It were well,
however, that your indiscretion, which can only find its
excuse in your being so young an officer, had not been
altogether without some good result. Had you killed or
disabled the--the savage, there might have been a decent
palliative offered; but what must be your feelings, sir,
when you reflect, the death of yon officer," and he
pointed to the corpse of the unhappy Murphy, "is, in a
great degree, attributable to yourself? Had you not
provoked the anger of the savage, and given a direction
to his aim by the impotent and wanton discharge of your
own rifle, this accident would never have happened."
This severe reproving of an officer, who had acted from
the most praiseworthy of motives, and who could not
possibly have anticipated the unfortunate catastrophe
that had occurred, was considered especially harsh and
unkind by every one present; and a low and almost inaudible
murmur passed through the company to which Sir Everard
was attached. For a minute or two that officer also
appeared deeply pained, not more from the reproof itself
than from the new light in which the observation of his
chief had taught him to view, for the first time, the
causes that had led to the fall of Murphy.
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