The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1870-09-23
8tistEllUug.
A PERILOus ADVENTURE.
The Danger of DR. mixing TOO MucE,
Before Dinner.

j
time my regiment, which was then
quartered at Portsmouth. The was tC
be general parade at ten A. NJ. on
Tuesday. At two p. NJ. the regiment
was to embark for foreign parts. I
ought to have been present at the pa
rade; but my kind-hearted colonel
who was indirectly acquainted with
our family, wrote to me and said, that
as might possibly be up rather late on
my last night in England, and as,
moreover, could be of no use at the
parade, he would excuse my attend
ance there; but he added, in somewhat
peremptOry language, that no possible
allowance could be made if arrived at
Portsmouth later than the one p. NJ.
tain; that l must report myself at
half-past one, and embark with the
regiment at two o'clock. He also, I
remember, ~said something about the
regiment soon going into action
abroad, and limited at commissions be-
| ing lost by circumstances so trivial as
unpunctuality on the eve of real war
| fare.
Well, it was about three p. NJ. on
| Monday before the Tuesday l have al
! luded to; I had made a very heavy
bunch at New College, Oxford. The
days then were those in which proba-
drank in a week at that College than
| are now consumed in month";
| Strong and xxx had figured at our
| lunch, likewise sherry and champagne.
[ was very jolly when L left Oxford on
my way to London, via BletchIey.-
From Oxford to Bletchley Junction I
slept a little. When I arrived at the
last named place, I was obliged to
change trains, and wait for the express,
due in ten minutes time. I had not
coppers (beg pardon, ladies; I mean a
somewhat parched mOuth) after the
champagne, xxx, and my sleep, so
went into the refreshment Am, and
! had some beer. I have no dSd6t it was
nasty, heady stuff, but it cooled my fe-
verish mouth. Excited a Iitt6e with
my midday meal, and by nature in
clined to argue, I got into some debate,
I forgot what, but I believe a political
one, with some gentleman, who was,
like me, refreshing himself. Distinctly
| do remember a bell Tung as a depart
ing signal; distinctly do l recOilect the
guards voice sounding through the re-
freshment room doors Any more for
the up-express ?'' but the words fell on
my hazy ears slightly like brother
Ned's when, in solemn language he is
laying down self-evident truths in his
pulpit. I beg pardon, Ned; the sequel
! will prove that you and guard were
right, / wrong for my hattention.
Something, 1 know not what, sud-
denly made me think that my train,
the express, was starting-Was off. l
rushed on to the platform. The ex-
press had started. The guards box,
| the last in the train, had just cleared
I the station. I ran hard, and could cas-
| lily have jumped into the guards van,
/ l,oIo
other lines, but a spacious affair, OPEN
/ ed behind, into which any tOlerably ac-
tive person could spring and find safe
| ~. A wretched porter or pOintsman
tried to stop me swiftly lodging him
/ got ahead, and jumped on the foot
board of the carriage, just in front of the
guards van. Now, in those days there
was no communication between guard
and engine-driver. In those days, too,
none of you carried, as most of you 1
daresay now do, railway key. The
doors of the carriage on to the step of
which had jumped were locked. The
train, an up-express, had pulled up at
| the down platform, possibly because
there was a refreshment room there.
! And so my fix was this. 1 was
standing on the fOOt-bOard of an alreaz
dy very much swinging carriage. The
speed was rapidly increasing, and l
could not get into it. There was not
much chance of the engine driver stop
ping to save me, because, as / was on
the off side, it was not likely | should
| be noticed as we came through the sta
tions. The guard crept along, not ex-
actly his foot-bOard, for the guards van
was not made like the other carriages,
but he stepped from point to point, and
urged me in every way that he could
to move from my platform to his car
riage. I could not; my nerves failed
me. The train was getting into full
! swing thirty, forty, sixty miles an
hOuT-before I could make up my mind.
The guard, entreating me to hold tight,
retreated to his den. From time to
time, I saw his kind face looking at
me, with outstretched neck, and his
mouth speaking words of encourage
ment and caution.
They never reached me, but were
borne back by the wind Bletchley way.
Hold on I did, with the grim clutch
of a worse than drowning man. One,
and only one male passenger was in
the carriage on the foOt1board of which
I was riding. He did everything he
could for me; tried to get me through
the window-a great failure; gave me
brandy; passed a sash round my body,
and held the two ends himself On
we sped. My head was dizzy and turn
ing; my hands were cramped and get
ting tired; my legs almost blown off ;
my hat quite SO. / well remember the
icy feel of the tunnels; the horrible
earthly smell, miXeG with a flavor Ot
, compressed steam the drops of water
falling from the roof on my uncovered
head and oh! the passing Of trains
The first / met was in tunnel; l glued
myself to the side of my carriage. The
i second was a luggage train in the open.
, Would it never come to an end
thought I; and yet 1 suppose we were
only a few seconds passing it. The
third seemed to be a brother express.
Phhsshtt! / thought I had been car
, ried off in its violent WhirlWind, but
, aWOke to a sense of what was compar-
ative safety, clinging, yet more closely,
with fast-dying grasp, to the doc. han
die; supported yet more firmly by the
inside passenger and his scarf, rushing
through vacant windy space in the
shape of cOrnfelds and labOrers; now,
a mill or two, and q man; now, sta
ton, where everybOdy's arms seemed
! to be raised on high in horror; now
> ugh lar other luggage-train. More
+ brandy?'' said my kind preserver. ]
drank it. Hurrah! we are siackenine
/ speed-we have pulled upI / hal
2 swOOn; j find myself in. the custody o
; railway officials. [ am accused of rid
/ ing without a ticket-of getting int
> the trainwhen in notion; I am threat
ened with being given in charge. Ny
2 head IS young, and not OVerSteady aftel
its railway gallOp. Brandy, XXX anC
sherry-good servants but bad master.
: assert their sway. I expected kind
mess; met with coarse TOughness.
: expected congratulations I meet Will
/ threats. Is it any wonder that I ge
into rage? believe use strong Ian
? guage. 1 struggle to get feel fight
G the end is, find myself in a station