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Miscellany: California

Miscellany: California image
Parent Issue
Day
24
Month
November
Year
1845
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

i, one who vor& with a rare éïegance in j e simple uniform öf his ranlt. The lar eneral had piissed several times in frónt wl ' his regiment without speaking, bü't ihe to owning bröws, and debp color of his juntennnce betrayed írritation- fbf he y0 ) had just perceivèd the absence of a jnïbéf öf nis men when suddëflly wns ;ard ihe sound of the drum nnJ tíierc JO )peared at the farther extrerriity of tlie t irade g'round a cümpany ot soldiers, w ich cafrying in his hands one of those p ng rods, whic'h are yet üsed in the w an army for ihe innictiön df the most ,r igrading of punishrfienis; At this sight. sn e General turned towards his aidde imp and demanáed ih a voice of a ( r from whcnce came süch an order, and ( ho was to be the victirh; gt A sergeant, with a scarred and livid r untenance sprang fdi'ward, shatched ,t'j am theoiïicer his swordjánd giving him ecj blow iii thé face, cdolly replied "you!" n t this word an electrical shock run n roug'h (hé battalioni a wild gleam of tr ite lighled up every countenance, so fe tbitually passive and immovable. By a as lontaneous moveniënt the officers had ec irung from the íiii'es to give succor to j ieir chief, but in an instant they were ;ized, thrown to the g'rou'nd and there ej eld at the point of the bayonet. ívan, SL ie surgeon mnjor, alono was paredj for e had won the love of every soldier, by is kindnbss. A grenadier standing nèar m merely whispered tllfse rhysierious ,-ords in his ear: "Let the Nightingale infir; or remaih silen!, stir not from your Incc: Not a wdrd, not a movehient, or ou al:edend." Recovering frdm )or, Geh; L. seiztd wi:h boih hands the myonels pointed at his heart, and turnna them asido wilh a violent efiort, criea vitli a voice of thunder, as thougli he voüld atrille them to ihe earth: 'lÖn your knees! kneel, and seek mer:v with your. heads bowed to the dust, or you tvill soon not have enbugH skin left upon your backs 10 expiate your rebeli : ijThese words wero received with a nge sneer, and the sergeant onswered L wiih a cool tranquility wliicli Hetokened s an invinciiblc firmnessi "We all well know the fute awaiting J' eoch of üf=, and are willing to sacrifice our lives. When our sentenee s executed we shall sepk Gen. SurofF, governor of Novgórbd, ahd return to him yoursword, vour gnrments, your decorations, nnd what shall rernain of your body, and thus say lo him: 'Gen. L. was a tiger, we nave slain hint - herc are our artns, we iwait our punishment.' " Thus saying the sergeant tc're üfF the epnülétíeá df the General ütld threw thein under foót: "These insignas are not due to yöu; a knout wofild become you betten Remember the soldier Betsakoflf. beaten with fods, for coming a littlo tóo late- rem'em'ber, that oíd uñder-oíTicer, whom, for a stain upon bis uniform you expelled from the nrnks, and yliófón! you beattill blood llowed from his brow, and cheeks, and lips. - That unhappy man pushed aside tho cruel hrtrid that wourided him, and was condemhëd id the knout and then maimed, and dylfig sent to Siberin." Thé sergeant continuing wiih a terriblo Sangfróid the degradation of the General, had stripped him of his belt, his coat and his shirt. - "Thtè iirider-officè'r bore, like me, the name of OuedenoíF - he was my brother!" Ñotwithstatidiri h!s indörnitable firrriness, the General could not suppress a shudder at the ic'und of this accusing voice; so eloquent in its Sim'plicly so' caltn' ahd modultited in its nngcr. As to Solowiova, she did no't iit first coinprehend the strange sfcene that was passing I before her; büt when she saw his sword wrested from him, his epaülettá torn off l anl his shoulders laid bare, when she was able to understahd that her foster father was about to receive that odious punishment that he had so often inflicted upon , others, seized with horror, she arose, and s dropping her banda wtth convulsive ener1 gy, ullered piercing shrieks. Ivan; vho' i till then had not atlempted the sliglüest - movemenl, could no longer remain inac- tive, on witnessing the despair of this loved maiden, and forgetting {he ferüe ciousness of thè soldier?, the danger and s uselessness of his devotion, threw himself n forward. lnstantly, the discharge of a [. gurí was heard and lvan was sefin to slop e short; then throwing' his arm wildly nto f the air, he feil tiífh his faceto the ground. h The ball had entofed liis heart. il There iá iñ each RussíaÜ regiment a sort of bufTdotTj rtho plays" a part analae gous id that formefly in the Germán uro my, hich was designated Lustig [Huit morous.] These men are particnlarly m distinguished by íhe singular tnonotony oi 5) their singing, b'y their agilily, their sparkj. ling yes and savage gaiety. Thoir danceïot less Irenzied than that ot thel-as of India. One of these men satv ' n's body foll, and drew near it dancsin ;; then tnking the corpse in his muscuin arms, carried it to the window before v ich Solotfiova stood,and extending it k'ards her, said: 'Hold! Donehinha, this belongs to hi J." pu Pafé na a slatue, with rigid lips and diC01 ;veléd íihir, the poor girl looked at the ; W which rotled at her fect, bent over .;.. . dei aiid wiping the bl'dvv of the corpse :h hér handkerchief, recognized the u tures of I van Polovoi, and uttering a on ld shriek, feil fainting upon it. Meanío

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Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News