The Project Gutenberg EBook of Vellenaux, by Edmund William Forrest

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Title: Vellenaux
A Novel

Author: Edmund William Forrest

Release Date: May 31, 2005 [EBook #15956]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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VELLENAUX

A NOVEL BY E.W. FORREST

AUTHOR OF THE "BLUE JACKET," "CRONOTONTOLLIENS," "NED FORTESQUE," ETC.

1874.

PREFACE

The consideration and favor accorded to the writer's former works by a
generous reading public, has induced him to try his hand as a novelist,
and the present effort "Vellenaux" is the result.

The Book, although essentially one of fiction, contains many episodes of
an historical character. In fact, truth and imagination are so blended
together, that the reader will scarcely discover where the one begins or
the other ends. Scenes and occurrences are portrayed which took place
during the Sheik Wars, the siege of Mooltan, the battle of
Chillianwalla, and the never to be forgotten Sepoy Mutiny, with the
simple alteration of names, dates and localities. On the shoulders of
the hero has been grafted many of the adventures, exploits and escapes
which in reality occurred either to the Author himself or some of his
many military acquaintances, in doing which the reader may rest assured
that no character or incident has been in any way overdrawn.

THE AUTHOR.

VELLENAUX.

CHAPTER I.

The bright rays of an Autumn sun fell upon the richly stained glass,
sending a flood of soft, mellow rainbow tinted light through the
quaintly curved and deeply mullioned windows which adorned a portion of
the eastern wing of that grand old Baronial residence, Vellenaux, on a
fine September morning, at the period during which our story opens. This
handsome pile, now the property of Sir Jasper Coleman, had been erected
by one of his ancestors, Reginald De Coleman, during the reign of the
fifth Henry.

This gallant Knight had rendered that Mo