New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-02-09

when remember his strange aspect In form,
lie looked nearly as broad as he was long, being
nearly eight feet IN girth, and completely envel-
oped in rough blue rocquelaure, which i'm
parted to his figure the roundness of ball His
face, reddened by skiedam and the frost, was
glowing like crimson, while the broad beaver hat
that overshadowed it, and the feathers with
which the beaver was edged, were inc1 usted
with the snow that was rapidly forming a pyra-
mid on its crown. imparting to his whole aspect
droliery at which I could have laughed heart
lily, had not his well-known acuteness and fero-
city awed me into a becoming gravity of de-
meanor; and delivering my dispatch with toll
erably good grace, refined back my horse to
await any reply he might be pleased to send the
Duke.
's His dull Dutch eyes glared with sudden
anger and triumph, as he folded the document,
and surveyed the manacled prisoners. There
after he seized his speaking trumpet, and thun-
dered out v-
Ruyters-halt! form open column of troops,
trotw
"lt was done as rapidly as heavily armed
Dutchmen on fat slow horses knee deep among
snow could perform it, and then wheeling them
into line, he gave the orders
" Forward the fanks-ferm circle-sling mus
quetoons -trumpeter ride to the centre and
dismount.' ~.
ssBy these unexpected maneuyres. suddenly
Dutch horsemen, and thus, as it were, compelled
| to become a spectator Of the scene that ensued,
| though had his Grace of ofMarlborough's 8 urgent
orders to rejoin him without delay on the road
| to Aire.'' '''
s's And-and you saw
'sSuch specimen of discipline as neither the
devil nor DeAlartinet ever dreamed of but thor
oughly Dutch / warrant you. y=.. s7
| 81 have said it was intensely cold and that
! the night was closing; but the whiteness of the
snow that covered the vast plain, with the broad
red circle of the half-obscured moon that glim-
mered through the fast falling fakes as it rose
behind q distant spire, cast dim light upon
the place where the Dutchmen halted But
deeming that insufficient, Van Wandenberg Or
dered half dozen torches to be lighted, for his
troopers always had such things with them,
being useful by night for various purposes and
kissing and sputtering in the falling snow flakes,
their lurid and itful glare was thrown on the
close array Of the Dutch dragons, on their
great cumbrous hats, on the steeple crowns of
which, have said, the snow was gathering in
cones, and the pale features of the two prisoners,
| altogether imparting wild, unearthly, and ter
rible effect to the scene about to be enacted on
that wide and desolate moor.
'sBy order of Van Wandenberg, three hal
berts were fixed into the frozen earth, with their
points bound together by thong, after which
the dismounted trumpeters layed hands on one
| of the young Frenchmen, whom they proceeded
| to strip of his coat and vest.
ssDsarmed and surrounded, aware of the
utter futility of resistance, the unfortunate vol
unteer offered none, but gazed wistfully and
| imploringly at me, and sure 1 am, that in my
lowering brow and kindling eyes, he must have
seen the storm that was gathering in my heart.
EEK Dieu vous benisse, Monsieur Officer,' cried
the Frenchman in mournful voice, while shud-
dering with cold and horror as he was stripped
to his shirt; save me from this foul disgrace,
and my prayers-yea, my life, shall be for ever
at your disposal
s's Good comrade, said |, sentreat me not
for here am powerless.' l.-.D .-...g
"s Baron he exclaimed; l am a gentleman
la gentleman of old France, and / dare thee te
lay thy damnable scourge upon me-
''s Ach Gott dare-do you say dare? We vii
eel laughed Van Wandenberg, as the prisoner
was dragged forward and about to be forcibly
trussed to the halberts by the trumpeters, wheI
animated to the very verge of insanity, he sud
denly freed himself, and rushing like madmal
upon the Baron, struck him from his horse b
one blow Of his clenched hand. The hors
5 snorted, the Dutch troopers opened their sauce
eyes wider still, as the great and corpulent mas
fell heavily among the deepening snow, and
, an instant the foot of the Frenchman was presse
upon his throat, while he exclaimed:
sex If l slay thee, thou hireling dog, as ha'
, often slain thy clodpated countrymen in oths
!, days and the Frenchman laughed tiercely,
st. Denis! | will have one foeman less on tn
side of He'll
Scott in Himmel! ach mein tuyvel meir
mein Gottp gasped the Dutchman, as he foun
dered beneath the heel of the vengeful and in
furiated Frenchman, who was determined o
destroying him, till blow from the baton of a
officer, stretched him almost senseless anon
the snow, where he was Immediately grasped b
the trumpeters, disrobed of his last remainin
garment, and bound strongly to the halberts.
sc Meanwhile the other prisoner had bee
pinioned and resolutely held by his escort, other
wise lie would undoubtedly have fallen also upo
Van Wandenburg, who choking with a tempes
of passion that was too great to find utteranc
in words, had gathered up his rotund figure, an
? with an agility wonderful in man of his yeal
and vast obesity, so heavily armed, in a bu
coat and jack-boots ribbed with iron, heav
sword and cloak, clamhered on the back of hi
horse as clown would climb up wall; an
with vsage alternating between purple an
blue, by the effects of rage and strangulatiol
he surveyed the prisoner for a moment in silenc
and there cleaned in his piggish grey eyes a
expression of fury and pain, bitterness and tr
umph combined, and he was only able to articl
late one word
ss Flog.'
son the handsome young Frenchman's dar
| curly nalf, SIStenlnS Will tHe WHitenliiS oHo
that fell upon it, and on his tender skin reddeI
t ing in the frosty atmosphere, on the swellir
muscles of his athletic form, on a half hea
ed sabre wound, and on the ineaments of
face that then expressed the extremity of mel
c tai agony, fell full the wavering light of Il
+ uplifted torches The Dutch, accustomed
every species of extra judicial cruelty by st
o and land looked OH with the most grave stolidi
/ and apathetic indifference; while felt an a
!, constituent and Indignation that rapidly ga
: place to undisguised horror.
e '' Fog!
e sThe other prisoner uttered groan tn
e seemed to come from his very heart, and th
$ covered his ears and eyes with his hand
Welded by muscular trumpeter an immen
d scourge of many -knotted cords was broug
: down with one full sweep on the white back
: the victim, and nine livid bars, each red, as
v scared by hot iron, rose under the inhictio
a and again the terrible instrument was rear
by the trumpeter at the full stretch OF his sine'
l. arm.
d sNIonsieur will be aware, that until the Ii
i, Revolution of 1858, this kind of punishment "
i unknown here and elsewhere, save in Hollan
J. and though have seen soldiers run the gauntl
l. ride the mare, and beaten by the martinets
y shall never, oh, no never forget the sensat
% of horror with which this Ito mel new punlshmt
8 of the poor Frenchman inspired me; and sur
t, am, that our great Duke of Marlborough co,
N in no way have anticipated it.
! Accustomed as have said, to every kind