BARNABY RUDGE - A TALE OF THE RIOTS OF 'EIGHTY by Charles ...

the street; the rioters, breathless and exhausted with their lateexertions, formed likewise, though in a very irregular anddisorderly manner. The commanding officer rode hastily into theopen space between the two bodies, accompanied by a magistrate andan officer of the House of Commons, for whose accommodation acouple of troopers had hastily dismounted. The Riot Act was read,but not a man stirred.In the first rank of the insurgents, Barnaby and Hugh stood side byside. Somebody had thrust into Barnaby's hands when he came outinto the street, his precious flag; which, being now rolled up andtied round the pole, looked like a giant quarter-staff as hegrasped it firmly and stood upon his guard. If ever man believedwith his whole heart and soul that he was engaged in a just cause,and that he was bound to stand by his leader to the last, poorBarnaby believed it of himself and Lord George Gordon.After an ineffectual attempt to make himself heard, the magistrategave the word and the Horse Guards came riding in among the crowd.But, even then, he galloped here and there, exhorting the people todisperse; and, although heavy stones were thrown at the men, andsome were desperately cut and bruised, they had no orders but tomake prisoners of such of the rioters as were the most active, andto drive the people back with the flat of their sabres. As thehorses came in among them, the throng gave way at many points, andthe Guards, following up their advantage, were rapidly clearing theground, when two or three of the foremost, who were in a manner cutoff from the rest by the people closing round them, made straighttowards Barnaby and Hugh, who had no doubt been pointed out as thetwo men who dropped into the lobby: laying about them now with someeffect, and inflicting on the more turbulent of their opponents, afew slight flesh wounds, under the influence of which a mandropped, here and there, into the arms of his fellows, amid muchgroaning and confusion.At the sight of gashed and bloody faces, seen for a moment in the