CAPTAIN POSITIVE.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 2, Issue 36, 9 May 1850, Page 3

CAPTAIN POSITIVE.

A French veteran soldier with one arm was seated before the door of his neat cottage one pleasant evening in July; he was surrounded by several village lads, who with one voice intrented him to commence his promised story. The old man took his pipe Irani hi 3 mouth, wiped liis lips with the back of his remaining band, and began thus : • In my time, boys, frenchmen would have scorned to light with Frenchmen in the streets as they do now. No, 110; when we fought, it was lor the honour of France, and against her foreign enemies, Well, my story begins on the Gtli of November, ISI'2, a short time alter the battle of Winemn. We were beating n retreat, not before the Rdssians, for they kept at a respectful distance from our cantonments, but before the biting cold of their detestable country, more terrible to lis than Russians, Anstriims, nnd 15 irbariaas put together. F'or the last few days our officers had been telling us that we were approaching Smolensko, where wc should be certain of finding food, lire, brandy, and shoes : but in the meantime wc were perishing in the ice, nnd perpetually harraseil by bands of Cossack marauder.*. ' We bad marched for six hours, without pausing to draw breath, for we know that repose was cert.tin death. A bitter wind burled snow-llakes against our faces and now anil then we stumbled over the frozen corpses of our comrades, ISo singing or talking then! liven the grumblers ceased to complain, and that was a bid sign. 1 walked behind my captain : ho was a short man, -trorigly b lilt, rugged and severe, but brave and true as his own sword-blade. We called liim Captain Positive ; for, once ho said a thing, so it was—-no appeal—he never changed his mind. lie had been wounded at Wiazma, and his usually red face was now quite pale ; while the pieces of an old white handkerchief which he had wrapped round his legs were sun kid with blood, I saw liiin first move slowly, then stagger like a drunken man, and at last lie fell down like a block. " Aforbleu ! captain," said I bending over him, " you can't lie there.'* " Vmi see that I can because I do," replied lie, pointing to his limbs, " Captain,"said I, "you mustn't die thus;" and laisiitg him in my arms, 1 managed to pi,ice him on his feet. He leaned on me, and tried to walk; but in vain: he fell once more, dragging mo with him. " Jobin," said he, " 'tis all over. Just leave me hero and join your' column as quickly as yon can. One word before you •40 :—at Voreppe, near Grenoble, lives a good woman. eighty-two years old, my—my mother. Go to see her, embrace her, and (ell her that—that —tell her whatever you like, but give her this purse and my cross. That's all." " Is that all captain? '• I said so. Good-by, nnd make haste." ' Hoys, I don't know how it was, but I felt two tears freezing I'll my cheeks. " No captain," cried I, "I wont leave you: either you shall'comc with me, or I shall stay with you." "I forbid your staying." " Captain you might just as well forbid a woman talking*" " If J escape I'll punish you severely." " You may place me under arrest'then, but just now, you must let me do a* I please." " You're an insolent Icllow !" " Very likely, captain ; but yon must come with me," ' He bit liis lips with auger, but said no more. I raised him nnd placed his body across my shoulders like a sack. Yon may easily imagine that while beating such a burthen I could not move as quickly as my comrades. Indeed I scon lost sight of their columns, and I could perceive nothing but the > white silent plain around inc. I moved on, anil presently there appeared a band of Cossacks galloping towards me, llicii lances in rest, mid shouting their fiendish war-cry. 'The captain was by tliis time in n state of total unconsciousness, and I resolved, cost what it might, not to abandon him. I laid him on the ground, covered him with snow, ,iud then crept itudera heap of my dead comrades, leaving however, my eyes at liberty. Soon the Cossacks reached us, and began striking with their lances right and lift, while their horses trampled tliu bodies. Presently otic of these rude beasts plarcd his hoof on my right aim and crushed it in pieces, lioys, I did not say a word ; I did not move, save to thrust my right hand into my month to keep down the cry of torture ; and in a lew minutes the Cos-aeks dispersed. ' When the last of llicni had ridden oft', I crept out and managed to disinter the captain, lie shoivul few signs of life ; nevertheless I contrived with my one hand to bring him towards a rock, which allordcd a sort of shelter and then lay down next him, wrapping my capote around us. Night was closing in, and the siio*v continued to fall. The last of the

rearguard had long disappeared, and llio only sound* dial lircik.' the silon :e ivcri' til.* whist - ing oTdistant liullrts, and tlio nenrer howling of wolves, which uue devouring tin; dead bodies. God knows what tilings pissed through my mind that njjht, which, I hi! assured would he my last on ea:th. Hut I remembered the prayer my mother hod taught trie lons "go when I was a child by her side ; and kneeling down I s:iid it I'eivcntly. ' Boys, it did me good ; ami always remember that sincere earnest prayer "ill do vou good 100. 1 felt .wonderfully calm when I resumed my place next the ri.|n.,i.i. lint time passed on, and I was becoming quite numbed, when I saw n party of l'rench officers approaching. Before I had time to address them the foremost—a low-sized mitn, dressed in a fur pelisse—stepped towards me, saying, " What are you doing here ? Why did you stay behind your regiment ?" " I'or two good reasons," said I, pointing first to the Captain, and then to my bleeding arm- '• The man speaks the truth, sire," said one of his followers. " I saw him marching behind the column carrying his otiicer on his bark." The Emperor—for boys, it was he ! —gave me one of those looks which only himself or an Alpine eagle could give, and said, " 'Tis well. You have done very well." Then opening his pelisse, lie took the cross which decorated bis inside green coat, and gave it to in«\ That moment I was no longer cold or hungry, nnd felt no more pain in my arm than if that ill-nurtured beast »u'.! never touched it." " Davoust, 1 ' added the Emperor, addressing the gentleman who had spoken, " cause this man aud his captain to be placed in one of the ammunition waggons. Adieu!" And waiving his hand towards me, he passed on. Ilere the vetoran paused, and resumed his pipe. " But tell us about the cross, and what became of Captain Positive,' cried several impatient voices, ' The Captain still lives, and is now a retired general. But the best of it was, that as soon as he recovered, he placed me under art est for fifteen days, as a punishment for my breach of discipline? The circumstance reached Napoleon's ears ; and after laughing heartily, he not only released me, but promoted me to be a sergeant. As to the decoration, here is the ribbon boys, I wear that in my button-hole, but the cross I carry next my he-art!' And unbuttoning his coat, the veteran showed his young friends the precious relic, enveloped in a little satin bag suspended from his neck.—Chamber's Journal.