The Tremendous Adventures of Major GahaganThackeray, William Makepeace
History
The Tremendous Adventures of Major Gahagan
Thackeray, William Makepeace
India -- History -- British occupation, 1765-1947 -- Fiction
I saw—yes, no, yes, no, yes!—I saw regiment upon regiment of galloping
British horsemen riding over the ranks of the flying natives. First of
the host, I recognised, O Heaven! my AHMEDNUGGAR IRREGULARS! On came
the gallant line of black steeds and horsemen; swift swift before them
rode my officers in yellow—Glogger, Pappendick, and Stuffle; their
sabres gleamed in the sun, their voices rung in the air. “D— them!”
they cried, “give it them, boys!” A strength supernatural thrilled
through my veins at that delicious music: by one tremendous effort, I
wrested the post from its foundation, five feet in the ground. I could
not release my hands from the fetters, it is true; but, grasping the
beam tightly, I sprung forward—with one blow I levelled the five
executioners in the midst of the fire, their fall upsetting the
scalding oil-can; with the next, I swept the bearers of Bobbachy’s
palanquin off their legs; with the third, I caught that chief himself
in the small of the back, and sent him flying on to the sabres of my
advancing soldiers!
The next minute, Glogger and Stuffle were in my arms, Pappendick
leading on the Irregulars. Friend and foe in that wild chase had swept
far away. We were alone: I was freed from my immense bar; and ten
minutes afterwards, when Lord Lake trotted up with his staff, he found
me sitting on it.
“Look at Gahagan,” said his Lordship. “Gentlemen, did I not tell you we
should be sure to find him _at his post?_”
The gallant old nobleman rode on: and this was the famous BATTLE OF
FURRUCKABAD, or SURPRISE OF FUTTYGHUR, fought on the 17th of November,
1804.
About a month afterwards, the following announcement appeared in the
_Boggleywollah Hurkaru_ and other Indian papers:-
“Married, on the 25th of December, at Futtyghur, by the Rev. Dr.
Snorter, Captain Goliah O’Grady Gahagan, Commanding Irregular Horse,
Ahmednuggar, to Belinda, second daughter of Major-General Bulcher, C.B.
His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief gave away the bride; and, after a
splendid _déjeuner_, the happy pair set off to pass the Mango season at
Hurrygurrybang. Venus must recollect, however, that Mars must not
_always_ be at her side. The Irregulars are nothing without their
leader.”
Such was the paragraph—such the event—the happiest in the existence of
G. O’G. G., M.H.E.I.C.S., C.I.H.A.
Footnotes:
[1] So admirable are the performances of these watches, which will
stand in any climate, that I repeatedly heard poor Macgillicuddy
relate the following fact. The hours, as it is known, count in Italy
from one to twenty-four: _The day Mac landed at Naples his repeater
rung the Italian hours, from one to twenty-four;_ as soon as he
crossed the Alps it only sounded as usual.—G. O’G. G.
[2] In my affair with Macgillicuddy, I was fool enough to go out with
small swords:- miserable weapons, only fit for tailors.—G. O’G. G.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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