登陆注册
5168900000016

第16章

Whether it was military caution or the feminine discretion of the colonel's wife,--to the quiet amusement of the other officers,--a trooper was added to the riding party by the order of the colonel, and thereafter it consisted of three.One night, however, the riders did not appear at dinner, and there was considerable uneasiness mingled with some gossip throughout the garrison.It was already midnight before they arrived, and then with horses blown and trembling with exhaustion, and the whole party bearing every sign of fatigue and disturbance.The colonel said a few sharp, decisive words to the subaltern, who, pale and reticent, plucked at his little moustache, but took the whole blame upon himself.HE and Mrs.Lascelles had, he said, outridden the trooper and got lost; it was late when Cassidy (the trooper) found them, but it was no fault of HIS, and they had to ride at the top of their speed to cover the ground between them and the fort.It was noticed that Mrs.Lascelles scarcely spoke to Forsyth, and turned abruptly away from the colonel's interrogations and went to her room.

Peter, absorbed in his report, scarcely noticed the incident, nor the singular restraint that seemed to fall upon the little military household for a day or two afterwards.He had accepted the lieutenant's story without comment or question; he knew his own sister too well to believe that she had lent herself to a flirtation with Forsyth; indeed, he had rather pitied the young officer when he remembered Lascelles' experience in his early courtship.But he was somewhat astonished one afternoon to find the trooper Cassidy alone in his office.

"Oi thought Oi'd make bould to have a word wid ye, sorr," he said, recovering from a stiff salute with his fingers nipping the cord of his trousers."It's not for meeself, sorr, although the ould man was harrd on me, nor for the leddy, your sister, but for the sake of the leftenant, sorr, who the ould man was harrdest on of all.

Oi was of the parrty that rode with your sister.""Yes, yes, I remember, I heard the story," said Peter."She and Mr.Forsyth got lost.""Axin' your pardin, sorr, she didn't.Mr.Forsyth loid.Loid like an officer and a jintleman--as he is, God bless him--to save a leddy, more betoken your sister, sorr.They never got lost, sorr.

We was all three together from the toime we shtarted till we got back, and it's the love av God that we ever got back at all.And it's breaking me hearrt, sorr, to see HIM goin' round with the black looks of everybody upon him, and he a-twirlin' his moustache and purtending not to mind.""What do you mean?" said Peter, uneasily.

"Oi mane to be tellin' you what happened, sorr," said Cassidy stoutly."When we shtarted out Oi fell three files to the rear, as became me, so as not to be in the way o' their colloguing, but sorra a bit o' stragglin' was there, and Oi kept them afore me all the toime.When we got to Post Oak Bottom the leddy p'ints her whip off to the roight, and sez she: 'It's a fine bit of turf there, Misther Forsyth,' invitin' like, and with that she gallops away to the right.The leftenant follys her, and Oi closed up the rear.So we rides away innoshent like amongst the trees, me thinkin' only it wor a mighty queer place for manoovrin', until we seed, just beyond us in the hollow, the smoke of an Injin camp and a lot of women and childer.And Mrs.Lascelles gets off and goes to discoursin' and blarneying wid 'em: and Oi sees Mr.Forsyth glancin' round and lookin' oneasy.Then he goes up and sez something to your sister, and she won't give him a hearin'.And then he tells her she must mount and be off.And she turns upon him, bedad, like a tayger, and bids him be off himself.Then he comes to me and sez he, 'Oi don't like the look o' this, Cassidy,'

sez he; 'the woods behind is full of braves,' sez he.'Thrue for you, leftenant,' sez Oi, 'it's into a trap that the leddy hez led us, God save her!' 'Whisht,' he sez, 'take my horse, it's the strongest.Go beside her, and when Oi say the word lift her up into the saddle before ye, and gallop like blazes.Oi'll bring up the rear and the other horse.' Wid that we changed horses and cantered up to where she was standing, and he gives the word when she isn't lookin', and Oi grabs her up--she sthrugglin' like mad but not utterin' a cry--and Oi lights out for the trail agin.And sure enough the braves made as if they would folly, but the leftenant throws the reins of her horse over the horn of his saddle, and whips out his revolver and houlds 'em back till I've got well away to the trail again.And then they let fly their arrows, and begorra the next thing a BULLET whizzes by him.And then he knows they have arrms wid 'em and are 'hostiles,' and he rowls the nearest one over, wheelin' and fightin' and coverin' our retreat till we gets to the road agin.And they daren't folly us out of cover.Then the lady gets more sinsible, and the leftenant pershuades her to mount her horse agin.But before we comes to the fort, he sez to me: 'Cassidy,' sez he, 'not a word o' this on account of the leddy.' And I was mum, sorr, while he was shootin'

off his mouth about him bein' lost and all that, and him bein'

bully-ragged by the kernel, and me knowin' that but for him your sister wouldn't be between these walls here, and Oi wouldn't be talkin' to ye.And shure, sorr, ye might be tellin's the kernel as how the leddy was took by the hysterics, and was that loony that she didn't know whatever she was sayin', and so get the leftenant in favor again.""I will speak with the colonel to-night," said Peter gloomily.

"Lord save yer honor," returned the trooper gratefully, "and if ye could be sayin' that the LEDDY tould you,--it would only be the merest taste of a loi ye'd be tellin',--and you'd save me from breakin' me word to the leftenant.""I shall of course speak to my sister first," returned Peter, with a guilty consciousness that he had accepted the trooper's story mainly from his previous knowledge of his sister's character.

同类推荐
  • 幼学求源幼学须知

    幼学求源幼学须知

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 国朝宋学渊源记

    国朝宋学渊源记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 题云际寺准上人房

    题云际寺准上人房

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 蕅益三颂

    蕅益三颂

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Cabbages and Kings

    Cabbages and Kings

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 形意拳拳械精粹

    形意拳拳械精粹

    本书选编拳械有:进步连环拳、六合拳、连环肘、八式拳、杂式捶、出洞入洞、八极拳、五行连环刀、五行连环棍等9个传统套路。
  • 伏天圣帝

    伏天圣帝

    万载岁月的天才,重归于世;给我一剑,可斩苍生;给我一刀,可破苍穹。大世将至,天才辈出。上古圣地,人道皇朝,无尽沉睡中的王者苏醒;少年嬉笑怒骂,一路高歌猛进,从废墟中走出,踏向那苍茫大地。
  • 乾龙战天

    乾龙战天

    大屠杀突然降临,漏网之鱼沈秋宝,只是一个寻常的山里娃。没有灵根的他背负着血海深仇,不得不直面道统飘摇的乱世。有道是:天若有情天亦老,人间正道是沧桑。从此,沈秋宝与人斗,与地斗,与天斗,其乐无穷。
  • 上清太玄鉴诫论

    上清太玄鉴诫论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 总裁之老婆很强势

    总裁之老婆很强势

    “咻.....”车从她眼前飞过,她呆了.....耳边回响着那句话,“我是……你的……未婚夫!”这句话犹如一颗炸弹般抛进她的心底,激起了层层波澜……“他……回来了……”她呆呆的站在原地喃喃道。
  • 我真的不是大玩家

    我真的不是大玩家

    【新书《召集三千弟子》已发,是本“仗势欺仙”的爽文!有兴趣的仙友可以看看。】莫问天:村长,我想去次级主城看看。村长:不行!莫问天:村长,听说隔壁村的王裁缝昨天晚上……村长:孩子,你已经长大了,外面的世界才是你的天地!莫问天:我想学习锻造术。锻造师:不行!你没有足够的经验。莫问天:唰!这是三万种矿石,它们的名字、属性、锻造方法是……锻造师:我去!孩子,你过关了……。。。。。。当无数的美女玩家膜拜莫问天,高呼大神万岁的时候。莫问天擦了下额头的汗珠,无奈的开口说道:“我真的不是大神!我真的不是大玩家!”
  • 娇妻来袭:推倒首席大人

    娇妻来袭:推倒首席大人

    身为一个小小娱记,沈凌薇最大的梦想却是成为娱乐圈影后!谁知道,却一个不小心被嚣张的总裁大人给潜了潜了潜了!!!星途还没璀璨,困难接踵而至,紧接着,天大的秘密一个一个揭开!且看欢喜冤家如何终生眷属!面对桃花一二三朵,看沈凌薇如何掐掉陈雨泽的烂桃花!沈凌薇不仅要翻身农奴把歌唱,一跃星途成影后!【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 百草媚

    百草媚

    作品以南北朝时期徐、陶两医药世家的经历,表现了乱世中医药世家儿女的跌宕人生,充分展示了古代医者的智慧与坚韧。既有中医知识的弘扬,也有南北朝时期历史的乱象。作品注重情节跌宕和人物命运的起伏,故事引人入胜。作品获得第一届海峡两岸网络原创文学大赛优秀奖。
  • 职场潜规则

    职场潜规则

    职场是人生的演绎,所以无论你是职场新人,还是高层管理;无论你是外企白领,还是国企领导,都是职场这段人生的主角。有些规则,知道总比不知道好,因为这就是生活。我们无法以身试险,遍尝所有的潜规则。我们要做到的是快速成长。通过阅读他人的故事,结合自己的经历与再观察,让隐形的游戏规则了然于胸;然后,技巧性地去战斗、去奋斗、去成功。这正是本书意欲送给所有职场人的一份礼物。
  • 牛虻

    牛虻

    本书是爱尔兰作家艾捷尔·丽莲·伏尼契的长篇小说。描述了意大利青年牛虻的成长历程,讲述了他如何在黑暗现实的教训下觉醒,如何自觉投身火热的斗争中,并成长为一名坚强战士的人生历程。小说通过牛虻这一光辉形象,生动地再现了19世纪意大利爱国者反对奥地利统治、争取国家独立统一的斗争历程。