Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 63, No. 391, May, 1848Various
General
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 63, No. 391, May, 1848
Various
England -- Periodicals; Scotland -- Periodicals
On reaching a small level, we saw it was high time for our arrival.
The second regiment of the royal guard already gave ground, when the
cry "La Legion!" changed the fortune of the day. With fixed bayonets
our battalions rushed like tigers upon the factious ranks, which were
disordered by the shock. The Bavarian sergeant fell amongst five
Carlists, who settled him with their knives. A pale subaltern of the
factious came in contact with three of our grenadiers, and begged
piteously for mercy. But the grenadiers had no time; they cut a bad
joke in Swabian dialect, and brained him with their muskets. Of the
first encounter of the day, these are the only episodes I remember.
Suddenly the Carlist bugles sounded the retreat. We formed column and
hurried in pursuit, followed by the royal guard. From time to time the
enemy halted, till the bayonet again dislodged them. By turns our
battalions were sent forward as skirmishers. It was nearly noon. A
dying officer of ours begged me for a mouthful of vinegar. I had but
two; one for myself, and one for my comrade, whom I had not seen,
however, the whole of the day, and never saw afterwards. It was about
twelve o'clock when my company advanced to skirmish. The line
deployed, and as we slowly advanced, loading and firing, I had to pass
through the corner of a small thicket. Just as I entered it, I
observed a Carlist horseman, at its other extremity, fire his carbine
at one of our men. Then he disappeared amongst the trees, and five
seconds later I saw him riding towards me. "Surrender!" he shouted in
Navarrese patois, and stooped behind his horse's head. At my shot the
animal stood stock-still, and the rider fell from his saddle. Blood
streamed from a wound between neck and shoulder. I released his foot
from the stirrup, propped him up against a beech-tree, and unbuttoned
his jacket from over his panting breast. As I did so, a silver cross
fell almost into my hand. It hung from his neck by a ribbon, and upon
it were the words, "Mary, pray for me!" I had seen such a cross
before. "Open your mouth, Antonio!" I cried. He obeyed, and I poured
upon his parched tongue the last contents of my flask. He thanked me
with his dying breath. I concealed the cross within his jacket, and
followed the signal that called the skirmishers forward.
HIDDEN TREASURE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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