_Our hero subdues the affections of his new paramour; he is
attacked by a rival; fights a duel; flies to the Tabbies, at this
time at war with the Blacks. Is made general. The battle of the
Cats. Defeats the enemy. A list of the killed, wounded and taken
prisoners. A Feline commander deprived of all his commissions and
places for neglect of duty, with many other matters which the
reader will find in this busy chapter._
Our hero soon entered into such close and intimate connections
with this young courtezan, that he forgot the duties he owed to
himself. He forgot his honour; and all other grateful sentiments,
were erased from his heroic breast, in this following the example
of many illustrious kings and personages of antiquity, particularly
_Hannibal_, and _Alexander_, the one delaid by pleasures, at Cannæ
when he might have made himself master of Rome; the other immersed in
voluptuousness, and foreign luxury at Persepolis, and forgetting his
interests in Macedonia.
Thus, in like manner, did our _Tom_ forget the duties he owed to
his new and indulgent mistress, the lady of _Dolly Tinder_, not to
mention his obligations to that faithful fellow-servant of his,
to whom he owed his liberty. He now ranged at will, and took an
unlimited freedom in the walks of love; till at length he found
himself abandoned to sensuality, and resigned himself to the
torrent of self-indulgence which bore him away from all morality
and virtue. He left the city, and like a highway-man took the road
to licentuousness, committing several robberies, and depredations,
whereever he could light on prey. He would venture into the kitchens
of country gentlemen and rob the larder,—he took bones of meat from
several cats, depriving them of their meals, and like a fox, did
once assault the poultry, carrying off a young goslin in triumph
before the eyes of a whole family of geese and ganders. In short,
his actions became infamous, and his reputation stunk worse than a
_Pole-cat_.
As he was thus indulging himself in all manner of licentiousness,
wherein the vocal songsters of the grove were not safe from his
outrages, he went a whoring after strange _Cats_, and having neither
the fear of man, bird, or beast before his eyes, he at length came
to a large village; his beautiful varigated skin, fine shape, and
uncommon structure attracted the eyes of a black Cat, the wife of a
black Cat in that village; she made no manner of punctilio in eloping
from her sable husband, but unnaturally left her house and home, to
enjoy the solacing embraces of this lovely foreigner, _Jet_, for
that was her husband’s name, missing his Negro-spouse, tracked her
footsteps, and found them, _tête a tête_, in a neighbouring barn:
Though unequal in size or strength to our hero, yet as the honour of
his bed was concerned, he challenged him on the spot; a duel ensued,
and after a faint of position was laid dead at the feet of our hero,
who went farther a field, with the wanton widow of the deceased.
But murder will out: Several black Cats happening to be marauding
in the barn in quest of mice, saw the body, and went in pursuit of
the murderer, whom they also traced by the blood, with which his
claws were imbrued; they attacked him, and seeing himself ready to
be overpowered by a superiority of force, he thought the safest
expedient was to have recourse to flight, by which he escaped their
fury. He had ran three miles, and found himself in a field adjacent
to another village, nor was he long there, before several Cats
surrounding him, smelt to the blood with which his coat was deformed,
which when they found to be the blood of their enemies, instead of
tearing _Tom_ to pieces, (as they might have done in the midst of
his great fatigue) they brought him victuals to refresh him, and one
of them conducted him to a dairy, where he lapped milk sufficient to
recruit his lost spirits.
These Cats were all tabbies, and had been long at war with
the blacks of the neighbouring village. After holding many
conferences, and councils of war, they _nem. con._ chose our hero
to be generalissimo in chief for the ensuing campaign, which high
commission he most gratefully accepted; he now became commander in
chief, and being stronger than any other Cat in the three kingdoms,
he became conscious of his own superiour qualifications: His last
trial of his strength, with the sire Cat of the black nation
convinced him of his matchless abilities, and therefore he now began
to discipline his troops, and fight mock battles, to lay plans of
operation, to train them to skirmish, in cursions and surprize. To
teach how to quarter on an enemy’s country, to levy contributions,
to cover the foragers, and in short the whole process of war, either
by _stratagem_, _Coup de main_, or _Manœuvre_.
He sent out recuiting parties, who raised a large military force in
less than a fortnight, and he lived, belov’d, feared, and respected
by the soldiery as well as the other generals, and officers of his
new army.
It was on a moon-light calm night on the glorious first of August,
the date of the year I forgot, but the scene of action was on
Black-Heath, that _Tom_ at the head of an army of two hundred tabbies
made his approaches, which he scorned to make in a private manner,
but came up to them openly and in the moon-light. Neither did his
motions escape their vigilance. He had divided his troops into eight
battalions, twenty five in a battalion; and each battalion into five
ranks, five in a line.—Two battalions, he left at some distance, as a
corps de reserve, and with the other six, marched up to attack them
before they could form in battle array. However, the dispositions of
the enemy, were so well made in front by an old experienced general,
that Tom, tho’ he made several furious attacks to break their front,
the better to put those in confusion, who were forming behind, found
himself mistaken both in the courage, and discipline of his enemy.
For the wise general of the blacks, had prudently placed a line of
veterans in the front, and as our general had never fought a campain
before, he found himself foil’d in his first attempt, and thrown
into some disorder; but rallying his soldiers and covering them like
a shield, by his own personal courage and strength, he again formed
his line of battle, and renewed the attack:—The enemy’s right wing
seemed to have got an advantage of our left, which _Tom_ observing
dispatched an Aid du Camp in waiting to desire the general of the
Corps de reserve to advance, but whether thro’ a misunderstanding of
the orders, or that they were not delivered in an explicit manner,
a whole battalion of ours was cut to pieces, while that general,
was endeavouring to explain the orders: In the mean time, the left
wing did wonders, supporting the attack, which was vigorous, with
uncommon ardour.—The enemies front was repulsed several times, but
they rallied so well, and kept such excellent order, that we lost a
great many valiant soldiers, with four officers, e’er we could break
through, which at last was effected with considerable loss. A second
order was sent to the general of the Corps de reserve to pursue, but
in this two he is said to have strangely neglected his duty, pleading
that he did not know the _roads_. However the enemy retreated, in
some disorder, and with as considerable a loss.
After having gained as compleat a victory as so stout a resistance
could admit of, he determined to avail himself of those advantages
generally resulting from conquest: He in consequence of this,
disposed the troops in such a manner as to secure all the passes,
and to prevent surprize. A more compleat and brilliant victory would
have undoubtedly gained over the black Cats, had the general complied
with his orders, without hesitation, and therefore his case being
taken into consideration, he was divested of all his employments and
honours, which at that time was for some reasons of state thought a
sufficient disgrace, tho’ not an adequate punishment.