Part 151

on their march, +welche auf dem Marsch begriffen waren+.

+Streitkräfte+, pl.; was = were; at 13,000, +an 13,000 Mann+.

= attacked.

+hätten die Verteidiger von Kassassin nicht eine solche Tapferkeit bewiesen, so+, etc.

= the enemy would.

= When I rode away.

= were estimated at (+auf+) about, etc.

= Whilst.

= with.

Section 178.

HOW THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON WAS DECEIVED.

“I (S. 115, N. 1) got famously taken in on that occasion,” said the Duke of Wellington once. “The troops had taken to plundering a good deal. It was necessary to stop it, and I issued an order announcing that the first man taken in the act should be hanged upon the spot. One day, just as we were sitting down to dinner, three men were brought to the door of the tent by the provost. They had been taken in the act of plundering, and I had nothing for it but to command that they (S. 4, N. 4, +man+) should be taken away and hanged in some place where they might be seen by the whole column in its march next day. I had a good many guests with me on that day, and among the rest, I think, Lord Nugent. They seemed dreadfully shocked, and could not eat their dinner. I did not eat myself, but, as I told them, I could not indulge my feelings; I must do my duty. Well, the dinner went off rather gravely; and next morning, sure enough, three men in uniform were seen hanging (S. 78, N. 14, B) from the branches of a tree close to the high road. It was a terrible example, which produced the desired effect, for there was no more plundering. Some months afterwards I learned that one of my staff had taken counsel with Dr. Hume, and as three men had (S. 29, N. 3) just died in the hospital, they had hung them up and let the three culprits return to their regiments.”

“Were you not very angry, Duke?”

“Well, I suppose I was at first; but as I had no wish to take the poor fellows’ lives and only wanted the example, and as the example had the desired effect (S. 27, N. 8), my anger soon died out, and I confess to you that I am very glad now that the three lives were spared.”—HISTORICAL ANECDOTES.

to be famously taken in, +gehörig angeführt werden+; once, +eines Tages+.

= had begun to plunder; a good deal, +tüchtig+.

to — it = to make an end of this nuisance, +diesem Unwesen ein Ende zu machen+.

announcing that = according to which, +wonach+.

the — act = the first man (+der erste+) whom one would take in the act. To take a person in the act, +einen auf frischer That ertappen+.

to sit down to dinner, +sich zu Tische setzen+.

+Leute.+

in — plundering, +beim Plündern+.

He has nothing for it, +es bleibt ihm nichts anderes übrig+; but, +als+; in, +an+; might = could, Impf. Subj.; column = army; in its march, +vorbeimarschierend+, adj. qualifying ‘army’.

+bei+; place ‘I think’ after ‘and’; among the rest = among others.

= These seemed to be very much shocked (+ergriffen+) at (+von+) the occurrence.

to indulge one’s feelings, +seinen Gefühlen freien Lauf lassen+.

+Gut+; went — gravely, +ging ein wenig ernsthaft vonstatten+.

+auch wirklich+, which place after the subject, and construe the sentence in the Active Voice with the pron. man; men = soldiers.