The Scottish Cavalier: An Historical Romance, Volume 3 (of 3)Grant, James
History
The Scottish Cavalier: An Historical Romance, Volume 3 (of 3)
Grant, James
Scotland -- History -- 1649-1660 -- Fiction
Finland's desertion of his post proved ultimately fatal to the
defence of Holyrood, which by the efforts of Wallace, Walter Fenton,
and the church-militant, Dr. Joram, was protracted until eleven at
night. Then the soldiers of Finland, having been all shot down, a
party of the Trained Bands, led by Captain Grahame, broke down the
gate with sledge-hammers, and then the armed mob, roused to an
indescribable pitch of frenzy and ferocity by the liquors they had
imbibed, the resistance and slaughter, and the exhortations of the
religious maniacs who led them, crowded like a hell disgorged into
the outer court and inner quadrangle of the palace.
Taken thus in flank, the soldiers of Wallace were almost immediately
destroyed. That brave cavalier was hewn down, his body was hacked to
pieces, his entrails torn out and cast into the air. Many of his
soldiers who surrendered were shot in cold blood, and all the wounded
perished. Walter Fenton, gathering a few of the survivors upon his
platform, still continued to fire upon the sea of madmen that swarmed
around them.
Conspicuous among his followers, upon his prancing Galloway cob,
towered the tall and ghastly figure of Mr. Ichabod Bummel; and,
urging the work of death, he sent his powerful voice before him
wherever he went.
"No quarter to the birds of Belial!--smite them both hip and thigh.
On, ye chosen of Israel, who now, in the good fight of faith, shall
extirpate the heathen, sent forth even as the Jews were of old."
"Pick me down yonder villain!" cried Fenton to his soldiers; and
bullet after bullet whistled past the head of the preacher, but he
seemed to bear a charmed life, and escaped them all.
"On, on to the good work, and prosper!" he cried. "Smite and slay!
smite and slay! lest the curses that befel Saul for sparing the
Amalekites fall upon ye."
Thus urged, the people hewed the soldiers limb from limb, and the
bodies of the dead shared the same fate. Seeing all lost, Walter and
Dr. Joram had torn the cavalier plumes from their hats, and leaped
upon their horses, hoping to cut their way through the press, or
escape unknown. But, alas! Joram was recognised by the terrible
Ichabod, who, urging his Galloway towards him, brandished his sword,
and exclaimed with stentorian lungs--
"'Tis a priest of Baal, and this night will I send him howling to his
false gods! Come on, Jonadab Joram, thou wolf in sheep's clothing."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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