Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-12-17
STORY OF A SOLDIERS NERVE

bon swarmed with guerrillas and with
the troops composing Castanos' army.
Murat mentioned his embarrassments
to Baron StrogonoH, the Russian Am
baSsador to Spain. Russia was at the
time not only the ally, but the friend
of France. M. De %Strogonof told
Muratt that it was the easiest thing in
the world. Admiral Siniavin, said
he, is in the port at Lisbon give me
the most intelligent of your Polish
%lancers; / will dress him up IN a hus-
sian uniform and entrust him with
dispatches for the admiral; all will go
well, even if he should be taken
prisoner a dozen times between this
and Lisbon, for the insurgent army is
so anxious to gain our neutrality that
it will be careful not to furnish a pre-
text for rupture"
Murat was delighted with this inge-
NOUS scheme. He asked Kransinski,
the commandant Of the lancers, to find
him a brave and intelligent young
man. Two days afterward the COM
mandant brought the prince a young
man of his corps, for whom he pledged
his life; his name was Leckinski, and
he was but eighteen years old.
Murat was moved at seeing so young
a man court so imminent a danger;
for if he were detected his doom was
sealed. Murat could not help remark
ing to the Pole the risk he was about
to run. The youth smiled. Let
your imperial highness give me my
Instructions, answered he respectful
ly, "and | will give a good account Of
this mission have been honored with.
| thank his highness for having chosen
me from my comrades, for all Of them
would have courted this distinction
The prince argued fayorably from
the young mans modest resolution.
The Russian ambassador gave him
his dispatches, he put on a Russian
uniform, and set out for Portugal. The
first two days passed quietly, but on
the afternoon of the third Leckinski
was surrounded by a body of Span
iards, who disarmed him, and dragged
him before the commanding officer
Luckily for the gallant youth, it wa:
Castanos himself.
Leckinski was aware that he was
lost if he we're discovered to be q
Frenchman; consequently he deter
mined, on the instant, not to let a sin.
gle word of French escape him, anC
to speak Russian and German, which
he did with equal fuency. The cries
of rage of bis captors announced the
fate which awaited him, and the hor
rible murder of General Rene, who
had persisted in the most dreadful tor.
lures only a few weeks before, as III
was going to join Junot, was suficien.
to freeze the very blood.
who are you?" said Castanos il
French, which language he spoke per.
fectly well, having been educated il
, France,
Leckinski looked at his questioner
made a sigh, and answered in German
: II do not understand you
Castanos spoke German, but he di,
! not wish to appear personally in tn
matter and summoned one Of the off
GERS of the staff, who went on wit
the examination. The young Pole an
swered in Russian or German, bu
never let a syllable Of French escap
: him. He might, however, easily hay
forgotten himself, surrounded as h
t was by a crowd eager for his blooC
: and waiting with savage impotence t
have him declared guilty, that is
r Frenchman, to fall upon him and mul
. der him. But their fury was raised t
a hight which the general could nc
r control, by an accident which SCENE
to cut of the unhappy prisoner fror
T every hope of escape. One of Casta
nos aids-de-camp, one of the ianati
n cal patriots who were so numerous i
this war, who from the first had dc
nounced Leckinski as a French sp,
burst into the room, dragging wit
him a man wearing a brown JACKIE
tall hat and red plume of a SPANS
y peasant.
S The officer soon fronted him wit
e the Pole and said
Look at this man, and then say
it is true that he is a German or RuI
/ sian. He is a spy, | swear by my soul.
d The peasant, meanwhile, was eyeir
the prisoner closely. Presently h
II dark eyes lighted up with a fire
Is hatred.
.e He is a Frenchman p he G,
10 claimed, clasping his hands. And
IS stated that having been in Madrid
few weeks before, he had been put
is requisition to carry forage to Il
i French barracks and, said he, "
k recollect that this man took my 10;
y of forage, and he gave me a receiT
se | was near him an hour and recolle
10 him. When we caught him / to
IN my comrade hal this is the Frenr
r officer | delivered my forage to-"
< This was correct. Castanos prob
lg bly, discerned the true state of {
O. case, but he was a generous foe.
W proposed to let him pursue his journC
IN for Leckinski still insisted he was
~ Russian, and he could not be made
It, understand a word of French. B
er the moment he ventured a hint
IN that kind, a thousand threaten
voices were raised against him, and
We saw that clemency was impossible
lg But" said he, will you then ri
u a quarrel with Russia, whose neutra
ty we are ~anxiously asking for2'
r. NO" said the officers, but let
er try this man."
Leckinski understood all, for he v
IS. acquainted with Spanish. He v
~ removed and thrown into a 70,
er worthy to have been one of the dr
Oh geons Of the inquisition in its wo
Id days.
nv When the Spaniards took him pr
us oner he had cat nothing since the p
ng yious evening, and when his dungc