Previous - next
'
'Sir,' said I, 'king or not, I am a gentleman, as you can see.'
'Oh! you will find plenty more in our corps,' answered the Captain,
still in the sneering mood. 'Give up your papers, Mr. Gentleman, and
let us see who you really are.'
As my pocket-book contained some bank-notes as well as papers of Mr.
Fakenham's, I was not willing to give up my property; suspecting
very rightly that it was but a scheme on the part of the Captain to
get and keep it.
'It can matter very little to you,' said I, 'what my private papers
are: I am enlisted under the name of Redmond Barry.'
'Give it up, sirrah!' said the Captain, seizing his cane.
'I will not give it up!' answered I.
'HOUND! do you mutiny?' screamed he, and, at the same time, gave me
a lash across the face with the cane, which had the anticipated
effect of producing a struggle. 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 the head.
It was bleeding severely when I came to myself, my laced coat was
already torn off my back, my purse and papers gone, and my hands
tied behind my back.
The great and illustrious Frederick had scores of these white slave-
dealers all round the frontiers of his kingdom, debauching troops or
kidnapping peasants, and hesitating at no crime to supply those
brilliant regiments of his with food for powder; and I cannot help
telling here, with some satisfaction, the fate which ultimately
befell the atrocious 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 the line. The sovereign, too, probably
found his services more useful in the former capacity. His name was
Monsieur de Galgenstein, and he was one of the most successful of
the practisers of his rascally trade. He spoke all languages, and
knew all countries, and hence had no difficulty in finding out the
simple braggadocio of a young lad like me.
About 1765, however, he came to his justly merited end. He was at
this time living at Kehl, opposite Strasburg, and used to take his
walk upon the bridge there, and get 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 in Prussia. One day there was on the bridge a superb
grenadier, whom Galgenstein accosted, and to whom he promised a
company, at least, if he would enlist under Frederick.
'Ask my comrade yonder,' said the grenadier; 'I can do nothing
without him. We were born and bred together, we are of the same
company, sleep in the same room, and always go in pairs. If he will
go and you will give him a captaincy, I will go too.
Previous - next
