The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 9: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

6 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. scarcely knew whether it had saved him from the dreadful hands of the plunderer of the dead or not. The voice of the Irishman, however, recovered him to consciousness, and he bent his eyes in the direction where the woman had stood, who, in another moment, but for so timely an interruption, would have put an end to all his pains, and all his expectations, with that knife which doubtless had already found the heart of many a brave fellow, The bullet from the musket had hit her in the mouth, and nearly literally, as Rafferty had expressed, blown her head off. Her death must have been instantaneous, and there she lay, presenting, from the freshness of her wound, and the nat- ure of it, one of the most hideous spectacles even in that field of horrors. ‘ And this is war,” thougt he young man. ‘‘ Gracious God! This is what men call glory.” ~~ ‘‘ How is your mother's son sir ?” asked Rafferty. ‘‘ You have saved my life, Ra — ‘‘T hope so, sir; but you know, : your honor is bad hurt, there ain’t so much merit in the thing. It wasn’t just the likes of a Brolickbones, sir, to see you murdered in that kind of way; and bedad, sir, the mighty elegant twist I gave my leg, sir, in getting a holt of that musket, is one of them things to remember, sir, without a areenyraneuny: It was an English musket, sir, and the poor devil who had a holt ‘of it had n erin 80 long that he hadn’t got into a habit of letting go of it.’ ‘‘It was held by a corpse ?” ‘“‘That same, sir. <A fine young man, no doubt, sir, if one could have come to a judgment—only, as his two legs was gone it wasn’t easy! Now, sir, if that had been a French gun, sir— bad cess to it! but it would have missed fire; and then that *farnel woman would have had two more murders on her soul, for she’d have just settled you and me, nate and aisy, before you could have said, ‘ Mike, how’s your mother?” ‘*My good fellow, I owe you a great debt of gratitude.” “Thank you, sir.” ‘It is I have to thank you, Rafferty; and, believe me, that if I survive the horrors of this day, I will not be unmindful that I ewe you my life.” ‘‘ Faith! sir, that’s not much. Pay me off when you see some poor fellow in a bad plight: and when you’re walking about like a gintlaman in the pride of your heart, and ali’s nate and aisy wid yau, if you see some poor fellow hard up, and an Irish tongue in his cheek, give him a trifle, and tell him it’s for the honor of ould Ireland and Rafferty Brolick- bones.” **T will—I will.” | ** That’s enough, sir. Did you hear that, sir?” ‘*T did hear a strange noise.” “‘ Hark again, sir.” The young officer listened, and so strange and terrific a halt comicbooks. com