The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 353: what you’re looking at

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

THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI’S YOUNG CAPTAIN. 347 ‘When they had unconsciously advanced -within our ambuscade, I stepped forward, and demanded a surrender. “Twas answered with a volley, but before they could reload, every man was weltering in his blood, dead or wounded. TH ““The second boat’s party; hearing the firing, rushed towards the landing-place. “Our heroes fell back some few pacés, and awaited their approach, f “ Having to pass the spot where their companions lay, they halted and gazed with horror on thé de- struction before them, P “ At the same moment I called on them to sur- render, “ The dead and wounded were placed in a scow, and two men, paroled, conveyed them across, “ We had captured in this little affair 150 fine English rifles, 60 revolvers, 6 swords, and oyer 100 prisoners, besides having killed or wounded: 75 others, . “We procured waggons for all those things the rascals had stolen, together with arms, accomntre- ments, &c., and marched our prisoners to town— the civilian renegades in front. by PEAT “Not a man in our party was scratched in this meeting, and received with modesty the encominms of our general, who sarcastically remarked, on hearing an account of the affair, “< Mejia, the scoundrel, will learn to keep his thieves at home in future,’ “This and several other successful affairs very much embittered the feeling between pickets on the river bank, and the firing was incessant. “ Indeed, they brought down whole regiments to oppose our guards, and maintained an incessant fusilade from sunrise till dark. , “ Not only this, they brought forward field-pieces - and endeavoured to disperse our pickets by de- stroying every tent or hut that might be in range. “Tn fact they asked no questions, but smashed everything within reach, and unhoused several poor farmers and labourers who had not wherein to lay their heads, i “‘ More than this, their firing was mere waste of ammunition, and betrayed but little skill, = “ When our artillery answered, they invariably retired, and at last mounted some heavy pieces on a rising ground back of the Ferry, and incessantly shelled, in the vain hope of destroying our camp, which they had not manhood enough to attempt to take. “ Their numerous shells, however, from some ~ unknown cause, although rifled and of very best » duality, always fell short. “Being out on’ picket,. we enjoyed ourselves amazingly among the farmers, who willingly fur- nished all things needful, and as our camps were near the little town of Rainford, many pleasant hours were spent there among the pretty quakeresses and widows—the latter being very numerous and handsome, ‘With their little town of one street screened by surrounding hills, the inhabitants seemed perfectly happy and contented, for they possessed a fine mill, two woollen cloth factories} several tanneries; had a large meeting-house, two small chapels, a news- , paper, and excellent grazing land all around them. “Tn general aspect it looked much likea Spanish village; only that the inhabitants were even prouder in step, wore better goods, and had rosy, well; cut features that plainly indicated the best of ‘blood,’ “Many of the males had decamped to Maxi- milian’s army; but the women, Heaven bless them |! were as true as steel, and behaved like heroines on all occasions. Sweet little Village of the Hills, long may ye flourish ! “From deserted and intercepted travellers we gleaned particles of information occasionally which left little doubt that recent acts of boldness were but forerunners of mischief, and every day _wit- nessed greater vigilance and caution on the part of officers, “The more distant detachments were called in, and save a picket, guard, under special instructions, our whole force fell back nearer to. Matamoras, at which point all flanking forces must necessarily first appear. ‘This ruse was resorted to to bewilder the enemy, who were accurately informed of all our movye- ments by spies among the townspeople, “What this habitual retreating and advancing might mean none could tell, ‘Tt sufficed that our general ordered. it, and the men obeyed. cheerfully, although frequently march- ing In drenching rains and impassable mud. “In order tobe, positively informed;,of the enemy’s. movements and intentions, several bold fellows, in-our,command volunteered to cross the river, dodge the, pickets, and push into the interior as far as Mexico city, ‘One of the three brave men was no other than our old friend, the Yankee trapper, the same who had befriended the Boy Band in so many ways, and had earned for himself the name of Red Devil among the Indians, “ He mounted a favourite mare of mine, which I had loaned him for the purpose, and started out at midnight, ‘He managed to elude the enemy’s guards, and passed through them unobserved. “ He reached Pontsville, and engaged himself for an hour or two, and then made his way to the river San Juan. | ‘He arrived on the banks in safety, and swam his horse across, . “Prowling around the camps of Mejia, he obtained very valuable information, and was about to return to our camps again, when some rascal or other, who was paid for the information, divulged the secret that the Red Devil was not an Imperialist, but a staunch Republican, and formed one of my own company of Boy Soldiers as a yolunteer, “ Red Deyil was totally nnaware of this, and after he had recrossed, the San Juan again in safety, he was suddenly chased by. a whole squadron of light cavalry. “ His position,.was a most perilous, ones; .but putting spurs to his mare he galloped madly onward. ‘«‘ Meanwhile, however, shots were whistling round him, “ One, who took more accurate aim than the rest, hit Red Devil in the shoulder. “ Yet he was not unhorsed. “The wound was a most painful one, and he lost much blood. “Yet onward he sped like the wind, the hussar squadron in full chase after him. 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