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
require them, for he sunk it remorselessly into the deep water close to
the rocks, and ended all its wants in a moment.
“The baby was washed on shore next morning stiff and dead. There
was a black silk band, with a clasp, twisted round its little leg,
by accident, or more likely by the providence of God, for it was
recognized as belonging to the unfortunate novice of St. Clara's
convent. Enquiries soon took place; the guilty friar and his victim
were discovered at an obscure house in the town of Passages, and taken
back to St. Sebastian. The influence of the clergy prevented a public
trial for the murder, lest the holy church should be scandalized; but
neither Friar nor Lady were ever afterwards seen, and it is believed to
this day, that they were either privately put to death, or imprisoned
in the Convent for life. The old woman declares they were chained in
separate dungeons, and starved to death; but this only rests upon her
own assertion; however, most of the people of St. Sebastian implicitly
believe that the ghosts of both visit the sea-shore every full moon;
and so much did their stories about ‘_The Friar and the Lady_’ affect
one of our lads, that it nearly killed him.”
“Wha' dy' ye mean,” said the Sergeant.
“I mean John Thomas, the Welshman. You remember we were on guard one
night after the siege of St. Sebastian, on the top of the high hill
in the middle of the town, where the fort stands, and into which
the French retired. Well, this John Thomas was sentry; he was then
only a raw boy, just come from among the goats and ghosts of his
native mountains. It was exactly twelve o'clock, and a fine moonshine
night. You could see the wide Bay of Biscay below your feet; the high
Pyrenees, all misty on the right; and close under you the ruined town.
I suppose the young fellow was superstitious; but be that as it may,
he burst into the guard-room without his musket, fell down on the
floor, against which he cut his forehead, and struggled in a fit for
half an hour. He was taken down to the regimental hospital, and had
three fits before the next morning. When he came quite to himself, he
declared that he saw the Friar of St. Sebastian and the Lady beside him
on the hill, and that the Friar held a dead infant in his hand, which
he dashed down into the sea. Of course, this vision was the effect of
his boyish fears and superstition; but it certainly is a fact that the
lad nearly lost his life by it, for I heard our doctor himself say so.
The poor fellow was afterwards killed at the sortie of Bayonne.”
“I remember the lad weel, Jock; but wha made the sang aboot it?”
demanded Sergeant M'Fadgen.
“The Captain himself wrote the song,” replied Andrews, “and Corporal
O'Callaghan taught me the air.”
“By my sowl,” said O'Callaghan, “I never hard an air I like betther.
I used to sit for hours listening to the boat-women all singing it in
chorus. I used to cross with them from Passages to Renteria of an
evening, for no other purpose than to hear them.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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