The duke--who had already offered Rupert an
appointment on his staff, an offer he had gratefully declined, as
he preferred to do duty with his regiment--at once acceded to his
request, and he was thus spared the horror of seeing the agony of
the unhappy peasantry and townspeople, at the destruction of their
houses. Rupert, in his rides with messages across the country, saw
enough to make him heartsick at the distress into which the people
of the country were plunged.
One day when riding, followed by Hugh, he came upon a sad group. By
a hut which had recently been burned, after some resistance, as was
shown by the dead body of a Hessian trooper, a peasant knelt by the
body of his wife. A dead child of some five years old lay by, and a
baby kicked and cried by the side of its mother. The peasant looked
up with an air of bewildered grief, and on seeing the British
uniform sprang to his feet, and with a fierce but despairing
gesture placed himself as if to defend his children to the last.
Rupert drew his rein.
"I would not hurt you, my poor fellow," he said in Dutch.
The man did not understand, but the gentleness of the tone showed
him that no harm was meant, and he again flung himself down by his
wife.
"I do not think that she is dead, Hugh," Rupert said. "Hold my
horse, I will soon see."
So saying, he dismounted and knelt by the woman. There was a wound
on her forehead, and her face was covered with blood.
Pages:
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185