Miscellany

I Jusl as I was sighting one of the guns jofmy baiteryon the first dny ofutlack,] h-anl ray name caüed by one at mv Ncle, and looking up, I saw G, "a :}-oung inidshijiman,wliose activity & offi'cerlike conduct 1 had noticrd at the time m ()ur landing, whn Be had charge of I a ciitier which nided m putting us to i sliore. He seomed vcry much eXcited ; his létfk eyei mire nashing with emotion j h:s face vvas dorully ptl]e ;md yet there was somelliing n his look as he stood bolJly upon the parapet of my battery, :hat told me ihat it wU not fbar tha] )oled his cheek. Though shot and shell carne bursting throi.gh ihe darkpned air, he í-tood unmoved like a sea-girt tower aiuid the.slorm, gazing citv-wani "Whal do you want G?" snd I, when I heard his voicr?, and at tlie same time steppinig clear of the rocoil of my gun, while the arlillery-nnn advnnced wi h his match to fire it. " For heaven's sake, don't fire yet Ï " shouted he, as he sp.ang fcom lho parapft's fi-cnt, nndglancing along the sight of the gun, then seizing a crow, and with ihe stiength of a Hercules heaving the i breech of the gun to one side, so ihat the shot that I aimed with care at one of the largestand finest-looluns huildines in thp , city, over which wavrd the national flag of Mexico, would fly wide of te mark. "What moan you by this strnngo conduct, sir?" said 1, s'ernly not liking this interference wilh my order;.. '■Waitone instant till I have fired,and I will explain," said he.meanwhile siglitng the gun. The next moment he snatched the match from the man who stond nenr hirn, and fire 1. Springingupon the parapet to waich the effect of his shot, I saw ït dismount uu] render useless a gun on the euemy's wall, whic-hliad annoyed us very much all ihe morning. fle smil.d when lic saw my look of gratificnlion ai this unexpectedly successful shot, and then more calinly than he had spoken before, reniarked: "Lieuiennnt, forgive me for nierfering with your duty, but your gun was aimed at a spot which l had come hither to desire you to spare. You see that palace with ihe flag flying, at which you were aiming?" "Ido," 1 replied, not know wiiich way led ihe drift of his remarks. "For the love ofheaven, spare that house! I care not if every other in the town is blown to almos,buldo not detroy that one!" "What is your reason, sir?" "That is the palace of Don Ignatio de Corrulla, a noble Castilian, not a Mexican " " The re are Mexican colors flyingon his liouse-top." " Oh, it is only because he is brave, and he sides with the Mexicana becauso he resides amongt tliem now- but yon asked my reason for wishing to spare that house. Ilear it. My belrothed, Anita do Corrulla, is there; - an d oh Godí to what danger s she e.xposed ! Lieutenant, do not deny my request -spare that house ; think of the agony which I must fee! in knowing that she, my !ove, rny very life, is there, }roiected only by walls which crumble at every shot." " I vvil!,and aim elsewhere," I eclaimed. for indeed I feit for the poor elloiv. "Thankyou, dear Ramrod,"said lic - "I have been at all the batteries but the mortar on the extreme left, mui at the riskofbeing laughed at, have Legged uil to spare ihat house; all have promised me to do so, and if, when we storm that place, I can be first over tbe wr.lls, and reach the doors bcfore the obers,! may yet save her (rom tbe fearful peri's which now environ lier." "I hope you may," said I, shiiddcring, as I thoughl of the fearful excessess vvhich must inevitably ocrur if we Mormed the town- the excesses which the madness of victory and the desire to revenge fallen comrades, ever lead even well-disciplined soldiere to commit. Again ha warmly tlianked me, and turned to go to the bntlery he had nol yet visited. I passed along the line of íuns, and direcied my men only to aim at Ihe enemy's guns, and especiallv to spare the house hicliG had poinled out; but wh:it wei-e my feelings, wlien n Ihs ;ct of poinling it out to ono of my gunners, J saw n iís place only a cíoud of .moke and dust. I knew at once a bomb had slnick it, and from tlle lool; of thi.-.gs, I f-ared the worst for my young naval friend, cspecially hen, as thc dust and smoke settled, I ca thc flag gonc a large part of the wall fallen, and the polae a perfrct wreek. The bomb had bern fired by thc moi-tar bnttery, which lio h;id fa.led tu readi n time to proveiit t. I rontinued on in my duly, and a hot time indeed, we liad ofit. ít was al most pafnfu] 10 see tl,e smoked and sweaty faces of our worn-out men, as lliey toiíed on n thc work of dcstruetion ; "it was sickening to see here and there a ghastly mass of flesh and crus'.ed bones, whtch, by somo luige shot, liad been thus lna formed from ]fd and beauty- but soldiers must sicken at nulhing in tia.es like tliese. Isaw no mireofmy yoimg friend G#; yet d!J,.ing tf)s tme j ha(j thought of him, and his deep anxiety,and inwardly p.-aye.l that for his sake, as -.vel! as for he cause ofliumanity.slie was spared. Olí, it was a hnrrowi.ig ihought', as we fireJ those showers of shell and shot amnngst tlu-m, that the innocent, feeb'e and helpless were even in thora danger thnn the gnrrison soldiers who stood behlnd embrasures; and ofien I raniied, and my heart's blood curdled with thefaney, tliat I co.)l j hcarthe thrtekVóf wounded and dying woman- that the pitifui cries of chrldrën were borne 'own upon the breeze. I could almo.st see them cruslied, rnangled, dying, dead ! Oh, God! save me from ever witneéèing the bombardment of any nhabited city at least, if so, let Hiere be nono but mon ! within ils vvalls. W hen the city had capitulated, I entored with the reit, who ere Bent to take formal possession, and found the Street which led towards the quay fncing tho castle, vvhere vvo were directed to march, led directly past the palace which G. had' pointed out as that of Don Ignatio de Cor fulla. As I looketl upon the blackened vvalls, í felt a strong an.xidty lo enter it, and try aud find out the fate of G.'s b?-' trothed, and obtained leave fora few moments from my captain. I hnstily en tered tlirough the ruined archwav, which oponed into the court-yard, which ah-.avs centres a Spanish built palac-e, and saw nt a glance that ü. had been befoi-2 me in his visit. The basin of a large fountain was in the midst, but Gen. Scott had cut oiniis aqueducts which had supplied the city fountain, and this was dry. By its verge, however, on a bro:id slab of marble, sa: G., and she n liis arras. 1 paused fur an instant, ns I saw him and the beautiful form which he held, for 1 thought t indclicate to ad vanee at that moment, but I could not retreat, and there seemedsomethingsostrange in his actions, thatl could not well tear mvself awav. He held her still and motionless in his arms ; her long black hair feil in dishevelled masses down upon the cold rmrble, aud over a partly bare and lovely shouldei- ; and thoiigh it seemed s!ie was looking at him, for I could see her large black oyes were open, still he spoke not but with a fixed and strong gaze looked down upon her. 1 slowly advanced- he could have heard my fuotsteps, but ho rai.sed not his head- he did not seom to care whetlr , er fricnJ or foe appronched, I bent ove him inr) her. I looked down on hei beautiful face- it was as pale as the marble on whicli she rested , I gnzed. in those black eyes; they werft lakes of beautv frozen over with the ice of ileath- open, -t not histrous. I looked down upon ïer swelling bosom, uncovered by the disarrangement of her dre-s, and a ghasfy wouud, of black and' 'horrible roughness, showedhow she had died. A piece oí the iron shell had cloven a rent in her bosom, through wliich lier soul bad sped to a kinder world than tliis. In ono hand she clonched a locket. I looked upon i. and recoguized the miniature of G. Oh, God! whatu sight was thls ! - So yóung, s.i benutifu], loving nnd bcioved- yet gone, gone forover, and in such a way ! I láid iTiy hand upon G.'s sjwujder, andspoko to hun j then Cor the fust time he looked op, and I saw that in hirn the.-e was a cliauge nlmost as great as in hei-. Pale as dealh, Ins eyes fi.xed nnd strong in thoir almost maniic glare, his Ups blooiles - cold, big drops of sweat on his pallid brow - oh ! who could describe his look ? He spoke not - his eye again feil upon her foi-m, than vhich a lovelier never was pressed o the bosom of man. I CDuld stand the scène no Jonger. I rushed forth and joined my company, instantly sending to two of G's messmates where t!iey might find hi'm, and begging them to go to bis assistance. The nexi diy I sent aboard of his sliip to inquire after his healtli, and lienrd to my sor.-ov ihat lie was confined to Iiis bed, delirious from a fevcr, and ihat feeble hopes were enterlaineJ of Iris recover}'. I learned from one of liis shijimate 'hat G hal becotne acqiiainted with Donna Anita on a former cruise, that a mutual lovo haJ arison, been confessed by both partles, and ihey wore to be united at the close of the war. And Ibis, oh God ! this is war ! These are the scènes which the pen OÍ h story must record of tnen who live n tne nineteenth century of the exislence of Ihat religión which hos peaee, love, nnd oharity for hï mottoes andmblems. 1 knovv, reader, that tliis is a poor train ofi thought, and an inconsistent one for a ! soldier, but wcre you to see such scènes as these, you would not wonder that I should almost Ie willing to exchange the sword and uniform for the priest's goww and prayer book.