# Charles O'Malley; the Irish Dragoon (Rackham, 1897)

Charles O’Malley
The Irish Dragoon
Page 528.
Charles O’Malley
The Irish Dragoon
By
Charles Lever
With Sixteen Illustrations by Arthur Rackham
London Service & Paton 5 Henrietta Street 1897
The Illustrations in this Volume are the copyright of Service & Paton, London
TO THE MOST NOBLE THE MARQUIS OF DOURO M.P., D.C.L., ETC., ETC.
My dear Lord,
The imperfect attempt to picture forth some scenes of the most brilliant period of my country’s history might naturally suggest their dedication to the son of him who gave that era glory. I feel, however, in the weakness of the effort, the presumption of such a thought, and would simply ask of you to accept these volumes as a souvenir of many delightful hours passed long since your society, and a testimony of the deep pride with which I regard the honour of your friendship. Believe me, my dear Lord, With every respect and esteem, Yours most sincerely, THE AUTHOR. Bruxelles, November 1841.
A WORD OF EXPLANATION
Kind Public,—Having so lately taken my leave of the stage, in a farewell benefit, it is hut fitting that I should explain the circumstances which once more bring me before you—that I may not appear intrusive where I have met with but too much indulgence.
A blushing debutant—entre nous, the most impudent Irishman that ever swaggered down Sackville Street—has requested me to present him to your acquaintanee. He hes every ambition to be a favourite with you; but says—God forgive him—he is too bashful for the foot-lights.
He has remarked—as, doubtless, many others have done—upon what very slight grounds, and with what slender pretension, my Confessions have met with favour at the hands of the Press and the public; and the idea has occurred to him to invite his own. Had his determination ended here I should have nothing to object to; but, unfortunately, he expects me to become his Editor, and in some sort responsible for the faults of his production. I have wasted much eloquence and more breath in assuring him that I was no tried favourite of the public, who dared to take liberties with them—that the small rag of reputation I enjoyed was a very scanty covering for my own nakedness; that the plank which swam with one would most inevitably sink with two; and, lastly, that the indulgence so often bestowed upon a first effort is as frequently converted into censure on the older offender. My arguments have, however, totally failed, and he remains obdurate and unmoved. Under these circumstances I have yielded; and as, happily for me, the short and pithy direction to the river Thames, in the Critic, “to keep between its banks,” has been imitated by my friend, I find all that is required of me is to write my name upon the title—and go in peace. Such, he informs me, is modern Editorship.
In conclusion, I would beg that if the debt he now incurs at your hands remain unpaid, you would kindly hear in mind that your remedy lies against the drawer of the bill, and not against its mere humble indorser,
HARRY LORREQUER.
Brussels, March 1840,
Contents
| Chap. | | page |
| ‍ | A Word Of Explanation | iv |
| I. | Daly’S Club House | 1 |
| II. | The Escape | 5 |
| III. | Mr. Blake | 8 |
| IV. | The Hunt | 14 |
| V. | The Drawing-Room | 19 |
| VI. | The Dinner | 22 |
| VII. | The Flight from Gurt-Na-Morra | 30 |
| VIII. | The Duel | 35 |
| IX. | The Return | 40 |
| X. | The Election | 43 |
| XI. | An Adventure | 49 |
| XII. | Mickey Free | 53 |
| XIII. | The Journey | 61 |
| XIV. | Dublin | 67 |
| XV. | Captain Power | 73 |
| XVI. | The Vice-Provost | 82 |
| XVII. | Trinity College—A Lecture | 85 |
| XVIII. | The Invitation—The Wager | 90 |
| XIX. | The Ball | 93 |
| XX. | The Last Night in Trinity | 103 |
| XXI. | The Phœnix Park | 109 |
| XXII. | The Road | 115 |
| XXIII. | Cork | 120 |
| XXIV. | The Adjutant’s Dinner | 124 |
| XXV. | The Entanglement | 127 |
| XXVI. | The Preparation | 130 |
| XXVII. | The Supper | 134 |
| XXVIII. | The Voyage | 140 |
| XXIX. | The Adjutant’S Story—Life In Derry | 145 |
| XXX. | Fred Power’S Adventure in Philipstown | 152 |
| XXXI. | The Voyage | 159 ​ |
| XXXII. | Mr. Sparks’ Story | 162 |
| XXXIII. | The Skipper | 169 |
| XXXIV. | The Land | 180 |
| XXXV. | Major Monsoon | 183 |
| XXXVI. | The Landing | 190 |
| XXXVII. | Lisbon | 197 |
| XXXVIII. | The Strada Nuova | 201 |
| XXXIX. | The Villa | 205 |
| XL. | The Dinner | 208 |
| XLI. | The Route | 211 |
| XLII. | The Farewell | 213 |
| XLIII. | The March | 216 |
| XLIV. | The Bivouac | 222 |
| XLV. | The Douro | 228 |
| XLVI. | The Morning | 235 |
| XLVII. | The Review | 238 |
| XLVIII. | The Quarrel | 242 |
| XLIX. | The Route | 246 |
| L. | The Watch Fire | 248 |
| LI. | The March | 254 |
| LII. | The Page | 256 |
| LIII. | Alvas | 260 |
| LIV. | The Supper | 264 |
| LV. | The Legion | 268 |
| LVI. | The Departure | 270 |
| LVII. | Cuesta | 277 |
| LVIII. | The Letter | 279 |
| LIX. | Major O’Shaughnessy | 281 |
| LX. | Preliminaries | 284 |
| LXI. | All Right | 285 |
| LXII. | The Duel | 287 |
| LXIII. | News From Galway | 291 |
| LXIV. | An Adventure With Sir Arthur | 296 |
| LXV. | Talavera | 298 |
| LXVI. | Night After Talavera | 302 |
| LXVII. | The Outpost | 305 |
| | L’Envoi: | |
| | Letter To The Public | 311 |
| | Epistle To G. P. R. James, Esq. | 314 |
| | Mr. James’s Reply with the Story of the Banker’s Daughter | 315 ​ |
| LXXVIII. | The Doctor’S Tale | 323 |
| LXXIX. | The Skirmish | 331 |
| LXX. | The Lines of Ciudad Rodrigo | 336 |
| LXXI. | The Doctor | 341 |
| LXXII. | The Coa | 344 |
| LXXIII. | The Night March | 349 |
| LXXIV. | The Journey | 353 |
| LXXV. | The Ghost | 358 |
| LXXVI | Lisbon | 363 |
| LXXVII | A Pleasant Predicament | 369 |
| LXVIII. | The Dinner | 372 |
| LXIX. | The Letter | 375 |
| LXXX. | The Villa | 380 |
| LXXXI. | The Visit | 386 |
| LXXXII. | The Confession | 389 |
| LXXXIII. | My Charger | 394 |
| LXXXIV. | Maurice | 397 |
| LXXXV. | The Masquerade | 421 |
| LXXXVI. | The Lines | 429 |
| LXXXVII. | The Retreat of the French | 412 |
| LXXXVIII. | Patrick’S Day in the Peninsula | 415 |
| LXXXIX. | Fuentes D’Onoro | 448 |
| XC. | The Battle of Fuentes D’Onoro | 431 |
| XCI. | A Rencontre | 438 |
| XCII. | Almeida | 442 |
| XCIII. | A Night on the Azava | 444 |
| XCIV. | Mike’s Mistake | 454 |
| XCV. | Monsoon In Trouble | 459 |
| XCVI. | The Confidence | 467 |
| XCVII. | The Cantonment | 471 |
| XCVIII. | Mickey Free’s Adventure | 474 |
| XCIX. | The San Petro | 479 |
| C. | The Count’S Letter | 485 |
| CI. | The Trenches | 489 |
| CII. | The Storming of Ciudad Rodrigo | 493 |
| CIII. | An Unexpected Check | 495 |
| CIV. | The Despatch | 500 |
| CV. | The Leave | 503 |
| CVI. | London | 509 |
| CVII. | The Bell at Bristol | 513 |
| CVIII. | Ireland | 520 ​ |
| CIX. | The Return | 528 |
| CX. | Home | 531 |
| CXI. | An Old Acquaintance | 537 |
| CXII. | A Surprise | 543 |
| CXIII. | New Views | 551 |
| CXIV. | A Recognition | 555 |
| CXV. | A Mistake | 560 |
| CXVI. | Brussels | 568 |
| CXVII. | An Old Acquaintance | 574 |
| CXVIII. | The Duchess of Richmond’s Ball | 581 |
| CXIX. | Les Quatre Bras | 590 |
| CXX. | Waterloo | 603 |
| CXXI. | Brussels | 616 |
| CXXII. | Conclusion | 620 |
| | L’Envoi | 625 |
List of Illustrations
By Arthur Rackham
“Bad luck to ye,” cried he, apostrophising the off horse Frontispiece :
| | page |
| I seized the opportunity of prosecuting my acquaintance with Miss Dashwood | 15 |
| I levelled my heavy hunting-whip at his head | 53 |
| “Miss Macan” | 97 |
| The “Dals” | 135 |
| With one spring he rose; and cleared it at a bound | 200 |
| I peeped through the dense leaves | 206 |
| I dressed his wound, and bound up his shattered arm | 251 |
| Mickey Free’s song | 275 |
| Drawing my pistol, I wheeled suddenly in my saddle, and fired straight at him | 341 |
| “Safe, by Jupiter! and splendidly done too” | 396 |
| “Drink with me to the two greatest irishmen that ever lived—’St. Patrick and Lord Wellington’” | 417 |
| “Ha, ha, ha! we have him now!” sang their wild voices | 497 |
| I recognised my fair cousin baby, who, with a younger brother, was taking an evening walk | 557 |
| “Let the life guards charge them,” said the Duke;. . .and I myself brought the order to Lord Uxbridge | 613 |
| I pressed her hand once more to my lips | 620 |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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