Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 5Sylvester, Charles Herbert
General
Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 5
Sylvester, Charles Herbert
Children's literature; Literature -- Collections
planted and fixed the cross between the antlers of Saint Hubert's stag,
in a manner similar to this?
[Illustration: I BEHELD A NOBLE STAG]
V
I remember with pleasure and tenderness a superb Lithuanian horse, which
no money could have bought. He became mine by an accident, which gave me
an opportunity of showing my horsemanship to a great advantage. I was at
Count Przobossky's noble country seat in Lithuania, and remained with
the ladies at tea in the drawing-room, while the gentlemen were down in
the yard to see a young horse of blood which had just arrived from the
stud. We suddenly heard a noise of distress; I hastened downstairs, and
found the horse so unruly that nobody durst approach or mount him. The
most resolute horsemen stood dismayed and aghast; despondency was
expressed in every countenance, when, in one leap, I was on his back,
took him by surprise, and worked him quite into gentleness and
obedience, with the best display of horsemanship I was master of. Fully
to show this to the ladies, and save them unnecessary trouble, I forced
him to leap in at one of the open windows of the tea room, walk round
several times, pace, trot, and gallop, and at last made him mount the
tea table, there to repeat his lessons in a pretty style of miniature
which was exceedingly pleasing to the ladies, for he performed them
amazingly well, and did not break either cup or saucer. It placed me so
high in their opinion, and so well in that of the noble lord, that, with
his usual politeness, he begged I would accept of this young horse, and
ride him to conquest and honor in the campaign against the Turks, which
was soon to be opened, under the command of Count Munich.
We had very hot work once in the van of the army, when we drove the
Turks into Oczakow. My spirited Lithuanian had almost brought me into a
scrape: I had an advanced forepost, and saw the enemy coming against me
in a cloud of dust, which left me rather uncertain about their actual
numbers and real intentions: to wrap myself up in a similar cloud was
common prudence, but would not have much advanced my knowledge, or
answered the end for which I had been sent out; therefore I let my
flankers on both wings spread to the right and left, and make what dust
they could, and I myself led on straight upon the enemy, to have a
nearer sight of them; in this I was gratified, for they stood and
fought, till, for fear of my flankers, they began to move off rather
disorderly. This was the moment to fall upon them with spirit; we broke
them entirely--made a terrible havoc amongst them, and drove them not
only back to a walled town in their rear, but even through it, contrary
to our most sanguine expectation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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