Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1855-06-27

4
circled her waist), Sdown with the drawbridge
see that your masolgees (small tumbris which
nre used in place of large artillery be well
loaded; you sepoys, hasten and man the rave
lin you choprasees, put out the lights in the
embrasurcs we shall have warm work of it
tonight, or my name is not Goliah Gahagan.'
&c The ladies, the guests ito the number of
eighty-three), the sepoys, choprasees, masol-
gees, and on, had all crowded on the plat
form at the sound of my shouting, and dread
full was the CONSERVATION, shrilI the scream
ing, occasioned by my words. The men stood
irresOlute and mute with terror; the women
trembling, knew scarcely whittier to fly for
refuge. Who are yonder ruffans p said /;
hundred voices yelped in reply-some said the
Pindarecs, some said the Maharattas, some
vowed it was Scindiah, and others declared it
was Holkar-no one knew.
ssS Is there any one herc,' said l, swho will
venture to reconnoitrc yonder troops p There
a dead pause.
'ss A thousand tOmauns to the man who will
bring me news Of yonder army!' again / re-
peated Still dead silence. The fact was
that Scindiah and Holkar both were so roto-
rious for their cruelty, that no one dared ven
ture to face the danger. sOh for fifty of my
brave Ahmednuggaries! thought I.
+ ff Gentlemen said I, = see it-you are
cowards-nonc of you dare encounter the
chance even of DEATH 1t is an encouraging
prospect-know you not that the ruffian Hol-
kar, if it be he, will with the morrow's dawn
beleaguer our little fort, and throw thousands
of men against our walls know you not that,
if we taken, there is no quarter, no hope;
death for us-and worse than death for these
lovely ones assembled here p Here the Ia
dies shrielled and raised howl as have
heard the jackalls on a summers evening. Be-
linda, my dear Belinda! flung both her arms
round me, and sobbed on my shoulder, (or in
my waistcoat-pocket rather, for the little witch
could reach no higher.)
g Captain Gahagan,' sobbed she, Go-Go
-Goggie-iah!' =
sss Ny SOULS adoredl' replied /.
ess Swear to me one thing
sss swear
& That if--that if-thc nasty, horrid, odi-
will put me out Of their power
:. clasped the dear girl to my heart, and
swore upon my sword that, rather than she
should incur the risk of dishonor, she should
perish by my own hand. This comforted her;
and her mother, Mrs. Major-G General Butcher,
and her elder sister, who had net until now
known word of oilr attachment '(indeed but
for these extraordinary circumstanccs, ii is
probable that we ourselves should never have
discovered iG, were under these painful cir
chmstanccs made aware of my yibeloved Belin-
da's partiality for me. Having communicated
thus her wish of sef-dcstruction, thought
her example touching and excellent one, and
proposed to all the ladies that they should fol-
low it, and that at the entry of the enemy into
the fort, and at Il signal given by me, they
should one and all make away with themselves.
Fancy may disgust when, after making this
proposition, not one of the ladies chose to ac-
eede to it, and received it with the same chill
ling denial that my former proposal to the
garrison had met with.
8. In the midst of this hurry and confusion,
as if purposely to add to it, trumpet was
heard at the gate of the fort, and one of the
sentinels came running to me, saying that a
Mahratta soldier was before the gate with a
flag of truce - HT
tsI went down, rightly conjecturing, as it
turned out, that the party, whoever they might
be, had no artillery; and received at the point
of my sword scroll, of which the following is
a translation -
TO GoLIAH GAHAGAN GUJruTI.
Lord of Elephants, Sir,-I have the honor
to inform you that | arrived before this place
at eight O'Clock p. NJ, with ten thousand cav
airy under my orders. L have burned since
my arrival, seventeen bungalows in Furrucka-
bad and Futtyghur, and have likewise been
under the painful necessity of putting to death
three clergymen mollahs). and seven English
officers whom found in the village; the wo-
men have been transferred to safe keeping in
the harems of my officers and myself.
sAs / know your courage and talents,
shall be very happy if you will surrender the
fortress, and take service as Major-G General
(hookabador) in my army. Should my pro-
posal not meet with your assent, beg leave
to state that tomorrow / shall storm the fort,
and on taking it, shall put to death every
male in the garrison, and every female above
twenty years of age. For yourself shall re-
serve punishment, which for novelty and ex-
ouisite torture, has, j fiatter myself, hardly
ever been exceeded. Awaiting the favor of a
reply, am, Sir,
sss Your very obedient servant,
4..r ~ "sJAswuNT Row HoLKAR.
ss Camp before Fuftyghur, Sept. /, 1914.
GsR. S. Y. P'"
.ss The officer who had brought this precious
ianis,,o l;.f;.L... I,. L.,-. " eIi-or ha.ii aned