aught that I have left undone which troubles your gentle spirit ?" The carpenter slowly raised his right arm, and extending it majestically towards the entrance to the grave yard, motioned the Doctor to depart. "Strange! most strange!" uttered the bewildered husband. "Am I dreaming? Again I implore of you to speak to me," he added, suddenly approaching the spectre," and to tell me if there is any other wish of yours left un fulfilled." 66 Begone," screamed the carpenter in tones intended for a sort of sepulchral mimicry of the female voice, but which were in reality tremulous from alarm. "How can you thus treat one who has shown himself so devoted to you," continued the Doctor pursuing the retreating ghost, and endeavouring to seize it in his arms. Instead of grasping thin air or shadowy form he found the portly figure of the carpenter in his embrace. "Who the devil is this?" exclaimed the as tonished Doctor. "It's me, sir-it's the carpenter,” replied the trembling culprit. "And may I ask what brought you here, Mr. Carpenter?” "I came to measure the span of the arch, to prepare the woodwork for the bricklayers in the morning, sir.” "Indeed! and pray what is the meaning of all this white paraphernalia you have got about you?" The carpenter, like all practised liars, did not stick at trifles, so he answered boldly. "When I heard you entering the enclosure, sir, I thought it was some one coming to rob the grave, so I just put on a sheet to frighten them." "A likely story, you lying thief, we'll see if you cannot invent a better one for the Court of Inquiry. Is there any one with you?" 66 Only Macaulay, the smith, sir." "And where is he skulking?" "He's here, sir. Jem, come up, here's the Doctor." The smith dragged his slow length out of the grave, but did not attempt to utter a word in justification of himself. The Doctor ordered them to nail the planks down again, and as soon as they had complied with his directions marched them back to the barracks. They were brought before a Court Martial on the following day and sentenced to 300 lashes each. CHAPTER XI. “Are all our braving enemies shrunk back, THE Rajah of Kolopoor, a tributary to the Company, having in 1829 refused to pay up his arrears, Mr. Wilmot, the resident, left his territories, and it was resolved to despatch a strong force to bring him to reason. Accordingly, in the month of September, a body of troops, consisting of two hundred of the 4th Light Dragoons, two troops of Horse Artillery, her Majesty's 20th regiment of foot, one wing of the Queen's Royals, and several of the native corps, amounting in all to about five hundred men, left Poona for the scene of operations. The weather was extremely favourable when we started, and we were all in high spirits, for this was the first time for several years that the Bombay army had been called into active service. Crossing the Ghauts, a short distance above Poona, we proceeded towards the bridge of Nara, a plain, heavy looking structure, spanning a deep and rapid river. To ensure the early arrival of the tents the following morning, it was determined to start them in advance of the main body, under the charge of a sergeant and twelve men, the non-commissioned officer selected for the purpose receiving instructions from the Quarter-Master-General's oce, to proceed by a particular route, so as to reach the bridge by day-break. |