Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-09-28
the journal Of ono Of Napoleon's officers in the wal
with the Turks. n
THE FIELD of HEADS.

w WV i"'e was 10 DC decided and while some |
Oh us were doomed to pass the winter season in
'he widest parts of Turkey, Hungary, &C. 9TH
ers were destined to enjoy all the pleasures Vi
emma offers. / was in sort of rcrro,s ox.,;+o
ment, and felt as if already sentenced to trans.
portation for life. No longer so young as to be
delighted when shot at at my post from dis
tance, my heart no longer throbbcd with pride
when twelve Turks attacked me with their sa-
bres and scimetars, and having felled me to the
ground, left me for dead but my true enthus-
asln was not instinct, was still gasping for
that thirst-rroducing food glory" and would
earnestly have embraced the first opportunity of
appearing as candidate for honor and promo
ton. But there was one thing which tied me
to Vienna--tcr which woul1 have sacrificed
everything. I was no longer in love--I was
married Such wife as had but it docs
not become me to praise her beauties. Yet this
rW say, she was all that is found in novels, ,ex-
cepting tEat her eyes were something brighter.
Our honeymoon was not yet passed, we still
were HAPPIER whn alone together; we still
praised each others good qualities; in short,we
were haIry and the prospect of those days
when tie wife thinks the husband "bore,"
and the husband the wife ''baggage" and the
children "luggage, the thought that such
times would arrive (my bachelor friends tell me
! they will } never entered our minds. We lived
for the prcsent-we smiled for the past-we
cared not for the future How can it be thought
strange that did not like to leave my partner,
to exchange the BLESSINGS of domestic happi-
ress" (until-but never mind y for the wild
life of q warrior to abandon sOirccs, balls, mus
qucrades, dinners and all those delights, for a
skirmish with Turks
My wife was very what is called 'fdgety'
throughout the day, and although she said she
was certain was not destined to leave her
still her pale face and her rcstlcssncss of man
ner betrayed her fears.
But the time arrived. and | was condemned to
join our regiment, in some Turkish village of
twelve syllables, with plenty of "z's,' and
catch g. and to return, after having guarded
tie lorcIost FOR six months. "I'll skip over
the tears shed by my wife; "I'll not mention
what or how felt. We left Vienna three days
after, and soon reached our dt estimation.
How different u life We lead here. The Colo
mel of the regiment was a friendly ard amiable
man, and was universal favortc; still long
ed for my wife, and wished to exchange ournoi-
sy drinking bouts for sour treside.
Our whole business was to guard the village
from the attacks Of the Turks who usually came
at night time and so well did they conceal
their movements, that they invariably overpow-
= cred the sentiuels lIaiore they could give an
alarm ard if we were too much on the "qui
rire," tley were content if they found time to
cut off the heads of tie sentnels, as their chici
paid ducat for ev,ry Christian head. This
was great temptation to the orium-eating Jan
i1z;,ries, and they often 'mrtied the bottles OF
wine and brandy Of our men, particularly when
tie moon was entirely obscured or only in its
crescent, for then Allah could not see them, ,and
treat them according to their deserts Our Col
onel finding two men insufficient to guard the
oCtpost, augmented his numbers nightly, and at
last, secira their loadless trunks every morning,
ordered oHt twenty men under the command OF
an officer; the number WIS rather too large and
the Turks kept the peace for some time.
There was in our camp a gipsey whose proph-
eces were listened to by the privates of the reg
imcnt as oraclcs, and they said that she never
once promised them anything that did not take
place. In many instances the yeracity of this
assertion was proved to me, aud at last deter
mined to have my "lortune told," cost what it
would. went to her tent accordingly, and
found her. She was Il little, shrivelled, grey
haired bag. and could not have been mistaken
for an honest person by Lavater himself nev-
er saw a physiognon,y that spoke i'll more rlair
letters the qualities of the soul. She fixed hcl
sharp little eyes upon me with most demon
like expression
''You would have your fortune told, Herr
Lieutenant,' inquired she, in broken German
every well, stay here, will consult my tab
let's
She left the tent, and returning in a few mo
ments, asked me to sign bond, promising her
in case her prophecy came true, two hundred du
cats; and in case it did not, she engaged her
self to give Inc two Arabian horses, and five doz
den of Tokay, which was then very scarce al
extensive wine. altered the two hundred du
cats into fifty, and told her that | needed NJ
more than the Tokay, if hor prophecy tn rneo
out false. She grumbled, but at length consent
cd, and murmuring some words, which coul'
not understand, but Which sounded very mucl
like "hocus.pocus, perriwiggus, she exclalm
cd, . Be,rae Of The second Of august you 'e'f
ncver behold the sun Of the Mird!" So saying
she bade me begone, and throwing ducat lnt'
her thin yellow hands, | returned to my tent
| confded the prophecy to the Colonel, wh'
laughed heartily at me for giving ducat to al
;npostor but it made an impression on M
that corld not dispel. am not superstitons
hut somehow could not forget her words =
.. The second of august! You wM neuer Sc
the sun of the third" That day was thre
weeks off and after a little while forgot tn
circumstance and felt ashamed of having cred
tied her.
The attacks Of the Turks again commenced
and having been forced to send fifty men
guard the outpost one night, we found then
minus forty-nine heads in the morning, only on
private having escaped. He related that a
twelve clock they had suddenly been attacke
on all sides by three times the namber of Turks
and in a few moments they were all slain. Thi
one man had been wounded, and crawling fron