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number, and whisper a short, but evidently decisive command to the subaltern officer left in charge of us.

"What meant all this? I scarcely dared to let myself think it portended good, though having, as I shall tell you soon, reason to think it did; yet, one thing was necessarily clear, he would not have directed a retreat had he found it was safe to go forward. Our friends held, perhaps, his fellows in check; perhaps they had obtained some marked advantage; at the least, putting all other considerations and springs to favourable expectation out of the question; inasmuch as we were concerned, it seemed better to be where we were, than where we had ere now, but for the interruption been, in the enemy's camp, under brief sentence, and equally brief delay of execution; worse than this could scarcely be.

hear the reports so welcome to our spirits; perhaps we were at too great a distance, or that it really was the combat had terminated. How heartily did we pray inwardly that the upshot might be in favour of " own."

our

"His absence may have been of twenty minutes to half an hour; he returned with his men, at the fullest speed practicable, in the unequal broken up ground I have de- "The circumstance did not escape the adscribed; and before reaching within speak-jutant; he halted the troop from time to ing distance, he motioned with his hand, to time, and appeared to listen, dismounting face round and fall back. The signal was at last, and laying his ear to the ground; understood, and, ere he joined us, we were the result did not seem quite satisfactory. already some hundred paces away, in retro- I perceived, or fancied rather, I could per.. gade movement. ceive (for he remained calm and inscrutable as before) that a slight, but significant gestre passed from him to his companion in duty, as they again held whispering communication together. At this precise moment, while, to my mind, they looked as it were undecided what course to pursue the unexpected but well defined repetition of the same noise of firing that had already come to cheer the heart of my brother sufferer and myself, (but this time, much nearer, and in another and different direction, that of the town we had marched from in the morning,) resounded suddenly with loud and frequent crash. This time it startled, yes, unquestionably startled from his composure our young soldier, as well as it did the other, and every man of the troop, not excluding, you may think, ourselves, to whom it anew gave a vivid spur of joyful impulse. I recollected the vague stirring I had imagined I caught a glimpse of, on devolving from the freer country above into the entrance of the gorge. With a thrill of delight, I now bounded to the not improbable conclusion, that a bold and dexterous manœuvre of our body of troops, reinforced, no doubt, from the main one, had been essayed, to turn and seize the enemy's position,-a manœuvre of the utmost honour and credit to the officer who had conceived, and the troops, who, under his direction, had executed it; and which I remembered to have been proposed and discussed in the general council of war.

"Such were the hurried reflections that suggested themselves to me, while eagerly watching the looks, countenance, and manner of the young leader, when, passing in front, he checked his horse, and conversed for a few minutes in low voice and short phrase, with his inferior officer. He was evidently earnest and thoughtful, manifesting, however, neither discomposure nor precipitateness. Now and anon he turned his searching eyes towards us, with what expression or interest, 'twere completely impossible to divine at the time; that it was full of meaning there could be no doubt, and more probably, than at many other of our moments of trial; hitherto I felt hea vily anxious and ill at ease to be out of the torment of endeavouring to guess.

"He said no word to us, nor we to him; all continued the same gloomy silence that had, till now only, been interrupted by the noise of our horses' steps, the passing clank of the soldiers' arms, the rustling wave of the high trees, or the few orders that had passed from him to his men.

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"If it succeeded, we yet might be safe,-escape for our escort seemed dubious, if not impossible, a matter respecting which I had not means of forming a decided opinion, since, at either extremity of the ravine, they must necessarily encounter our friends, and fall, probably, into their hands. These, with various other conflicting and uncertain ones, were the thoughts, that, in an instant of time, crowded my brain at this momentously critical juncture.

"The hesitation I had observed, lasted merely during the while I remarked it;

with the other dragoons called, as I men-tioned, to the front, on a second reconnoitering excursion, instead of going forward himself.

"The firing meantime had manifestly increased, and every moment, it was equally certain, took place over a more extended

our but too attentive guardian caught, I believe, my glance interrogating his features; he turned his abruptly for a second away, and then, resuming all the self-possession that had hitherto throughout, from our first meeting, most strikingly characterized him,-backed sideways the fine animal he rode, so as to take ground in ad-line. We soon, towards the topmost heights vance before his men,-then, drawing his sword, and placing it at rest to his shoulder," Cornet, forward," he cried, "with four of the troop!"

"Place the prisoners in rear, thirty paces, two men each side,-serry ranks there,-load,-rest carbines!"

"All this was done in a twinkling; we were brought to the named distance; the dragoons who executed this part of the order, when they had done so, ranging themselves right and left at a short interval, with their horses' heads, and carbines on knee, inclining towards us, and ready to draw triggers at the slightest motion of ours; the others closed files and stood prepared in the same way. These several movements not a little appalled and chilled us, the more so, no doubt, in presence of the brightened hopes so recently indulged in. The next orders we could only expect would be to wheel and fire; for we knew well enough, from wretched experience, the practice followed in such cases by our foes, and, I even grieve to be compelled to repeat it, by ourselves.

"Good bye, Juvigny," I said in under tone, "all's over-God be merciful to us."

"Good bye-bless you, de Merinhac !— yes, our doom is here we shall meet elsewhere."

"We placed our hands together and waited, endeavouring to utter inwardly a prayer for mercy, which often, alas! in similar occasions one can with difficulty succeed in forming.

"What a miserable interval of suspense ensued !—no word of command was given; we remained motionless, and I shall not say, quailing; but struck with the dread cold awe the bravest must and do feel in the same position, fluttering as it were, between life and death, for the space of ten minutes which here (the phrase however trite after all best expresses the impression) seemed indeed ten

ages.

"At length, by degrees, our feelings and ideas began to take another turn and slowly to revive again and breathe-let me so speak -even into the world. We perceived that the leader had resumed his former place at the head of his party, having detached the cornet

that commanded the mouth of the ravine, could sufficiently plainly descry smoke rising, at first thinly, then in close volumes; even two or three large flashes were seen, followed by the report of as many field pieces. "Oh," thought I, "if these be our's, the day may be gained; the republicans can not have brought up theirs from the marshes."

"That they were ours I quickly had joyfully convincing proof; high above, immediately over the spot whence the shots had been directed, I recognised, with a thrill which all can casily appreciate, floating in a partial glance of sunshine, the flag-our own true white flag. I cannot say I jumped in my saddle at the sight, but Juvigny certainly did; a half muttered exclamation only escaped my lips, and he responded to it: incidents not unnoticed by the scowling eyes that immediately fell on us from around. The lieutenant turned; he had heard the stir, but merely looked coldly, if not somewhat contemptuously towards us, and resumed his posture of mute watchfulness of what might be passing forward. He only occasionally made a single movement to look back, as here, on his men or, as time drew on, and his scouting party did not evident precaution, a watch which he took reappear, to consult more rarely, and with from his breast. I noted all this, quite as closely at least, as he did the sounds and tokens that were to direct to him the progress of the engaged struggle.

"At length we could discern, emerging now and again from the more obscure and shaded points into the opening of the way, the hurriedly returning troops and their officer. Ours-I must for the present term him so, rode forward to meet them. They soon after joined in silence the rest, and reformed into order as before.

"The young aide-de-camp, with still graver and more clouded brow, now passed on to the rear, inspecting the looks and state of all as he went, and stopping immediately be side us, next to me, motioned the guards to fall into rank with the others. After a pause, during which they had advanced as instructed, he turned full to me, and in a tone of

serious earnestness and enquiring interest, corresponding to that of his habitual manner, but much more strongly marked.

"Captain Merinhac," he said, for the first time thus styling me; "you are, I feel perfectly satisfied, too much of an experienced soldier-not to say too well acquainted with the plans and designs of your party-not to be fully aware of the import and intent, and presumable consequence of the double occurrence (laying stress on the word to convey meaning stronger than it really implied) which has just taken place ?"

"Here he was silent as if waiting for a reply, although no direct question had been put.

fering excitement; seizing again Juvigny's hand, who returned the pressure, and looked, as I did, fixedly in the face of our presumed executioner:

"Well, sir," I cried, "fulfil them; your orders; we are unarmed!"

"The taunt might be spared, Captain Merinhac; you should perhaps, indeed you ought to think better of me from what has already passed; but I shall be dumb, and excuse, in consideration of your position, this injustice in my regard. Yes," he continued after an interval apparently of deep and struggling reflection; one of nearly equal surprise and suspense to us; the escort drawn up, as a while since, fronting us, remained within shot; waiting, it might be, only the word to fire, if he relinquished the sanguinary functions imposed on him."

"Citizen Lieutenant," I answered, "I do judge of I do understand the importance of the two occurrences,' as you are pleased to call them, which you allude to ; as to the pro-"Yes, you wrong me; but you shall judge jects or intentions of my party, they belong to them and not to me. Your friends' position is turned and occupied on two points; and you are shut up here with little, if any opening of retreat or escape. Am I right ?-Do my judgment and your's agree?"

"Citizen Merinhac," he rejoined with some severity; not for several seconds, however; "you forget you are my prisoner; I am not here to answer questions, but to have mine answered, and even were it not so, you could scarcely expect that, having withheld confidence yourself, I, on my part, should grant it you. But enough;-no more useless words on the matter-another and more serious one we should have now to occupy us. Supposing the case to be what you describe it, (and I am not prepared to allow fully that it is-nay, on the contrary I feel unhesitatingly convinced, that we can still without much effort make good our retreat) do you know?"-he paused-" are you fully aware-what are my instructions-my unavoidable duty to perform"-he again hesitated, "under such circumstances, or those of an attempt at rescue or escape

"To dispose summarily of us, I should imagine-we expected; we could hope no

less ?"

"You have said it-nay more," he added, with an expression of feeling almost betraying itself by a sigh, which as yet he had never given way to within my observation, and which one would not have probably, concluding from the outward man, considered him capable of " to blow-myself--with my own hands, your brains out, on this spot.'

"Previous scenes and events had but too well prepared us for this; we were nerved at the moment up to the highest pitch of suf

of me and know me better; my mind is made up-I sicken at the horrors of this war-they suit only savages, and are a disgrace to the bright and great cause we combat for. I, for one, in my humble individual capacity, will set an example that may tend to alleviate them. Gentlemen, citizensofficers I mean-you are free-I set you at liberty from this moment, on my own responsibility-with this single condition, that you pledge yourselves as officers and gentlemen, at some future period of the campaign— I do not-mind it-name a time, to surrender at our outposts; thence to be sent forward personally, to me."

"If we were astonished before, fancy, if you can, what must have been our feelings at the close of these words. I shall not attempt to describe them; gratitude, admiration, amaze, if you will, and a thousand other impulses were jostled and jumbled together in our breasts; and in the confusion, for a few minutes left us wholly speechless.

"To do both my companion and myself but fair justice, however, (and I am proud to have it to say, in the face and spite of the universal selfishness of poor human nature,) our first thought and words, when we could find or utter them, were for our brave and generous foe.

"But Sir, dear Sir, do you recollect the risk-a matter of life and death, you expose yourself to ?" we both exclaimed in a breath, are you

"I have said I was resolved," he interrupted, in a graver and more solemn tone; "What I do, I do wittingly, and no thought of the peril incurred shall have power to prevent me acting up to what I mean. This carnage-this butchery work, loathes me;

my hand shall have no farther stain on it. Let them visit the fault on me if they will or dare, for I am not the only one of the army to feel and think thus. I shall be too happy, even in this one instance, to have arrested the course of atrocities that sully the banner we have devoted our lives and hopes to-do you accept?"

"The question were useless, my worthy enemy, and best present friend-of course we do we were madmen else; we stake our word and honour

"Enough!-to the right about wheel," he commanded in a penetrating voice. The troop obeyed. "Onward-rejoin corps." They moved in the prescribed direction, we making way as they passed.

"You will advance, I presume, to meet your nearest friends, whom I see in occupation of the hills yonder. They must not have time to send to catch me here," he added, with a sort of smile, "so farewell," bowing, and turning his horse's head to depart.

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But, Sir!-but, Citizen Officer !-shall we not know whom we stand indebted to ? Our benefactor and deliverer will not refuse-"

"It matters little," he afresh interrupted, "my name is of small consequence; nevertheless, if you wish-if it be positively a gratification to you to hear it--they call me in the army, Charles Jeanotte."

among my comrades of the ranks, whence I have risen, by the familiar abbreviation Jeannot.'

"Morbleu !-so much the worse," I could not help breaking out with, "if you are not noble you deserve to be so;" (recollecting the many defaulters from our cause then enjoying the temporary—for with few exceptions they were only fatally sofruits of their apostacy; there are many, I inwardly and bitterly thought, bearing the highest names, whom thy example might put to the blush ;) "and one day I hope and pray—

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"He smiled again; then in a serious, nay, somewhat stern tone-"A truce to this trifling if you please, Citizen; I have said already I desire no name or title, save that of the rank which I may gain by my sword, fighting in the cause of my free country against you and yours, and all those who are striving to make her what she before was their slave and their prey; and now again -let us part."

"Not as enemies; curse it, why should we be enemies ?"

"We can never be else, Citizen, while you hold to your mistaken principles in the degree you esteem I do to mine."

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I

regret it, from my soul I regret it; but we may meet again in happier times." "I accept, most willingly, the augury; meanwhile you delay me.'

"I was much affected-I seized his hand; "Monsieur Jeannotte, it is a pity you do not belong to the King ?"

"Here I must confess my folly-one, I, in common with my party, was guilty of, and had reason to repent-that of figuring to ourselves, that nothing good or great could be "Citizen Merinhac, I return the complithat was not of us. Well, let it be. Forget-ment, for such you mean it to be; 'tis a pity ting this, in the momentary impulse, which you do not belong to your country. I acthe young fellow's high-mindedness and ge- knowledge nor king, nor chief-but her; nerosity of proceeding, dignity of language, good bye." and bearing, had stirred up-nay more, regardless of every peculiarity of our respective situations, the times, the circumstances, and the men-I was involuntarily, the same mania prompting, driven to think he must be something more, that he could not be only one Charles Jeannotte;' so, yielding to the instinctive movement, I added in an enquiring voice, "Charles Jeannotte 'de?'"

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"I could no longer contain my emotion I again grasped his hand-Juvigny took the other, while starting tears ran down his cheeks, and he drew short breath; a drop or two stood in our generous foc's hitherto calm clear eye.

;

"Farewell, Sir, farewell, our noble deliverer; if you think the good-will of an enemy worth having-curse it more and more-why should we not be friends? By all that's honourable and good, as you yourself are, you have mine—ours-to the heart's core; always save and excepting the service of his Majesty, whom God prosper." "God

prospers not the doers or wishers of slavery, Captain Merinhac-adieu !"

"So saying, he touched the sides of his steed, which bounded with gallant sure foot down the glen, disappearing quickly from our sight."

PART V.

From the extent these pages have run to, the reader will, perhaps, have already understood the story was not told in one sitting. However inclined to dwell on the always more or less, in the advanced age, endearing reminiscences of old times, the good veteran,-I perceived not long after midnight of the evening I have spoken of-had become somewhat tired. Eager as I was to hear him out, I thought it but fair to hint that "it was late," that he might be in want of rest, &c. "I see, I see, my young drowsyear," he exclaimed in reply, "you find I begin to drawl, and the leaden-wink is coining on you." I immediately protested against the imputation-" not a word," he interrupted, "not a word-you are right-1 feel I do drag, and get heavy, consequently I must tire; so to your hammock, and I to mine-good night. Tomorrow, (you dine with me, recollect, same hour,) we shall have another tug and make an end."

I hastened home, not to bed-but to sit up some hours longer, noting down the heads of my excellent old friend's recital; and as far as practicable, the style, the manner and very words he made it in. I fear much, (as I have already expressed elsewhere) I have but indifferently succeeded in this regard; there was a natural ease and truth, and simplicity in his conversational tone of narration,—that it would be, I should fancy, very nearly impossible to transfer to

paper.

We meet with many persons in society, the remark has been often made, gifted with powers of thought and language, of a peculiarly refined-or rather, if I may so say, impalpable, yet most impressive and original nature, who, while they speak or narrate, forcibly attract and arrest our attention; yet when they have ceased, we find ourselves much at a loss to recal the ideas and words they had so well expressed; still more to discover and give shape or form to the nameless indescribable charin that stamped its character and its grace on the whole. Of this number was the Chevalier-a relic of that exquisitely accomplished race of "Gentlemen absolute," (as our great poet hath it,) "at all points," fast vanishing-if indeed, (which I suspect to be the case,) not long since vanished from the country, in

their time, of proverbial elegance and refinement. It is now one which alas ! what with the progress of social licence, and disregard of decorum, under the name of independance and free spiritedness,-what with the rapidly growing exclusive sway of the "Plutocracy,' and the universal extension of guard-room habits, manners and feelings-bids fair to become celebrated to a precisely similar pitch in the reverse direction: nous avons changé tout cela,' is the exact expression of the present state of things.

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The next evening, according to appointment, the Chevalier resumed his narration. " We remained for many minutes afterwards motionless where Jeannotte had stopped, intently gazing at the vacant spot whence the last glimpse of him, or rather vague trace of his movements, had reached our eyes-much-and who must not have experienced the same impression on a like occasion?-as one watches the gradually receding image of a vessel that conveys away some dear friend or relative we have been obliged in sorrow to part with. I pity the man, to say the least, if there be one, who, situated as we had been and then were, and under the circumstances, which had just passed, could think or feel otherwise than we did.

It may, perhaps, occur to you-others to whom I have told the tale, not weighing the whole facts and bearings of the matter, have seemed to entertain the opinion,-that we exaggerated, in our impulse of gratitude, the obligations we stood really under to this friendly foe of our's. Recollect them a moment, and you will comprehend fully what the real extent of our debt was. True, we might only be considered as respited for a time; the pledge we had made, we meant unquestionably to redeem, but then our liberator with much delicacy, had specified no precise period; in gaining time we gained so much of life; and, meanwhile, how many events might arise to create an honourable opening of final escape! the cessation of hostilities-a completely victorious overthrow of our adversaries. At the worst,

(a forethought-we would not of course for a moment admit-but which very probably may not have been without some in

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