Literary cadet, and Saturday evening bulletin. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1826-1827, 1826-12-02

mind was occupied between the desire of
saving the prisoner, and the difficulty, or
rather the impossibiity, which he found of
doing it. Duplessis, believing that he had
no intention to grant his request, became
still more urgent :: " In the name of God
in the name of all that Is dear to you !'--
Say no more" cried the other abruptly,
the commission is very disagreeable one,
but still | will not refuse it. Taking the
miniature, as he spoke, he put it into his
pocket +; and added, Will you eat a
mouthful Of something, and take a drop Of
brandy it will refresh you"
" | cannot swallow" replied Duplessis
-" fever consumes me, and | am Impa-
tient to reach our destination, that | may
! escape from my misery.
These words made Dclm mt shudder
I lie looked earnestly in the face of the
! speaker, and dishgured as it was with dust,
sweat and blood, there was something in
the features so noble and touching, that he
could not he p resolving to risk every thing
in order to save him. Listen to me at
tentively," cried he-"I will give you
chance, which, if well managed, may pre-
serve your life Say that you came to tell
me you could not continue to march, and
| have refused you any assistance. Go
back, and complain of my cruelty to the
same officer who has allowed you to come
and speak to me, and try to act so that he
may solicit me to leave you behind with an
escort, to wait for rotture de requiStion -
| will take care that the men who will guard
you shall be drunkards, make them drunk,
recover your energy, and escape"
Ah, my God if it were possible But
you forget must have money to give them
and nave not single sous :" And,
unfortunately, have very little, only four
assignats of five francs each you will find
them under this piece of meat" continued
he, wrapping part of his provisions in paper;
be sure you are not seen to take them
out and God speed you !"
Durlcssis turned away without speaking;
but the tears that started to his eyes were
more eloquent than words lie followed
Delmont's directions so successfully, that
in few moments afterwards the lieutenant
came to tell the captain, that the prisoner,
to whom he had given provisions, could not
eat /; and that burning fever rendered him
hhcoPuDiC VI DCpIIOHt ICDiitu
with feigned harshness, that ifthe man could
not 60 on it was better to shoot him at
once.
What - cried the other Indignantly,
" shoot man before you know whether he
will be pronounced guilty or innocent by the
court-martial You cannot seriously mean
it, captain"
"Pray then what would you have me to
do with him for you know that cannot re-
main here to watch him My orders are
to proceed, and cannot diminish the force
of our troop, already too small for a part
OF the country like this, in order to leave an
escort with this man."
" But look at the state in which he is
Three men would be quite sufficient to
guard him, till we can get roitmc de re
qaisition, which no doubt may be had to-
morrow and certainly, captain, you will
not say that you cannot spare three men?
Well," replied the other, with feigncd
impatience, you shall have it your way :: J
but remember l tell you, you are bringing
me into a scrape. However, since you
will have it so, tell Corporal Galard, and |
La Porte, and Desmoulins, to remain with !
him we must now set out" The lieuten-
ant did not wait for another order he
made the men carry the prisoner, who ap-
peared to be dying, into hut. belmont
recommended to them to keep a strict eye
over him, as they would be answerable for
him if he escaped and he set forward
AS belmont had foreseen, the general
refused to approve his report, and ordered
him to 60 himself the next day to present
it to the commissary ofthe convention Be-
fore he waited upon the commissary, the
three soldiers arrived without their priso-
ner. The corporal declared, that, not
withstanding his appearance Of illness, he
had tried to escape in the night by win
dow, but the men being upon the alert, had
all three fired at once he fell dead upon
the spot, and they had buried him there.
This tale was told so naturally, that Del
mont could not entertain doubt Of its
truth it cost him great zeal to dissem-
bic the pang it gave him but he dared not
manifest any regret, aud taking with him
the three soldiers and his lieutenant, he went
to make his report to the commissary, who,
after hearing all the depositions, told him
very roughly, that he had done very wrong
to expose three brave soldiers Of the repu-
blic only to convey a sick rebelmore eas-
ly to be shot that however as they had