CHAP. XVIII. 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.