The Military Sketch-Book. Vol. 1 (of 2): Reminiscences of seventeen years in the service abroad and at homeMaginn, William
General
The Military Sketch-Book. Vol. 1 (of 2): Reminiscences of seventeen years in the service abroad and at home
Maginn, William
Bushrangers; Military biography; Soldiers -- Conduct of life
“I immadiately went back to the room, an' there was Harry shaking the
murdtherer by the neck, an' the ould man lifting up the curnel gently,
who was groaning in a shocking way, an' looking at us as if he thanked
us from his very heart an' sowl, but couldn't spake a word. He was
bleeding fast from a deep wound in the side, an' the bloody knife was
on the ground, beside the bed.
“Afther I shook my fist at the tallow-faced rascal that stabbed his
masther, an' when I threatened him with the rope, I went over to the
poor curnel an' I spoke kindly to him: I gave him a dthrink o' wather:
O! God help him, how ghastly he looked at me—I'll never forget it. He
pressed my hand to his heart an' sunk back upon the pillow; then he
struggled an' heaved his breast very much, an' seemed just on the point
o' death.
“At this minute we hard people running up the stairs, an' in a minute
a corporal an' six file o' the French guard burst into the room. The
murdthering dog no sooner saw this than he fell on his knees, an'
pretended to pray to heaven an' to thank God for his deliverance; then
starting up, he cried out to the corporal to saze the murdtherers of
his master!
“The three of us were immadiately sazed. We did every thing we could to
prove the matther as it really was, but this was of no use. I abused,
an' cursed, an' swore at the villian as well as I could, in both French
an' English, and bid them ask his masther; but this had no effect, for
when the soldiers went to the curnel they found him dead: so Emanuel,
Harry, an' myself, were hauled off as if we were three murdtherers, an'
locked up in the guard-house.
“When we began to think of ourselves, good God! how dthreadful our
situation appeared. Harry suffered on account of his Maria as much as
any thing else. What was become of her he could not tell, nor could I
either: poor ould Emanuel did nothing but pray all the night.
“As soon as the day-light came, hundthreds of officers crowded to see
the two English soldiers who broke from their prison and murdthered a
curnel; an' sure enough it was past bearing what we endured from them.
But the worst of all was when the general who wanted us to enther his
sarvice the day before, came an' saw us.
“‘What!’ says he, ‘are these the men who refused so nobly yestherday to
bethray their counthry? Have _they_ committed murdther?’
“O! this cut us to the heart. There was not an hour passed until a
court-martial was assembled: we were marched in by twelve men, an'
placed before it for thrial. The charges were read; they were for
murdthering the curnel, an' attempting the murdther of his servant. All
the officers o' the garrison were present.
“To describe our feelings at that moment is out o' the power o' man;
but we were conscious of our innocence, an' that supported us. The poor
ould man was almost dead; he could scarcely spake a word.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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