On They Marched With
Contracted Brows And Set Teeth, Till They Came In Front Of The
Cavalry, Where They Halted And Drew Up In A Rank.
"Those men mean mischief," said I to my friend D-, of the Morning
Chronicle, who at this moment joined
Me; "and depend upon it, that
if they are ordered they will commence firing, caring nothing whom
they hit, - but what can those cavalry fellows behind them mean, who
are evidently of the other opinion by their shouting, why don't
they charge at once this handful of foot people and overturn them?
Once down, the crowd would wrest from them their muskets in a
moment. You are a liberal, which I am not; why do you not go to
that silly young man who commands the horse and give him a word of
counsel in time?"
D - turned upon me his broad red good-humoured English countenance,
with a peculiarly arch look, as much as to say - (whatever you think
most applicable, gentle reader), then taking me by the arm, "Let us
get," said he, "out of this crowd and mount to some window, where I
can write down what is about to take place, for I agree with you
that mischief is meant." Just opposite the post office was a large
house, in the topmost story of which we beheld a paper displayed,
importing that apartments were to let; whereupon we instantly
ascended the common stair, and having agreed with the mistress of
the etage for the use of the front room for the day, we bolted the
door, and the reporter, producing his pocket-book and pencil,
prepared to take notes of the coming events, which were already
casting their shadow before.
What most extraordinary men are these reporters of newspapers in
general, I mean English newspapers; surely if there be any class of
individuals who are entitled to the appellation of cosmopolites, it
is these; who pursue their avocation in all countries
indifferently, and accommodate themselves at will to the manners of
all classes of society: their fluency of style as writers is only
surpassed by their facility of language in conversation, and their
attainments in classical and polite literature only by their
profound knowledge of the world, acquired by an early introduction
into its bustling scenes. The activity, energy, and courage which
they occasionally display in the pursuit of information are truly
remarkable. I saw them during the three days at Paris, mingled
with canaille and gamins behind the barriers, whilst the mitraille
was flying in all directions, and the desperate cuirassiers were
dashing their fierce horses against these seemingly feeble
bulwarks. There stood they, dotting down their observations in
their pocket-books as unconcernedly as if reporting the proceedings
of a reform meeting in Covent Garden or Finsbury Square; whilst in
Spain, several of them accompanied the Carlist and Christino
guerillas in some of their most desperate raids and expeditions,
exposing themselves to the danger of hostile bullets, the
inclemency of winter, and the fierce heat of the summer sun.
We had scarcely been five minutes at the window, when we suddenly
heard the clattering of horses' feet hastening down the street
called the Calle de Carretas. The house in which we had stationed
ourselves was, as I have already observed, just opposite to the
post office, at the left of which this street debouches from the
north into the Puerta del Sol: as the sounds became louder and
louder, the cries of the crowd below diminished, and a species of
panic seemed to have fallen upon all: once or twice, however, I
could distinguish the words Quesada! Quesada! The foot soldiers
stood calm and motionless, but I observed that the cavalry, with
the young officer who commanded them, displayed both confusion and
fear, exchanging with each other some hurried words; all of a
sudden that part of the crowd which stood near the mouth of the
Calle de Carretas fell back in great disorder, leaving a
considerable space unoccupied, and the next moment Quesada, in
complete general's uniform, and mounted on a bright bay thorough
bred English horse, with a drawn sword in his hand, dashed at full
gallop into the area, in much the same manner as I have seen a
Manchegan bull rush into the amphitheatre when the gates of his pen
are suddenly flung open.
He was closely followed by two mounted officers, and at a short
distance by as many dragoons. In almost less time than is
sufficient to relate it, several individuals in the crowd were
knocked down and lay sprawling upon the ground, beneath the horses
of Quesada and his two friends, for as to the dragoons, they halted
as soon as they had entered the Puerta del Sol. It was a fine
sight to see three men, by dint of valour and good horsemanship,
strike terror into at least as many thousands: I saw Quesada spur
his horse repeatedly into the dense masses of the crowd, and then
extricate himself in the most masterly manner. The rabble were
completely awed and gave way, retiring by the Calle del Comercio
and the street of Alcala. All at once, Quesada singled out two
nationals, who were attempting to escape, and setting spurs to his
horse, turned them in a moment, and drove them in another
direction, striking them in a contemptuous manner with the flat of
his sabre. He was crying out, "Long live the absolute queen!"
when, just beneath me, amidst a portion of the crowd which had
still maintained its ground, perhaps from not having the means of
escaping, I saw a small gun glitter for a moment, then there was a
sharp report, and a bullet had nearly sent Quesada to his long
account, passing so near to the countenance of the general as to
graze his hat. I had an indistinct view for a moment of a well-
known foraging cap just about the spot from whence the gun had been
discharged, then there was a rush of the crowd, and the shooter,
whoever he was, escaped discovery amidst the confusion which arose.
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