The Tremendous Adventures of Major Gahagan

led men have endeavoured to rob me of the only good I possess, to question the statements that I make, and, themselves wit

would answer their contradictions with my sword! No gold or gems adorn the hilt of that war-worn scimitar; but there is blood upon the blade-the blood of the enemies of my country, and the maligners of my honest fame. There are others, however-the disgrace of a disgraceful trade-who, borrowing from distance a despicable courage, have vent

ever in Bundelcund or the Rohilla country? Does this EXQUISITE Tipperary scribe know the difference between Hurrygurrybang and Burrumtollah? Not he! and because, forsooth, in those strange and distant lands strange circumstances have taken p

English General formed a camp at Kanouge on the Jumna, where he exercised that brilliant little army which was speedily to perform such wonders in the Dooab

s over the country and the sovereign, until conquered and slain by some more successful rebel. Chowder Loll Masolgee, Zubberdust Khan, Dowsunt Row Scindiah, and the celebrated Bobbachy Jung Bahawder, had held for a time complete mastery in Delhi. The second of these, a ruthless Afghan soldier, had abruptly entered the capital; nor was he eject

ng sans-culottes appeared among the various Indian States, seeking for military service, and inflaming the minds of the various native princes against the British East India Company. A number of these entered into Scindiah's ranks: one of them, Perron, was commander of his army; and though that chie

oor Shah was not a whit better off than at the beginning; and that though Holkar was beaten, and Scindiah annihilated, Shah Allum was much such a puppet as before. Somehow, in the hurry and c

anges and the Jumna; it consisted of eleven regiments of cavalry and tw

ortress by assault; and as my name was mentioned in general orders, I may as well quote the Comm

nnumerable artillery and as smooth as looking-glasses, were in turn triumphantly passed by that enterprising officer. His course was to be traced by the heaps of slaughtered enemies lying thick upon the platforms; and alas! by the corpses of most of the gallant men who followed him! When at length he effected his lodgment, and the dastardly enemy, who dared not to confront him with arms, let loose upon him the tigers and lions of Sci

u of September 24, 1803: and anybody who has the slightes

f the sea, and is surrounded by fourteen walls, as his Excellency was good enough to remark in his despatch. A man who would mount these without scaling-ladders, is an ass; he who would SAY he mounted them without such assistance, is a liar and a knave. We HAD scaling- ladders at the commencement of the assault, although it was quite impossible to carry them beyond the first line of batteries. Mounted on them, however, as our troops were falling thick about me, I saw that we must ignominiously re

ll that may

re, is neither

pieces of artillery, arrive we did. On the platforms, too, our work was not quite so difficult as might be imagined-killing these fellows was sheer butchery. As soon as we appeared, they all turned

loured scarf which he wore) upon every one of the walls as we stormed them, and running away the very first among the fugitives. He had all the keys of the gates; and in his tremor, as he opened the menagerie portal,

om the dead rhinoceros on which I was seated, and pressed me to his breast. But the excitement which had borne me t

xploit was, therefore, not very rich. His Excellency had a favourite horn snuff-box (for, though exalted in station, he was in his habits most simple): of this, and about a quarter of an ounce o

t it at the office of my publisher, along with the extract from the Bengal Hurkaru, and anybody may examine both by applying in the counting- house of Mr. Cunningham. {3} That once popular expression, or proverb, "Are you up to snuff?" arose out of

y, came in to us, with his family and treasure, and was passed over to the French settlements at Chandernagur. Bourquien

were seated under a little canopy of horse-cloths, which we had formed to shelter us from the intolerable heat of the sun, and were discussing with great delight a few Manilla cheroots, and a stone jar of the most exquisite, cool, weak, refreshing sangaree. W

, and plumped into poor O'Gawler's stomach. It settled him completely, and of

O'Gawler had left of the sangaree-and to gallop to the General, was the work of a m

his paijamahs (or tent), "you must leave

gan, the enemy is on the

will hardly carry five miles, and that Cornet O'Gawler

down the drumstick of a grilled chicken. "Gentlemen, rem

rted from table and s

at high at the though

, and galloped swiftl

t in the train, upon m

and from a hillock in the advance to which we galloped, we were enabled with our teles

_______

.......

ces of artillery which defended his line. He was moreover, entrench

then said, turning round to one of his aides-de-cam

camp, surprised, for the enemy had perceived us, and

.D.C. shrugged his shoulders and galloped away. In five minutes we heard the trum

" said Major-General Sir Theophilus Tinkler, "what next?" "Oh, d- it," said the Commander-in-Chief, "charge, charge-nothing like charging-galloping-guns-rascally b

or instance, a regiment of cavalry or swallowed a battery of guns,-such absurd tales would disgrace both the hearer and the teller. I, as is well known, never say a single word which cannot be proved, and

f that day, became Lord Lake of Laswaree. Laswaree! and who, forsooth, was the real conqueror of Laswaree? I can lay my hand upon my heart and say that I

paid my respects to the illustrious exile of Longwood, who received us in his garden, where he was walking about, in a nankeen dress and a large broad-brimmed straw hat, with General Montholon, Count Las Casas, and h

a bow to the owner of it, but did not vouchsafe a word. At last Montholon came to mine. The Emperor looked me at once in the f

lhi, Deeg,

off my hat with a bow,

Major?" I took a large pinch (which, with the honour of speaking to so great a man, brough

on. Your third brother, the Chef de Bataillon,

is true. He and m

ood under the green

ington back. It was t

rishmen and Englishme

a

ur, Major Gahagan"). "Well, well; it was so. Your br

of nine-and-twenty Cossacks at Borodino. Th

gained the battle of Delhi as certainly as I did that of Austerlitz. In this way:- Ce belitre de Lor Lake, after calling up his cavalry, and placing them in front of Holkar's batteries, qui

"Coquin de

ng on the spot, and would infallibly have done so-and the loss of his army would have been the ruin of the East India Company-and the ruin of the English East India Company

despair and fury). "Gredin! c

s fate. Gahagan, at the critical period of the battle, or rather slaught

Un Francais meurt, mai

ll into the snare, and issuing from behind the cover of his guns, came down with his cavalry on the plains in pursuit of Lake and his dragoons? Then it was that the Englishmen turned upon him; the hardy children of

of the Pyramids, or rallied his regiments to the charge upon the death-strewn plain of Wagram. I have had many a proud moment in my life, but never such a prou

you a Prince and a Marshal!" and here he fell into a reverie, of which I knew and respected the purport. He was

ter partaking of that beverage, and talking upon the politics of the day, the Emperor withdre