Recollections of the eventful life of a soldierDonaldson, Joseph
History
Recollections of the eventful life of a soldier
Donaldson, Joseph
Peninsular War, 1807-1814 -- Personal narratives
‘Is it my enemy—sure he is every body’s enemy, and anything that
Dennis could say or do, would not change him for better or worse.
Don’t you remember the death of poor H—b—s—n, how could any body
like him after that? I wouldn’t have his conscience for worlds.[14]
But come, comrade, let’s into the city—By the powers, I had almost
forgot myself, I promised to call on Peggy Doyle. Let me see, what
will I buy for Peggy?’—but that moment a carriage came rattling down
the street, filled outside and inside with our comrades, and ribbons
and handkerchiefs streaming from all parts of it. ‘By the hokey!’
cried Dennis, in a yell of transport, ‘let’s scale the garrison.’
In a moment we were mounted, and poor Peggy Doyle was consigned to
oblivion.
The town was now in an uproar; carriages, sociables, and jaunting
cars were in requisition, flying past in every direction, with our
men clinging to the outside of them, to the manifest danger of their
necks and limbs. Every thing seemed to have received an impulse
unusual to it, and participated in the flying motion,—the old women
shouted, the children capered, the dogs barked, and the very pigs,
instead of lying lazily before the doors, were galloping about the
streets with their tails cocked.
Some of the boys had tarried so long at the whisky, that all the
vehicles of any speed had been taken up; but their invention was soon
at work; common cars were hired by them, and driven furiously along,
to the great torment of the poor hacks. One fellow, who had been too
late for even a common car, and determined at all events to ride,
jumped into an empty buttermilk churn[15] up to the neck, and paid
the woman handsomely to drive him along. ‘Och, it’s yourself that has
the taste, Slobber-daddy,’ cried Dennis, ‘you were always fond of the
slurry.’[16] He had scarcely spoke the word, when the wheel of the
carriage came in contact with that of the car, and in a twinkling
we were all sprawling in the mud, in glorious confusion. Nobody was
hurt, however, the buttermilk hero excepted, who had broken his nose
when emptied out of the churn. Up we were again in a moment, dashing
along, regardless of old women, children, and corners, until the
poor horses were so jaded that they actually stood still. It was now
near evening, all the public-houses soon filled, and drinking and
boisterous mirth of every description was kept up during the night.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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