Fantasy fiction; Imaginary wars and battles -- Fiction; War stories
western extremity, where there was a clump of trees on the summit. We
had diverged from the road towards this, and here the general halted us
and disposed the line of the division along his front, facing to the
south-west, the right of the line reaching down to the water-works on
the Thames, the left extending along the southern slope of the hill, in
the direction of the Epsom road by which we had come. We were nearly
in the centre, occupying the knoll just in front of the general, who
dismounted on the top and tied his horse to a tree. It is not much of
a hill, but commands an extensive view over the flat country around;
and as we lay wearily on the ground we could see the Thames glistening
like a silver field in the bright sunshine, the palace at Hampton
Court, the bridge at Kingston, and the old church tower rising above
the haze of the town, with the woods of Richmond Park behind it. To
most of us the scene could not but call up the associations of happy
days of peace--days now ended and peace destroyed through national
infatuation. We did not say this to each other, but a deep depression
had come upon us, partly due to weakness and fatigue, no doubt, but we
saw that another stand was going to be made, and we had no longer any
confidence in ourselves. If we could not hold our own when stationary
in line, on a good position, but had been broken up into a rabble
at the first shock, what chance had we now of manœuvring against a
victorious enemy in this open ground? A feeling of desperation came
over us, a determination to struggle on against hope; but anxiety for
the future of the country, and our friends, and all dear to us, filled
our thoughts now that we had time for reflection. We had had no news
of any kind since Wood joined us the day before--we knew not what was
doing in London, or what the Government was about, or anything else;
and exhausted though we were, we felt an intense craving to know what
was happening in other parts of the country.
Our general had expected to find a supply of food and ammunition here,
but nothing turned up. Most of us had hardly a cartridge left, so he
ordered the regiment next to us, which came from the north and had not
been engaged, to give us enough to make up twenty rounds a man, and he
sent off a fatigue-party to Kingston to try and get provisions, while a
detachment of our fellows was allowed to go foraging among the villas
in our rear; and in about an hour they brought back some bread and
meat, which gave us a slender meal all round. They said most of the
houses were empty, and that many had been stripped of all eatables, and
a good deal damaged already.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account