Barry Lyndon

f, he had never been a favourite with the officers of his regiment; who had a contempt for Irishmen, as Englishmen sometimes will have, and used to mock his brogue, a

country, with the enemy before us, and the people continually under contribution from one side or the other, numberless irregularities were permitted to the troops which would not have been allowed in more peaceable times. I descended gradually to mix with the sergeants, and to share their amusements: drinking and gambling were, I am sorry to say, our principal pastimes; and I fell so readily into their ways, tha

lieutenant, Mr. Fakenham, of Fakenham, the gentleman who had threatened me, it may be remembered, with the caning, was struck by a musket-ball in the side. He had shown no want of courage in this or any other occasion where he had been called upon to act against the French; but this was his first wound, and the young gentleman was exceedingly frightene

h her old half-blind father, a retired Jagdmeister of the Duke of Cassel, hard by. When the French were in the town, Meinherr's house had suffered like those of his neighbours; and he was at first exceedingly unwilling to accommodate his

having paid, in my German jargon, some deserved compliments to the black-eyed beauty of Warburg, and thinking, with no small envy, how comfortable it would b

old him to go to a quarter which I shall not name, the fellow, lifting his musket, hit me a blow with the butt-end of it, which sent me lifeless to the ground: when I awoke from my tr

rted by the black-eyed girl, while the surgeon was copiously bleeding me at the arm. There was another bed in the room where the lieutenant had been laid

guidly, in German; for the ball had been extract

as the corporal wh

bed carefully; and, on being undressed, had an opportunity to find that my pockets had been rifled by the English soldier after he had knocked me down. However, I was in good quarters: the young la

ights he was delirious; and I remember it was when a commanding officer was inspecting our quarters, with an intention, very likely, of billeting himself on the house, that the howling and mad words of the patient overhead struck him, and he retired rather frightened. I had been sitting up very comfortably in the lower apartment, for my hur

made an attempt upon Lischen, saluting her with a yell and a grin which frightened her almost out of her wits; and when anybody came I was raving. The blow on the head had disordered my brain; the doctor was ready to vouch for this fact. One night I

it the wounded in the place; and, when we were well, we were to be drafted to our regiments. I determined that I never would join mine again. My intention was t

, who always treated me with scorn; but it was my object to have him alone, and I bore his brutality with the utmost civility and mildness, meditating in my own mind a very pretty return for all his favours to me. Nor was I the only person in the house to whom the worthy gentleman wa

ble eyes in consequence of your misfortune. As for Lischen, I told her such a pathetic story of my life (a tale a great deal more romantic than that here narrated,-for I did not restrict myself to the exact truth in that history, as in these pages I am bound to do), that I won the poor girl's heart entirely, and, besides, made considerable progress in the German language under her instruction. Do not think me very cru

ad, to receive him in a darkened room, much to the annoyance of Mr. Fakenham, who lay there: but I said the light affected my eyes dreadfully since my blow on the head; and

lking about an Egyptian mummy, fel

know soon, s

be in the lower room, and was having a game at cards with Lischen as the surgeon entered. I had taken possession of a dressing-jacket of t

the doctor, rather gruffly,

answered I, giving an arch look at Li

d the surgeon. 'I thou

me for the mad corporal upstairs. The fellow has once or twice pretend

rdinand,' said Lischen; 'the day you c

but, ha! ha! do you know, Lieutenant, I h

about his malady

d; and when the surgeon went up to examine his patient, I cautioned him not to

m to his face, as it were, and making use of it to meet my imperious necessity. It was forgery and robbery, if you like; for I took all his money and clothes,-I don't care to conceal it; but t

one that I could hear of; and so I calmly took my walks with Madame Lischen, dressed in the lieutenant's uniform, made inquiries as to a horse that I wanted to purchase, reported myself to the commandant of the place as Lieutenant Fakenh

, I, with a most respectful air, informed him that they were put away in perfect safety below; and, in fact, had them very neatly packed, and ready for the

ss over my adieux with my kind hostess, which were very tearful indeed). And then, making up my mind to the great a

what do you mean by dWessing yourself in my Wegimentals? As sure as my name's Fak

which he gave a scream that might have called the whole garrison about my ears. 'Hark ye, sir!' said I, 'no more noise, or you are a dead man!' and taking a handkerchief, I bound it tight around his mouth so a

ind Jagdmeister, and an adieu (I will not say how tender) of his daughter, I mounted my newly purchased animal; and, as I pranced away, and the sentinel

on the barriers, which showed me that I was out of the land occupied by our countrymen. I rode to Hof, and the next day to Cassel, giving out that I was the bearer of despatches to Prince Henry, then on the Lower Rhine, and put up at the best hotel of the place, where the field-officers of the garrison had their ordinary. These gentlemen I treated to the best wines that the house afforded, for I w

h I possessed in my early days, but of which I have long since corrected myself, to boast and talk in a manner not altogether consonant with truth), I invented a thousand stories which I told him; described the King and the Ministers to him, said the British Ambassador at Berlin was my uncle, and promised my acquaintance a letter of recommendation to him. When the

e were was known to be the most ruthless seller of men in Germany. He would sell to any bidder, and during the five years which the war (afterwards called the Seven Years' War) had now lasted, had so exhausted the males of his principality, that the fields remained untilled: even the children of t

m you see market in human flesh. They get five-and-twenty dollars from our Government for every man they bring in. For fine men-for men like you,' he added, laughing,

'who served with you: we use

ho was this Mo

who was somehow snapped up in Ha

friend: 'and did they d

the biggest man almost among all the giants there. Many of these monsters used to complain of their life, and their caning, and their long drills, and t

perary?' aske

r, only inferior to Dublin and London, and far more sumptuous than any on the Continent. Well, Morgan said that his birthplace was near that city, and the only thing which c

mparted the information, "it's my brother Bin that w

as you are?" as

e's six more of us, but Bin's the biggest of all. Oh! out and out the

fetch them over, the

ey've a mortal aversion to all sergeants," answered Morgan: "but it's a pit

tory was told by the sergeant to the officers, and by the officers to the King himself; and His Majesty was so inflamed b

tended?' asked my comrade. I could

ise for that. He has bought a snug farm in Tipperary with the money that was given him

thousand stories of the war to tell, of the skill and gallantry of Frederick, and the thousand escapes, and victories, and defeats scarcely less glorious than victories, through which the King had passed. Now that I was a gentleman, I could listen

re you taking despatch

seen the general a year before, and gave the first name in my head. My friend was quite satisfied with it, and we

Captain, as we rode up to what appear

, 'but it would not pass in old Ireland. Corbach

y a great gate into a Court walled round, and at one end of which was the building, a dingy ruinous place. A couple of covered waggens were in the court, their horses were littered under a shed hard by, and lounging about the place were some men and a pair of sergeants in the Prussian uniform, who both touched their hats to my friend the Captain. This

rses; the Captain, also, ordering one of them to take my valise to my b

aptain, laughing, said, 'Well, our meal is a frugal one, but a soldier has many a time a worse:' and, taking off his hat, sword-belt, and gloves, with grea

us in a pot of very sour wine, at which and a

sed me?' said I, as soon as t

tired, and did not care to go farther. There's no prettier woman here t

eased my

d I sternly, 'I think yo

I think fit!' rep

, 'I'm a Brit

f a man escaping from Warburg, and I thought you were the man. Your lies and folly have confirmed me. You pretend to carry despatches to a general who has been dea

equally on his guard. He took two pistols out of his pocket, fired one off, an

another minute the door was flung open, and the two sergeant

which I had armed myself; for the old hag o

nteer,'

low. What name shal

Barry,' said I haughtily; 'a d

I could get any likely fellows among the few countrymen of yours that are in the brigad

or not, I am a gentle

he Captain, still in the sneering mood. 'Give up your pa

enham's, I was not willing to give up my property; suspecting very right

I, 'what my private papers are: I am en

!' said the Captain

give it up!'

e. I dashed forward to grapple with him, the two sergeants flung themselves on me, I was thrown to the ground and stunned again; being hit on my former wound in

ious scoundrel who, violating all the rights of friendship and good-fellowship, had just succeeded in entrapping me. This individual was a person of high family and known talents and courage, but who had a propensity to gambling and extravagance, and found his calling as a recruit-decoy far more profitable to him than his pay of second captain in

into conversation with the French advanced sentinels; to whom he was in the habit of promising 'mountains and marvels,' as the French say, if they would take service i

e born and bred together, we are of the same company, sleep in the same room, and

tein, delighted. 'I will give you the best of d

said the grenadier. 'I dare not leave my post; bu

anic took him, and he retraced his steps. But the grenadier brought his ba

linging aside his musket, the intrepid sentry followed him. The Frenchman was the better swimmer of the

post and arms; but you merit reward for an act of courage and daring. Th

declared his quality as

and applications were m

e true. But the King, t

o seduce the subjects

ame. Letters were writ

existed in the kingdo

to belong to it mus

ame was at his regimen

rant, and he was hanged

t with the rest,' said

my tr