Page:Victoria, with a description of its principal cities, Melbourne and Geelong.djvu/163

 over the stockade received a severe wound in the leg, whereupon he fell among his advancing men; but, quickly recovering himself, he again led them on to the charge. The men, now rendered frantic, seeing their much-loved captain wounded, and his heroic conduct, carried all before them. Scarce, however, had the loud shout of his victorious men proclaimed that the stockade was theirs, and the opposing insurgents routed, ere another ball struck him on the knee, which entirely disabled him, weak as he was from the loss of blood from the previous wound. His sorrowing comrades hastily constructing a rude stretcher, carried him to the rear.

An instance of the wild devotion of his men is on record. On the following day a private of his company, waiting on his officer, begged permission to proceed to the stockade in order to bury his brother. "How," said the officer, "know you of your brother being killed? "I shot him myself, sir," was his prompt reply. "How dreadful!" was the rejoinder. "No, sir," still continued the soldier, "he shot my captain, and I shot him." We cannot vouch for the certain authenticity of this Brutus-like anecdote, yet such was currently reported; and from the devotion we have ourselves seen evinced by the British soldier in moments of danger, we think that in the heat of battle and military ardour, when one whom they followed as a leader, loved, and honoured, was cut down before them,—the natural ties of affection would not be dreamt of.