suppose, eh?”
“Yes, sir,” replied the maid, “and he swore hawful because I hadn’t woke
him up directly it came, two hour ago, along with the milk, but I didn’t
dare, ’cause he always stops out late, and always swears and scolds if I
bring up his hot water before nine o’clock.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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