"Lieutenant Murphy," he
pursued, "has been shot on the ramparts; and I have, as
directed by Captain Blessington, caused the body to be
brought here, that I may receive your orders respecting
the interment." As he spoke, he removed a long military
grey cloak, which completely enshrouded the corpse, and
disclosed, by the light of the still brightly flaming
torches of the gunners, the features of the unfortunate
Murphy.
"How did he meet his death?" enquired the governor;
without, however, manifesting the slightest surprise, or
appearing at all moved at the discovery.
"By a rifle shot fired from the common, near the old bomb
proof," observed Captain Blessington, as the adjutant
looked to him for the particular explanation he could
not render himself.
"Ah! this reminds me," pursued the austere
commandant,--"there was a shot fired also from the
ramparts. By whom, and at what?"
"By me, sir," said Lieutenant Valletort, coming forward
from the ranks, "and at what I conceived to be an Indian,
lurking as a spy upon the common."
"Then, Lieutenant Sir Everard Valletort, no repetition
of these firings, if you please; and let it be borne in
mind by all, that although, from the peculiar nature of
the service in which we are engaged, I so far depart from
the established regulations of the army as to permit my
officers to arm themselves with rifles, they are to be
used only as occasion may require in the hour of conflict,
and not for the purpose of throwing a whole garrison into
alarm by trials of skill and dexterity upon shadows at
this unseasonable hour.
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