Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1863-03-23

but one can well conceive how that " un-- |
utterable horror," at Cawnpore, only few
miles distant, haunted them by night and
by day, seemingly frightful prophecy Of
the fate that awaited them. Their foes,
!" fifty thousand against hundred" were
pressing closer and closer-+foes who car
ried beneath the faces of men hearts be-
fore which it seemed fends must shrink
abashed.
Yet how calmly writes that brave lady
from Lucknow! :" We were fully persua-
deG that in twenty-four hours all could be
over. The engineers had said so, and all
knew the worst. We women strove to
encourage each other, and to perform the
light duties which had been assigned to
US, such as conveying orders to the bate
ries, aad supplying the men with pro-
visions, we performed day and night"
She had gone out to render some off.
ces of this kind with "Jessie Brown" the
wife of corporal in her husbands regi-
ment. Worn out with fatigue and that
haunting terror Of the to come, the two
women sank upon the ground
Poor Jessie wrapped her Scotch plaid
about her and laid her head in the
mistresss lap. "a constant fever con-
sumed her, and she had fallen away visibly
for the last few days." while her thoughts
continually wandered away to the purple
hills and green valleys of her Scotch
home. How touching are those words
promised to awaken her vh,n, as she
said, her father shouid return from the
ploughingw So the poor Scotch woman
sank to her sleep, under those burning
midnig ht skies, amid dreams of her cool,
native heather, and of the peaceful cotaage
. Threshold where she watched for her faith
, er's coming at .night-fall.
Her companion, too, sank into treub-
, led slumber, though the cannon was roar
ing near her, for the brave little band on
4 the batteries, though all hope had now
! forsaken them, had resolved only to yield
: with their lives.
Suddenly wild unearthly SCREAM strnck
y through the ladys slumber. She opened
: her eyes, and there stood Jessie Brown,
. her figure upright, and her white, sharp
: ened face bent eagerly forward. Sudden :
"a ly the light of a great JOY oyerswept her
face She bent forward and grasped the
r. laey's hands, and drew her close to her,
. crying with quivering lips, "Dinna ye hear
~ it! It's the Slogan O the Highlanders
:, = We're saved! we're saved p
: All, she knew it, she knew it, the old
20 cry of her Highland home. Her ears had
10 caught through all the din and roar of ar
ad tillery, the music of her native mountains
~ What pen can tell the JOY that filled tht
"a Scotch woman's soul at those well remem
bered sounds, or with what feelings sh'
20. knelt down and blessed the God Of he
M .II fathers for this deliverance!
M 10 But the poor English lady heard moth
b1e ing of this. The rattle of the musket
f.r ry" only broke the stiffness of the night
H. and she thought Jessie was still raying
tb as she sprang to the batteries and her voic
rang up loud and clear above the roar {
II. the fight:
49, -. courage courage! hark to the Slo
for gan--to the Macgregor-the grandest
ass as them a'--here's help at last p
var var AS her voice pealed along the line,
,ed new hope sprang to tie hearts of thos
of worn out men. They ceased firing an
ba listened as the dying listen for some hoE
;;v of life. But they only heard the tread
nsd the enemy, and the sound of the Sappers
ont @ and the Colonel sheok his head, and Il
unr mems heads sank again, and the wall
airs tne "oi'en =. "ho nao nooAcu e'I,I ~ 'e ~.
nds 'nas cry iJoy' ioSo up "nu 'iii'o 'ne ''''
Then Jessie, who had sank on {
=. ground sprang up, and her voice rose Al
a. vibrated once more in triumphant certai
I'd I'D ty along the line! "Will you no belle
; bn it moo +! The Slogan indeed has cease
: but the Campbells are coming! ID
" hear! dye Lear +
And then they did hear it-those WI
ing women-those worn out men Shs
er OF and clear there swelled, above the thun'
man of the cannon, the pibroch of the Hig
dry landeIs, and they knew that deliveral
was at hand. No wonder they thong
t, Tor the voice of God" was in the blast of
has Scottish bagpipes [; n6 wonder they all So
nod on their knees, and the strong men, q
the the feeble women, and the lisping ch
tury, sobbed oat from hearts too full for wo
tel their thanks unto Him who had "gi
eed- them the victory" Oh, speaking as n
leart speak, would it not have been worth SO
the years of lifetime, to have been with I
lever little band at Lucknow as it rose up,
.hink to have joined thousand lips, and ro
been down to the Highland regiment, as it l
ency or rolled before, " God save the Queen
d OF How the sound must have thrilled
and hearts of the Highlanders, as they