The Soldier's Wife — page 124: what you’re looking at

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

THE SULDIER’S WIFE. : @epradation of being stripped naked to the Waist. The surgeon was present to superin- tend the branding process—not so much how- ever in his medical character, as merely to in- struct the drum-major, whose duty it was to operate, how to accomplish his task: for there was in Teality no danger attending the process, and comparatively little pain—at least for one who had gone through the hideous excrucia- tions of the lash. But then the infamy,—Oh! it was this—it was this, that constituted the pain—the agony! Our hero being stripped to the waist, as 108 would live when arriving in Manchester, that not even a whisper of the hideous circum- stance would reach her ears. On the sixth day after the marking process Frederick was discharged from the infirmary. Before he returned to his quarters, he was summoned to the presence of Colonel Wynd- ham, with whom Adjutant Scott was seated at the time—while Sergeant-Major Langley was standing bold upright, in the “first posit? on,” at a respectful distance from the table. “Now then, Private Lonsdale,” said the Ce lonel, speaking coldly and sternly, “you are above stated, the drum-major dipped a camel’s| going back to your duties—and you had better hair brush into a small bottle which had been take care of yourself: for I can tell you that furnished him, -and which contained a thick} you have a character to redeem— -\}o you black liquid. He then traced with his brush the letter D on Lonsdale’s left side, two inches below the arm-pit, and upon a part which the scourge had cut up two months back, and which was only just skinned over. The letter itself was about an inch in length. The drum- major then took a small bottle of saddler’s needles, three-sided and serrated: with these he pierced the skin all over the tracing of the letter, so as to draw blood—which heaven knows was easily done on that sore spot, which had so lately been flayed, ploughed, furrowed, hewed, and hacked, by the remorseless scourge! Lonsdale remained motionless as a statue— save perhaps in respect to a shght quivering of the lips and the eye-lids; for he felt that. even as in the lowest depth there is a deeper still, gs that beyond the degradation of the cat-o’- n.ne-tails, there was the greater infamy of the brand. When the puncturing process was over, the drum-major took some gunpowder between his finger and thumb, and rubbed it in upon the wound for the purpose of rendering the mark indelible. The explanation of the process is this; that the charcoal of the gunpowder is forced into the small orifices punctured by the needles, and remains mM the skin without fester- ing after the wound has healed up: so that as a matter of course the black color of the charcoal renders the letter D not merely visible, but likewise indelible. And there stood Lonsdale, enduring this erowning infamy—half-naked in the presence of his comrades—his back showing the deep red mark of the scourge which had lacerated it two months back!—there he stood, this unfor- tunate man—in a civilized country—in a land of Bibles and Missionary Societies—to have the mark of Cain afiixed upon him! When the precess was over, he was conducted back to the infirmary—there to remain until the wound think he’ll ever redeem it, Langley ?” The sergeant-major shook his head om*nous ly; and poor Lonsdale felt that he was like a dog to whom a bad name had been g‘ven, and who might be strung up off-hand w.thout merey and without pity. But he said noth’ng: his mood then was the sullenness of despair. “Come, Scott,” resumed the Colonel, turning towards the Adjutant: “tell this fellow why he was sent for here.” , “Private Lonsdale,” said the officer thus »d- dressed—s},eakiny with business-like delibera- tion, and referring to a written memorandm at the same time—“ you originally enlisted for seven years. Was it not so, Langley ?” “It was, sir,” responded the sergeant-major, “Well, it appears, Private Lonsdale,” eon- tinued Mr. Scott, “that .you enlisted on the 15th of May, 1828—and you deserted on the 24th of August of the same year. That made three months and one week of service. You Were captured on the 10th of January, 1840; and youserved up to the 23rd of August, 1632: that interval comprised a period that we will put down as nineteen months anda half. Then you deserted again—and you remained away until Dec. 31st, 1834, when you were captured at Dover. Krom that date until this day— March 22nd, 1835—is comprised a period of service that we will put down as two months and three weeks. Now, Langley—how do you make out these figures? am | right?” “Perfectly so, sir,” responded the sergeant- major. “There’s three periods of service, sir-—— the first, three months and a week—the second, nineteen months and two weeks—-the third, two months and three weeks altogether, twenty-five months and two weeks.” “ Or two years and six weeks,” interjected the Colonel. “Now, then, Private Lonsdale,” resumed the gould be completely healed, when he m.ght|Adjutant, “you understand for what purpose cesuine his military duties. He learned from fle surgeon that there was every reason to believe that he would quit the infirmary at the] these calculations are made. You enlisted to serve—mind, to serve—for seven years. Your desertions count as nothing. You have served exp-ration of a week; and he therefore wrote|altogether two years and six weeks: you have to Lucy to te’! her that she might new leave|therefore still to serve how zouch do you Calais and join him without delay. But did}make it, Langley ?” he acquaint his beloved wife with tle cireum- “Four years, ten months, and two weeks, stances of the branding infamy he had sus-jsir,” was the sergeant-major’s measured and ae tained ?’—No—not for worlds would he have}centuated response. plunged this additional dagger into a heart which was already deeply wounded!—and heja “Just so,” observed Colonel Wyndham, with yawn: for he was already wearied of sueh a hoped, considering the seclusion in which shel tedious mass of figures. 3 (E©) JOO mn 2 cS (E(0)