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diff --git a/44965-8.txt b/44965-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7731051..0000000 --- a/44965-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6917 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Random Shots From a Rifleman, by John Kincaid - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Random Shots From a Rifleman - -Author: John Kincaid - -Release Date: February 19, 2014 [EBook #44965] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RANDOM SHOTS FROM A RIFLEMAN *** - - - - -Produced by Brian Coe, Charlie Howard, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - - - - - ADVENTURES IN THE RIFLE BRIGADE - - IN THE - - PENINSULA, FRANCE, - - AND THE - - NETHERLANDS, - - From the Year 1809 to 1815; - - BY CAPTAIN JOHN KINCAID, FIRST BATTALION. - - One vol. post 8vo. price 10_s._ 6_d._ boards. - - -"To those who are unacquainted with John Kincaid of the Rifles,--and -few, we trow, of the old Peninsula bands are in this ignorant -predicament, and to those who know him, we equally recommend the -perusal of his book: it is a fac simile of the man,--a perfect -reflection of his image, _veluti in speculo_. A capital Soldier, a -pithy and graphic narrator, and a fellow of infinite jest. Captain -Kincaid has given us, in this modest volume, the impress of his -qualities, the _beau ideal_ of a thorough-going Soldier of Service, and -the faithful and witty history of some six years' honest and triumphant -fighting. - -"There is nothing extant in a Soldier's Journal, which, with so little -pretension, paints with such truth and raciness the "domestic economy" -of campaigning, and the downright business of handling the enemy. - -"But we cannot follow further;--recommending every one of our readers -to pursue the Author himself to his crowning scene of Waterloo, -where they will find him as quaint and original as at his _debut_. -We assure them, it is not possible, by isolated extracts, to give a -suitable impression of the spirit and originality which never flag from -beginning to end of Captain Kincaid's volume; in every page of which he -throws out flashes of native humour, a tithe of which would make the -fortune of a Grub-street Bookmaker."--_United Service Journal._ - - * * * * * - -"We do not recollect one, among the scores of personal narratives, -where the reader will find more of the realities of a Soldier's -Life, or of the horrors that mark it; all is told gaily, but not -unfeelingly."--_New Monthly Magazine, July._ - - * * * * * - -"His book has one fault, the rarest fault in books, it is too -short."--_Monthly Magazine, April._ - - * * * * * - -"His book is one of the most lively histories of Soldiers' -Adventures which have yet appeared; their entire freedom from -affectation will sufficiently recommend them to a numerous class of -readers."--_Athenæum._ - - * * * * * - -"_Kincaid's Adventures in the Rifle Brigade_ is written with all the -frankness and freedom from study which bespeaks the gallant soldier, -one to whom the sword is more adapted than the pen, but who, as now -_cedunt arma togæ_, has, in these 'piping times' of peace, determined -to 'fight all his battles over again,' and he fights them in a style -interesting and graphic. The remarks on the decisive termination -of the Battle of Waterloo are striking and convincing; and to them -and the whole book we refer our readers for much amusement and -information."--_The Age._ - - * * * * * - -"This is an excellent and amusing book; and although it neither gives, -nor pretends to give, lessons in strategy, or a true history of the -great operations of our armies, we hold it to be a very instructive -work. Napier, it is true, continues to be our textbook in the art of -war; but, even in his work, there is something awanting, something -which a due attention to historical etiquette prevents his conveying -to us. He shows most satisfactorily the talents of our generals, and -the _morale_ of our army; but there is an insight into its composition -which he cannot give us, and which, indeed, nothing can give but a wide -personal acquaintance with military men, and lots of volumes like the -present."--_Edinburgh Literary Journal._ - - * * * * * - -"Il est rare que les aventures arrivées à un seul personnage et -racontées par lui intéressent le public au point de faire obtenir à ses -mémoires un véritable succès; mais il en est autrement quand l'auteur a -su habilement accompagner son histoire du récit de faits et d'événemens -qui ont déjá fixé l'attention publique. L'ouvrage du Capitaine Kincaid -est intéressant sous ces deux points de vue et sera favorablement -accueilli. En même tems qu'on suit avec plaisir la marche de ses -aventures, on recueille une foule de détails ignorés sur les campagnes -de 1809 à 1815."--_Furet de Londres._ - - - - - RANDOM SHOTS - FROM A - RIFLEMAN. - - BY J. KINCAID, - - _Late Captain in, and Author of "Adventures in the Rifle Brigade."_ - - - SECOND EDITION. - - - LONDON: - T. AND W. BOONE, 29, NEW BOND STREET. - M DCCC XLVII. - - - - - TO - - MAJOR-GENERAL - - LORD FITZROY SOMERSET, K.C.B. - - &c. &c. &c. - - THIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED - - BY HIS VERY OBEDIENT - - AND VERY OBLIGED HUMBLE SERVANT, - - J. KINCAID. - - - - -NOTICE. - - -When I sent my volume of "Adventures in the Rifle Brigade" into the -world, some one of its many kind and indulgent critics was imprudent -enough to say that "it had one fault, the rarest fault in books--it was -too short;" and while I have therefore endeavoured to acquit myself of -such an unlooked-for charge by sending this additional one, I need only -observe that if it also fails to satisfy, they may have "yet another." - -Like its predecessor, this volume is drawn solely from memory, and of -course open to error; but of this my readers may feel assured, that -it is free from romance; for even in the few soldiers' _yarns_ which I -have thought fit to introduce, the leading features are facts. - -Lastly, in making my second editorial bow to the public, let me assure -them that it is with no greater literary pretensions. I sent forth my -first volume contrary to my own judgement; but rough and unpolished as -it was, it pleased a numerous class of readers, and I therefore trust -to be forgiven for marching past again to the same tune, in the hope -that my _reviewing generals_ may make the same favourable report of me -in their orderly books. - - -ERRATUM. - -Page 11, line 2, _for_ remarkable, _read_ remarkably. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. - PAGE - Family Pictures, with select Views of the Estate, fenced with - distant Prospects 1 - - - CHAP. II. - - "No man can tether time or tide, - The hour approaches Tam maun ride." - - And he takes one side step and two front ones on the road to - glory 11 - - - CHAP. III. - - An old one takes to his heels, leaving a young one in - arms.--The dessert does not always follow the last coarse - of--a goose.--Goes to the war, and ends in love 30 - - - CHAP. IV. - - Shewing how generals may descend upon particulars with a - cat-o'-nine tails. Some extra Tales added, Historical, - Comical, and Warlike all 44 - - - CHAP. V. - - The paying of a French compliment, which will be repaid in - a future chapter. A fierce attack upon hairs. A niece - compliment, and lessons gratis to untaught sword-bearers 79 - - - CHAP. VI. - - Reaping a Horse with a halter. Reaping golden Opinions out of - a Dung-Hill, and reaping a good Story or two out of the next - Room. A Dog-Hunt and Sheep's Heads prepared at the Expense of - a Dollar each, and a Scotchman's Nose 94 - - - CHAP. VII. - - "Blood and destruction shall be so in use, - And dreadful objects so familiar, - That mothers shall but smile when they behold - Their infants quartered with the hands of war." 130 - - - CHAP. VII. - - The persecution of the guardian of two angels. A Caçadore and - his mounted followers. A chief of hussars in his trousers. - A chief of rifles in his glory, and a sub of ditto with two - screws in the neck 155 - - - CHAP. VIII. - - National Characters. Adventures of a pair of leather Breeches. - Ditto of a pound of Beef. Shewing what the French General did - not do, and a Prayer which he did not pray; with a few random - Shots. 176 - - - CHAP. IX. - - A bishop's gathering.--Volunteers for a soldier's love, with - a portrait of the lover.--Burning a bivouac. Old invented - thrashing machines and baking concerns.--A flying Padre - taking a shot flying 219 - - - CHAP. X. - - Shewing how a volunteer may not be what Doctor Johnson made - him.--A mayor's nest.--Cupping.--The Author's reasons for - punishing the world with a book.--And some volunteers of the - right sort 236 - - - CHAP. XI. - - Very short, with a few anecdotes still shorter; but the - principal actors thought the scene long enough 265 - - - CHAP. XII. - - Shewing rough visitors receiving a rough reception. Some living - and moving specimens thereof. Tailors not such fractions of - humanity as is generally believed. Gentle visitors receiving - a gentle reception, which ends by shewing that two shakes - joined together sound more melodiously on the heart-strings - than two hands which shake of their own accord 277 - - - CHAP. XIII. - - Specimens of target-practice, in which markers may become - marked men.--A grave anecdote, shewing "how some men have - honours thrust upon them." A line drawn between man and - beast.--Lines drawn between regiments, and shewing how - credit may not be gained by losing what they are made - of.--Aristocratic.--Dedicatic.--Dissertation on advanced - guards, and desertion of knapsacks, shewing that "the greater - haste the worse speed" 299 - - - - -RANDOM SHOTS - -FROM - -A RIFLEMAN. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - Family Pictures, with select Views of the Estate, fenced with - distant Prospects. - - -Every book has a beginning, and the beginning of every book is the -undoubted spot on which the historian is bound to parade his hero. -The novelist may therefore continue to envelope his man in a fog as -long as he likes, but for myself I shall at once unfold to the world -that I am my own hero; and though that same world hold my countrymen -to be rich in wants, with the article of modesty among them, yet do I -hope to maintain the character I have assumed, with as much propriety -as can reasonably be expected of one labouring under such a national -infirmity, for - - "I am a native of that land, which - Some poets' lips and painters' hands" - -have pictured barren and treeless. But to shew that these are mere -fancy sketches, I need only mention that as long as I remember -anything, there grew a bonny brier and sundry gooseberry bushes in our -kail-yard, and it was surrounded by a stately row of pines, rearing -their long spinster waists and umbrella heads over the cabbages, as -carefully as a hen does her wings over her brood of chickens, so that -neither the sun nor moon, and but a very few favoured stars had the -slightest chance of getting a peep therein, nor had anything therein -a chance of getting a peep out, unless in the cabbages returning the -sheep's eyes of their star-gazers; for, while the front was protected -by a long range of house and offices, with no ingress or egress but -through the hall-door, the same duty was performed on the other three -sides by a thick quick-set hedge which was impervious to all but the -sparrows, so that the wondrous wise man of Islington might there have -scratched his eyes out and in again a dozen times without being much -the wiser. - -My father was the laird and farmed the small property I speak of, -in the lowlands of Stirlingshire, but he was unfortunately cut off -in early life, and long before his young family were capable of -appreciating the extent of their loss, and I may add, to the universal -regret of the community to which he belonged; and in no country have I -met, in the same walks of life, a body of men to equal in intelligence, -prudence, and respectability, the small lowland Scotch laird. - -Marrying and dying are ceremonies which almost every one has to go -through at some period of his life, and from being so common, one would -expect that they might cease to be uncommon; but people, nevertheless, -still continue to look upon them as important events in their -individual histories. And while, with the class I speak of, the joys -of the one and the grief at the other was as sensibly and unaffectedly -shewn as amongst any, yet with them the loss of the head of the house -produces no very material change in the family arrangements; for while -in some places the proprietary of a sheep confers a sort of patent -of gentility upon the whole flock, leaving as a bequest a scramble -for supremacy, yet the lowland laird is another manner of man; one in -fact who is not afraid to reckon his chickens before they are hatched, -and who suffers no son of his to be born out of his proper place. The -eldest therefore steps into his father's shoes as naturally as his -father steps out of them. The second is destined to be a gentleman, -that is, he receives a superior education, and as soon as he is deemed -qualified, he is started off with a tolerable outfit and some ha'pence -in his pocket to fulfil his destiny in one of the armed or learned -professions, while the junior members of the family are put in such -other way of shifting for themselves as taste and prudence may point -out. And having thus, gentle reader, expounded as much of my family -history as it behoveth thee to know, it only remains for me, with all -becoming modesty, to introduce myself to you as, by birthright, the -gentleman of the family, and without further ceremony to take you by -the hand and conduct you along the path which I found chalked out for -myself. - -In my native country, as elsewhere, Dame Fortune is to be seen cutting -her usual capers, and often sends a man starving for a life-time as -a parson looking for a pulpit, a doctor dining on his own pills, or -as a lawyer who has nothing to insert in his last earthly testament, -who would otherwise have flourished on the top of a hay-stack, or as -a cooper round a tar-barrel. How far she was indulgent in my case is -a matter of moonshine. Suffice it that I commenced the usual process -at the usual place, the parish school, under that most active of all -teachers--Whipping, - - "That's Virtue's governess, - Tutress of arts and sciences; - That mends the gross mistakes of nature, - And puts new life into dull matter." - -And from the first letter in the alphabet I was successively flogged -up through a tolerable quantity of English, some ten or a dozen books -of Latin, into three or four of French, and there is no saying whether -the cat-o'-nine tails, wielded by such a masterly hand, might not -eventually have stirred me up as high as the woolsack, had not one of -those tides in the affairs of school-boys brought a Leith merchant to -a worthy old uncle of mine (who was one of my guardians) in search of -a quill-driver, and turned the current of my thoughts into another -channel. To be or not to be, that was the question; whether 'twere -better to abide more stings and scourges from the outrageous cat, or to -take the offer which was made, and end them. - -It may readily be believed that I felt a suitable horror at the -sight of the leathern instrument which had been so long and so ably -administered for my edification, nor had I much greater affection for -the learned professions as they loomed in perspective, for I feared -the minister, hated the doctor, and had no respect for the lawyer, and -in short it required but little persuasion to induce me to bind my -prospects for the ensuing three years to the desk of a counting-house. -I therefore took leave of my indefatigable preceptor, not forgetting -to insert on the tablets of my memory, a promissory note to repay -him stripe for stripe with legal interest, as soon as I should find -myself qualified to perform the operation; but I need not add that the -note (as all such notes usually are) was duly dishonoured; for, when -I became capable of appreciating his virtues, I found him a worthy -excellent man, and one who meant for the best; but I have lived to see -that the schoolmaster of that day was all abroad. - -The reminiscences of my three years' mercantile life leave me nothing -worth recording, except that it was then I first caught a glimpse of -my natal star. - -I had left school as a school-boy, unconscious of a feeling beyond the -passing moment. But the period at length arrived when Buonaparte's -threatened invasion fired every loyal pair of shoulders with a scarlet -coat. Mine were yet too slender to fill up a gap in the ranks, and my -arm too weak to wield any thing more formidable than a drum-stick, -but in devotion to the cause I would not have yielded to Don Quixote -himself. The pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war had in fact -set my soul in an unquenchable blaze, and I could think of nothing -else. In reckoning up a column of pounds, shillings, and pence, I -counted them but as so many soldiers, the rumbling of empty puncheons -in the wine cellar sounded in my ears as the thunder of artillery, -and the croaking voice of a weasand old watchman at "half-past twelve -o'clock," as the hoarse challenge of the sentry from the ramparts. - -My prospect of succeeding to the object on which I had placed my -affections were at the time but slender, but having somewhere read -that if one did but set his eye on any thing in reason, and pursued -it steadily, he would finally attain it, I resolved to adhere to such -an animating maxim, and fixing my heart on a captain's commission, I -pursued it steadily, and for the encouragement of youth in all times to -come, I am proud to record that I finally did attain it. - -I returned to the country on the expiration of my apprenticeship, which -(considering the object I had in view) happened at a most auspicious -moment; for the ensign of our parochial company of local militia had -just received a commission in the line, and I was fortunate enough -to step into his vacated commission as well as into his clothing and -appointments. - -I had by that time grown into a tall ramrod of a fellow, as fat as a -whipping-post--my predecessor had been a head and shoulders shorter, -so that in marching into his trousers I was obliged to put my legs -so far through them that it required the eye of a _connoisseur_ to -distinguish whether they were not intended as a pair of breeches. -The other end of my arms, too, were exposed to equal animadversion, -protruding through the coat-sleeves to an extent which would have -required a pair of gauntlets of the horse-guards blue to fill up the -vacancy. Nevertheless, no peacock ever strutted more proudly in his -plumage than I did in mine--and when I found myself on a Sunday in -the front seat of the gallery of our parish church, exposed to the -admiration of a congregation of milk-maids, my delight was without -alloy. - - - - -CHAP. II. - - "No man can tether time or tide, - The hour approaches Tam maun ride." - -And he takes one side step and two front ones on the road to glory. - - -It was a very fine thing, no doubt, to be an ensign in the local -militia, and a remarkably pretty thing to be the admiration of all the -milk-maids of a parish, but while time was jogging, I found myself -standing with nothing but the precarious footing of those pleasures -to stand upon, and it therefore behoved me to think of sinking the -ornamental for the sake of the useful; and a neighbouring worthy, who -was an importer and vender of foreign timber, happening at this time -to make a proposition to unite our fortunes, and that I should take -the charge of a branch establishment in the city of Glasgow, it was -arranged accordingly, and my next position therefore was behind my own -desk in that Wapping of Glasgow, called the Gorbals. - -Mars, however, was still in the ascendant, for my first transaction -in the way of business was to get myself appointed to a lieutenancy -in one of the volunteer regiments, and, as far as I remember, I think -that all my other transactions while I remained there redounded more -to my credit as a soldier than as a citizen, and when, at the end of -the year, the offer of an ensigncy in the militia enabled me to ascend -a step higher on the ladder of my ambition, leaving my partner to sell -or burn his sticks (whichever he might find the most profitable), I cut -mine, and joined that finest of all militia regiments, the North York, -when I began to hold up my head and to fancy myself something like a -soldier in reality. - -Our movements during the short period that I remained with them, -were confined to casual changes among the different stations on the -coasts of Kent and Sussex, where I got gradually initiated into all the -mysteries of home service,--learnt to make love to the smugglers' very -pretty daughters, and became a dead hand at wrenching the knocker from -a door. - -The idleness and the mischievous propensities of the officers of that -district (of the line as well as the militia) were proverbial at the -period I speak of; but, while as usual the report greatly exceeded -the reality, there was this to be said in their behalf, that they -were almost entirely excluded from respectable society; owing partly, -perhaps, to their not being quite so select as at the present time, -(those heroes who had a choice of pleasures preferring Almack's to -Napoleon's balls,) but chiefly to the numbers of the troops with which -those districts were inundated during the war, and which put it out -of the power of individual residents to notice such a succession of -military interlopers, unless they happened to be especially recommended -to them; so that, as the Irishman expresses it--he was a lucky -cove indeed who in those days succeeded in getting his legs under a -gentleman's mahogany. - -It is not therefore much to be wondered at, if a parcel of wild young -fellows thrown on their own resources, when that warlike age required a -larking spirit to be encouraged rather than repressed amongst them,--I -say, it is not to be wondered at if they did occasionally amuse -themselves with a class of persons which, under other circumstances, -they would have avoided, and if the consequences were sometimes what -they had better not have been--but the accounts between the man and -woman of that day having been long since closed, it is not for me to -re-open them, yet I remember that even that manner of life was not -without its charms. - -The only variety in my year's militia life was an encampment on the -lines at Chatham, where we did duty on board the hulks, in the Medway. -My post was for the greater period with a guard on board the old -Irresistible, which was laden with about eight hundred heavy Danes -who had been found guilty of defending their property against their -invaders, and I can answer for it that they were made as miserable as -any body of men detected in such a heinous crime had a right to be, -for of all diabolical constructions in the shape of prisons the hulks -claim by right a pre-eminence. However, we were then acting under the -broad acknowledged principle, that those who are not for, are against -us, and upon that same principle, the worthy Danes with their ships -were respectfully invited to repose themselves for a while within our -hospitable harbours. - -On the breaking up of our encampment at Chatham we marched to Deal, -where one of the periodical volunteerings from the militia, (to fill up -the ranks of the line,) took place, and I need not add that I greedily -snatched at the opportunity it offered to place myself in the position -for which I had so long sighed. - -On those occasions any subaltern who could persuade a given number of -men to follow him, received a commission in whatever regiment of the -line he wished, provided there was a vacancy for himself and followers. -I therefore chose that which had long been the object of my secret -adoration, as well for its dress as the nature of its services and its -achievements, the old ninety-fifth, now the Rifle Brigade.--"Hurrah -for the first in the field and the last out of it, the bloody fighting -ninety-fifth," was the cry of my followers while beating up for more -recruits--and as glory was their object, a fighting and a bloody corps -the gallant fellows found it, for out of the many who followed Captain -Strode and me to it, there were but two serjeants and myself, after the -sixth campaign, alive to tell the tale. - -I cannot part from the good old North York without a parting tribute -to their remembrance, for as a militia regiment they were not to be -surpassed.--Their officers _were officers_ as well as gentlemen, and -there were few among them who would not have filled the same rank in -the line with credit to themselves and to the service, and several -wanted but the opportunity to turn up trumps of the first order. - -I no sooner found myself gazetted than I took a run up to London to get -rid of my loose cash, which being very speedily accomplished, I joined -the regiment at Hythe barracks. - -They had just returned from sharing in the glories and disasters of Sir -John Moore's retreat, and were busily employed in organizing again for -active service. I have never seen a regiment of more gallant bearing -than the first battalion there shewed itself, from their brilliant -chief, (the late Sir Sidney Beckwith), downwards; they were all that a -soldier could love to look on; and, splendid as was their appearance, -it was the least admirable part about them, for the beauty of their -system of discipline consisted in their doing every thing that was -necessary, and nothing that was not, so that every man's duty was a -pleasure to him, and the _esprit de corps_ was unrivalled. - -There was an abundance of Johny Newcome's, like myself, tumbling in -hourly, for it was then such a favourite corps with the militia men, -that they received a thousand men over their complement within the -first three days of the volunteering, (and before a stop could be -put to it,) which compelled the horse-guards to give an additional -battalion to the corps. - -On my first arrival my whole soul was so absorbed in the interest -excited by the service-officers that, for a time, I could attend -to nothing else--I could have worshipped the different relics that -adorned their barrack-rooms--the pistol or the dagger of some gaunt -Spanish robber--a string of beads from the Virgin Mary of some village -chapel--or the brazen helmet of some French dragoon, taken from his -head after it had parted company with his shoulders, and with what a -greedy ear did I swallow the stories of their hair-breadth 'scapes and -imminent perils, and long for the time when I should be able to make -such relics and such tales mine own. Fate has since been propitious, -and enabled me to spin as long a yarn as most folks, but as some of -their original stories still dwell with much interest on my memory, -I shall quote one or two of them, in the hope that they may not prove -less so to my readers, for I am not aware that they have yet been -published. - - -ANECDOTE THE FIRST. - -Of all the vicissitudes of the late disastrous campaign, I found that -nothing dwelt so interestingly on the remembrance of our officers as -their affair at Calcabellos--partly because it was chiefly a regimental -fight, and partly because they were taken at a disadvantage, and -acquitted themselves becomingly. - -The regiment was formed in front of Calcabellos covering the rear of -the infantry, and on the first appearance of the enemy they had been -ordered to withdraw behind the town. Three parts of them had already -passed the bridge, and the remainder were upon it, or in the act of -filing through the street with the careless confidence which might be -expected from their knowledge that the British cavalry still stood -between them and the enemy; but in an instant our own cavalry, without -the slightest notice, galloped through and over them, and the same -instant saw a French sabre flourishing over the head of every man who -remained beyond the bridge--many were cut down in the streets, and a -great portion of the rear company were taken prisoners. - -The remainder of the regiment, seeing the unexpected attack, quickly -drew off among the vineyards to the right and left of the road, where -they coolly awaited the approaching assault. The dismounted voltigeurs -first swarmed over the river, assailing the riflemen on all sides, -but they were met by a galling fire, which effectually stopped them. -General Colbert next advanced to dislodge them, and passing the -river at the head of his dragoons, he charged furiously up the road; -but, when within a few yards of our men, he was received with such a -deadly fire, that scarcely a Frenchman remained in the saddle, and the -general himself was among the slain. The voltigeurs persevered in -their unsuccessful endeavours to force the post, and a furious fight -continued to be waged, until darkness put an end to it, both sides -having suffered severely. - -Although the principal combat had ceased with the day-light, the -riflemen found that the troubles and the fatigues of twenty-four hours -were yet in their infancy, for they had to remain in the position until -ten at night, to give the rest of the army time to fall back, during -which they had to sustain several fierce assaults, which the enemy -made, with the view of ascertaining whether our army were on the move; -but in every attempt they were gallantly repulsed, and remained in -ignorance on the subject until day-light next morning. Our people had, -in the meantime, been on the move the greater part of the night, and -those only who have done a mile or two of vineyard walking in the dark, -can form an adequate notion of their twenty-four hours work. - -General Colbert (the enemy's hero of the day) was, by all accounts, -(if I may be permitted the expression,) splendid as a man, and not less -so as a soldier. From the commencement of the retreat of our army he -had led the advance, and been conspicuous for his daring: his gallant -bearing had, in fact, excited the admiration of his enemies; but on -this day, the last of his brilliant earthly career, he was mounted on -a white charger, and had been a prominent figure in the attack of our -men in the street the instant before, and it is not, therefore, to be -wondered at if the admiration for the soldier was for a space drowned -in the feeling for the fallen comrades which his bravery had consigned -to death; a rifleman, therefore, of the name of Plunket, exclaiming, -"thou too shalt surely die!" took up an advanced position, for the -purpose of singling him out, and by his hand he no doubt fell. - -Plunket was not less daring in his humble capacity than the great -man he had just brought to the dust. He was a bold, active, athletic -Irishman, and a deadly shot; but the curse of his country was upon -him, and I believe he was finally discharged, without receiving such a -recompense as his merits in the field would otherwise have secured to -him. - - -ANECDOTE THE SECOND. - -In one of the actions in which our regiment was engaged, in covering -the retreat to Corunna, a superior body of the enemy burst upon the -post of a young officer of the name of Uniacke, compelling him to give -way in disorder, and in the short scramble which followed, he very -narrowly escaped being caught by the French officer who had led the -advance,--a short stout fellow, with a cocked hat, and a pair of huge -jack-boots. - -Uniacke was one of the most active men in the army, and being speedily -joined by his supporting body, which turned the tables upon his -adversary, he resolved to give his _friend_ a sweat in return for the -one he had got, and started after him, with little doubt, from his -appearance and equipment, that he would have him by the neck before he -had got many yards further; but, to his no small mortification, the -stout gentleman plied his seven-league boots so cleverly that Uniacke -was unable to gain an inch upon him. - - -ANECDOTE THE THIRD. - -At Astorga, a ludicrous alarm was occasioned by the frolic of an -officer; though it might have led to more serious results. - -The regiment was quartered in a convent, and the officers and the -friars were promiscuously bundled for the night on mattresses laid in -one of the galleries; when, about midnight, Captain ---- awaking, and -seeing the back of one of the Padres looking him full in the face, -from under the bed-clothes, as if inviting the slap of a fist, he, -acting on the impulse of the moment, jumped up, and with a hand as -broad as a coal-shovel, and quite as hard, made it descend on the -bottom of the astounded sleeper with the force of a paviour, and then -stole back to his couch. The Padre roared a hundred murders, and murder -was roared by a hundred Padres, while the other officers, starting up -in astonishment, drew their swords and began grappling with whoever -happened to be near them. The uproar, fortunately, brought some of the -attendants with lights before any mischief happened, when the cause of -the disturbance was traced, to the no small amusement of every one. -The offender tried hard to convince the afflicted father that he had -been under the influence of a dream; but the four fingers and the thumb -remained too legibly written on the offended spot to permit him to -swallow it. - - -ANECDOTE THE FOURTH. - -When the straggling and the disorders of the army on the retreat to -Corunna became so serious as to demand an example, Sir Edward Paget, -who commanded the reserve, caused two of the plunderers to be tried by -a court-martial, and they were sentenced to suffer death. The troops -were ordered to parade in front of the town, to witness the execution, -but, while in the act of assembling, a dragoon came galloping in -from the front to inform Sir Edward by desire of his brother (Lord -Paget), that the enemy were on the move, and that it was time for -the infantry to retire. Sir Edward, however, took no notice of the -message. The troops assembled, and the square was formed, when a second -dragoon arrived, to say that the enemy were advancing so rapidly that -if Sir Edward did not immediately retire, his lordship could not be -answerable for the consequences. Sir Edward, with his usual coolness -and determination, said he cared not, for he had a duty to perform, -and were the enemy firing into the square, that he would persevere -with it. Dragoon after dragoon, in rapid succession, galloped in with -a repetition of the message; still the preparations went on, and by -the time they were completed, (and it wanted but the word of command to -launch the culprits into eternity,) the clang of the carabines of the -retreating dragoons was heard all around. - -In the breast of Sir Edward, it is probable, that the door of mercy -never had been closed, and that he had only waited until the last -possible moment to make it the more impressive; and impressive truly -it must have been; nor is it easy to imagine such a moment; for, -independently of the solemn and desolate feeling with which one at all -times witnesses the execution of a comrade, let his offence be what it -may, they had an additional intensity on this occasion, on the score of -their own safety; for, brief as the span seemed to be that was allotted -to the culprits, the clang of the carabine, and the whistling ball, -told that it was possible to be even still more brief on the parts of -many of the spectators. - -Sir Edward, however, now addressed the troops, with a degree of -coolness which would argue that danger and he had been long familiar. -He pointed out the enormity of the offence of which the culprits had -been guilty, that they deserved not to be saved, and that though the -enemy were now upon them, and might lay half their number dead while -witnessing the execution, that only one thing would save them, and that -was, "would the troops now present pledge themselves that this should -be the last instance of insubordination that would occur in the course -of the retreat?" A simultaneous "Yes," burst from the lips of the -assembled thousands, and the next instant saw the necessary measures -taken to check the advancing foe, while the remainder resumed their -retreat, lightened of a load of care, which a few minutes before had -been almost intolerable. - -The conduct of these regiments, as compared with others, was very -exemplary during the retreat, although their duty, in protecting the -stragglers of the army till the last possible moment, was of the most -harassing kind. They had no means of punishing those to whom they were -indebted for their extra trouble, but by depriving them of their -ill-gotten gains, so that whenever a fellow came in with a bag of flour -under his arm, (which was no uncommon occurrence,) they made it a -rule to empty the bag over his head, to make him a marked man. Napier -says of them, that "for twelve days these hardy soldiers covered the -retreat, during which time they had traversed eighty miles of road -in two marches, passed several nights under arms in the snow of the -mountains, were seven times engaged with the enemy, and now assembled -at the outposts (before Corunna), having fewer men missing from the -ranks, including those who had fallen in battle, than any other -division in the army."[A] - - [A] The foregoing story, I find, has just made its - appearance in a volume published by Lieutenant-Colonel - Cadell; but as this narrative was publicly noticed, as - being in preparation, prior to the publication of his, - I have not thought it necessary to expunge it. - -I shall now, with the reader's permission, resume the thread of my -narrative. - - - - -CHAP. III. - - An old one takes to his heels, leaving a young one in - arms.--The dessert does not always follow the last course of--a - goose.--Goes to the war, and ends in love. - - -In those days, the life of a soldier was a stirring and an active one. -I had not joined the regiment above a fortnight when the 1st battalion -received orders for immediate active service, and General Graham was -to make his appearance on the morrow, to inspect them prior to their -embarkation. Every man destined for service was to appear in the ranks, -and as my turn had not yet come, I was ordered, the previous evening, -to commence my career as a rifleman, in charge of the guard; and a most -unhappy _debut_ I made of it, and one that argued but little in behalf -of my chances of future fame in the profession. - -My guard was composed of the Lord knows who, for, excepting on the back -of the sergeant, I remember that there was not a rag of uniform amongst -them. I was too anxious to forget all about them to think of informing -myself afterwards; but, from what I have since seen, I am satisfied -that they must either have been a recent importation from "the first -gem of the sea," or they had been furnished for the occasion by the -governor of Newgate;--however, be that as it may, I had some ten or a -dozen prisoners handed over to me; and as my eye was not sufficiently -practised to distinguish, in such a group, which was the soldier and -which the prisoner, I very discreetly left the whole affair to the -sergeant, who seemed to be a man of _nous_. But while I was dozing on -the guard-bed, about midnight, I was startled by a scramble in the -soldier's room, and the cry of "guard, turn out;" and, on running out -to ascertain the cause, the sergeant told me that the light in the -guard-house had been purposely upset by some one, and, suspecting -that a trick was intended, he had turned out the guard; and truly his -suspicions were well-grounded, although he took an erroneous method -of counteracting it; for, the sentry over the door, not being a much -shrewder fellow than myself in distinguishing characters in the dark, -in suffering the guard to turn out, had allowed some of the prisoners -to turn out too, and, amongst the rest, one who had been reserved for -an especial example of some sort or other, and whose absence was likely -to make a noise in the neighbourhood. - -This was certainly information enough to furnish me with food for -reflection for the remainder of the night, and, as if to enhance its -_agreeable_ nature, the sergeant-major paid me a visit at daylight in -the morning, and informed me that such things did sometimes happen;--he -enumerated several cases of the kind in different regiments, and left -me with the consolatory piece of information that the officer of -the guard had on each occasion been _allowed_ to retire without a -court-martial!!! My readers, I am sure, will rejoice with me that in -this, as in other cases, there is no rule without an exception, for -otherwise they would never have had the pleasure of reading a book of -mine. - -How I had the good fortune to be excepted on that occasion I never -found out; probably, in the hurry and bustle of preparation it was -overlooked,--or, probably, because they hoped better things of me -thereafter,--but my commanding officer never noticed it, and his -kindness in so doing put me more on the alert for the future than if he -had written a volume of censure. - -Among the other novelties of the aforesaid guard-house on that -memorable night, I got acquainted with a very worthy goose, whose -services in the Rifle Brigade well merit a chapter in its history. If -any one imagines that a goose is a goose he is very much mistaken: and -I am happy in having the power of undeceiving him, for I am about to -show that my (or rather our regimental) goose was shrewd, active, and -intelligent, it was a faithful public servant, a social companion, -and an attached friend, (I wish that every biped could say but half so -much). Its death, or its manner of departure from this world, is still -clouded in mystery; but while my book lives, the goose's memory shall -not die. - -It had attached itself to the guard-house several years prior to -my appearance there, and all its doings had been as steady as a -sentry-box: its post was with the sentry over the guard; in fine -weather it accompanied him in his walk, and in bad, it stood alongside -of him in his box. It marched with the officer of the guard in all -his visiting rounds, and it was the first on all occasions to give -notice of the approach of any one in authority, keeping a particularly -sharp look-out for the captain and field-officer of the day, whether -by day or night. The guard might sleep, the sentry might sleep, but -the goose was ever wide awake. It never considered itself relieved -from duty, except during the breakfast and dinner-hours, when it -invariably stepped into the guard-house, and partook of the soldiers' -cheer, for they were so devotedly attached to it that it was at all -times bountifully supplied, and it was not a little amusing, on those -occasions, to see how the fellow cackled whenever the soldiers laughed, -as if it understood and enjoyed the joke as much as they did. - -I did not see Moore's Almanack for 1812, and, therefore, know not -whether he predicted that Michaelmas would be fatal to many of the -tribe that year; but I never saw a comrade more universally lamented -than the poor goose was when the news of its mysterious disappearance -reached us in Spain. - -Our comrades at home, as a last proof of their affection, very -magnanimously offered a reward of ten pounds for the recovery of the -body, dead or alive; but whether it filled a respectable position in -a banquet of that year, or still lives to bother the decayed tooth of -some elderly maiden, at Michaelmas next, remains to be solved. - -On the 24th of March, 1809, our first battalion received orders to -march at midnight for Dover, there to be united with the 43d and 52d -regiments, as a light brigade, under Major-General Robert Crawfurd, -and to embark next morning to join the army which was then assembling -in the Peninsula. - -In marching for embarkation in those stirring times, the feeling -of the troops partook more of the nature of a ship's crew about to -sail on a roving commission, than a land-crab expedition which was -likely to prove eternal; for although one did occasionally see some -blubber-headed fellow mourning over his severed affections for a day or -two, yet a thorough-going one just gave a kiss to his wife, if he had -one, and two to his sweetheart, if he had not, and away he went with a -song in his mouth. - -I now joined the 2d battalion, where we were not permitted to rest -long on our oars, for, within a month, we were called upon to join the -expedition with which - - "The Great Earl of Chatham, and a hundred thousand men, - Sailed over to Holland, and then sailed back again." - -As the military operations of that expedition do not entitle them to a -place in such an important history as mine is, I shall pass them over, -simply remarking that some of our companies fired a few professional -shots, and some of our people got professionally shot, while a great -many more visited Death by the doctor's road, and almost all who -visited him not, got uncommonly well shaken. - -South Beeveland ultimately became our head-quarters. It is a fine -island, and very fertile, yielding about forty bushels of frogs an -acre, and tadpoles enough to fence it with. We were there under the -command of General W. Stewart, whose active mind, continually in search -of improvement, led him to try (in imitation of some foreign customs) -to saddle the backs of the officers with knapsacks, by way of adding to -their comfort; for he proved to demonstration that if an officer had a -clean shirt in his knapsack on his back, that he might have it to put -on at the end of his day's march; whereas, if he had it not on his own -back, it might be left too far back to be of use to him when wanted. - -This was a fact not to be disputed, but so wedded were we to ancient -prejudices that we remained convinced that the shirt actually in wear, -with all its additions at the end of an extra day or two, must still -weigh less than the knapsack with a shirt in it; and upon those grounds -we made a successful kick, and threw them off, not, however, until an -experimental field-day had been ordered to establish them. The order -required that each officer should parade in a knapsack, or something -answering the same purpose, and it was amusing enough to see the -expedients resorted to, to evade, without committing a direct breach of -it. I remember that my apology for one on that occasion was slinging an -empty black oil-skin haversack knapsack-ways, which looked so much like -a newly-lanced blister on my back that it made both the vraws and the -frogs stare. The attempt was never repeated. - -What a singular change did a short residence in that pestiferous place -work in the appearance of our army! It was with our regiment as with -others; one month saw us embark a thousand men at Deal, in the highest -health and spirits, and the next month saw us land, at the same place, -with about seven hundred men, carrying to hospital, or staggering under -disease. - -I cannot shake off that celebrated Walcheren fever without mentioning -what may or may not be a peculiarity in it;--that a brother-officer -and I experienced a return of it within a day of each other, after a -lapse of five years, and again, within a week, after the lapse of the -following three years. - -As my heart had embarked for the Peninsula with the 1st battalion, -although my body (for the reasons given) remained behind for a year, -I shall, with the reader's permission, follow the first, as being in -the more interesting position of the two; and although, under these -circumstances, I am not permitted to speak in the first person singular -until the two shall be again united, yet whatever I do speak of I have -heard so often and so well authenticated, that I am enabled to give it -with the same confidence as if I had been an eye-witness. - - -"A LAY OF LOVE FOR LADY BRIGHT." - -Lisbon was doubtless as rich in abominations now as it was a year -after, without any other redeeming virtue, which is a very ugly -commencement to a tale of love; but having landed my reader a second -time at the same place, I am anxious to relieve him from the fear of -being treated to a second edition of the same story, and to assure him -that my head-piece has been some time charged with fresh ammunition and -I mean to discharge it now, to prevent its getting rusty. I intend to -fight those battles only that I never fought before, galloping over the -ground lightly, and merely halting to give a little of my conversation, -such as it is, whenever I have anything new to tell; and as I have -no idea of enduring the fatigues of the march to Talavera, nor the -pleasures of fattening on the dinners of chopped straw which followed -it, I shall leave my regiment to its fate until its return to the north -of Portugal, and take advantage of the repose it affords to make my -editorial bow with all due deference to my fair and lovely readers, -to express my joy that I have been once more enabled to put myself in -communion with them, and to assure them of my continued unbounded love -and admiration, for I feel and have ever felt that the man who gave -frailty the name of woman was a blockhead, and must have been smarting -under some unsuccessful bit of the tender, for I have met her in the -bower and in the battle, and have ever found her alike admirable in -both! That old fool Shakspeare, too, having only a man's courage to -meet a sprite with! Had he but told Macbeth to dare as woman dared, he -would have seen the ghost of Banquo vanish into the witches' kettle in -the twinkling of a wheelbarrow; for although I have never seen a woman -kick the bucket, I have certainly seen her kick every thing else, and -in fact there is nothing in the heroics that I have not seen her do. -See her again when she descends into herself, and it is very odd if I -have not seen her there too! for no man has ever been so often or so -deep in love as I have--my poor heart has been lacerated, torn, and -finally scorched until it is withered up like a roasted potato with -scarcely the size of a kiss left. - -How it was that I did not find myself dangling at a door-post by the -end of a silk handkerchief some odd morning is to me astonishing, but -here I am, living and loving still as fondly as ever. Prudence at this -moment whispers that I have said enough for the present, for if I go -on making love so fiercely thus early in the day, I shall be forced -to marry the whole sex and bring my book to a premature conclusion, -for which posterity would never forgive me. I must therefore for the -present take a most reluctant leave, with a promise of renewing my -courtship from time to time as opportunities offer, if they will but -good-naturedly follow me through the various scenes into which I am -about to conduct them; and while I do my best to amuse them by the -way, should I unintentionally dive so deeply into the pathetic as to -beguile them of a tear, let me recommend them to wipe it away, for it -is only their smiles I court. - -While on the way to join the light division on the northern frontier, -I shall take the opportunity of introducing the reader to their -celebrated commander, the late Major-General Robert Crawfurd, an -officer who, for a length of time, was better known than liked, but -like many a gem of purer ray his value was scarcely known until lost. - - - - -CHAP. IV. - - Shewing how generals may descend upon particulars with a - cat-o'-nine tails. Some extra Tales added. Historical, Comical, - and Warlike all. - - -Crawfurd was no common character. He, like a gallant cotemporary -of his, was not born to be a great general, but he certainly was a -distinguished one,--the history of his division and the position -which he held beyond the Coa in 1810, attest the fact. He had neither -judgement, temper, nor discretion to fit him for a chief, and as a -subordinate he required to be held with a tight rein, but his talents -as a general of division were nevertheless of the first order. He -received the three British regiments under his command, finished by -the hands of a master in the art, Sir John Moore, and, as regiments, -they were faultless; but to Crawfurd belonged the chief merit of making -them the war brigade which they became, alike the admiration of their -friends and foes. How he made them so I am about to show, but how such -another is to be made now that his system has fallen into disrepute, -will be for futurity to determine. - -I think I see a regiment of those writers who are just now taking -the cat by the tail, parading for a day's march under that immortal -chief--that he furnishes them with an ink-bottle for a canteen, fills -their knapsacks with foolscap, their mouths with mouldy biscuit, and -starts them off with sloped pens. They go along with the buoyancy of -a corps of reporters reconnoitring for a memorandum, and they very -quickly catch one and a Tartar to the bargain, for the monotony of the -road is relieved by the crossing of a fine broad stream, and over the -stream is a very fine plank to preserve the polish of Warren's jet on -the feet of the pedestrian--they all jump gaily towards the plank, but -they are pulled up by a grim gentleman with a drawn sword, who, with a -voice of thunder, desires them to keep their ranks and march through -the stream. Well! this is all mighty pleasant, but now that they are up -to their middles in the water, there surely can be no harm in stopping -half a minute to lave a few handfuls of it into their parched mouths. -I think I see the astonishment of their editorial nerves when they -find a dozen lashes well bestowed _a posteriori_ upon each, by way of -their further refreshment and clearing off scores for that portion of -the day's work (for the General was a man who gave no credit on those -occasions). He had borrowed a leaf from the history of the land-crabs, -and suffered neither mire nor water to disturb the order of his march -with impunity. - -Now I daresay he would have had to flog an editor a dozen times before -he had satisfied him that it was to his advantage; but a soldier is -open to conviction, and such was the manner of making one of the finest -and most effective divisions that that or any other army ever saw. - -Where soldiers are to be ruled, there is more logic in nine tails of a -cat than in the mouths of a hundred orators; it requires very little -argument to prove, and I'll defy the most eloquent preacher, (with the -unknown tongue to boot,) to persuade a regiment to ford a river where -there is a bridge to conduct them over dry-shod, or to prevent them -drinking when they are in that river if they happen to feel thirsty, -let him promise them what he will as a reward for their obedience. It -is like preaching to his own flock on the subject of their eternal -welfare (and I make the comparison with all due reverence); they -would all gladly arrive at the end he aims at, but at the same time -how few will take the necessary steps to do so, and how many prefer -their momentary present enjoyment? So it was with the soldiers, but -with this difference, that Crawfurd's cat forced them to take the -right road whether they would or no, and the experiment once made -carried conviction with it, that the comfort of every individual -in the division materially depended on the rigid exaction of his -orders, for he shewed that on every ordinary march he made it a rule -to halt for a few minutes every third or fourth mile, (dependent on -the vicinity of water,) that every soldier carried a canteen capable -of containing two quarts, and that if he only took the trouble to -fill it before starting, and again, if necessary, at every halt, it -contained more than he would or ought to drink in the interim; and that -therefore every pause he made in a river for the purpose of drinking -was disorderly, because a man stopping to drink delayed the one behind -him proportionately longer, and so on progressively to the rear of the -column. - -In like manner the filing past dirty or marshy parts of the road in -place of marching boldly through them or filing over a plank or narrow -bridge in place of taking the river with the full front of their column -in march, he proved to demonstration on true mathematical principles, -that with the numbers of those obstacles usually encountered on a -day's march, it made a difference of several hours in their arrival at -their bivouac for the night. That in indulging by the way, they were -that much longer labouring under their load of arms, ammunition, and -necessaries, besides bringing them to their bivouac in darkness and -discomfort; it very likely, too, got them thoroughly drenched with -rain, when the sole cause of their delay had been to avoid a partial -wetting, which would have been long since dried while seated at ease -around their camp-fires; and if this does not redeem Crawfurd and his -cat, I give it up. - -The general and his divisional code, as already hinted at, was at first -much disliked; probably, he enforced it, in the first instance, with -unnecessary severity, and it was long before those under him could rid -themselves of that feeling of oppression which it had inculcated upon -their minds. It is due, however, to the memory of the gallant general -to say that punishment for those disorders was rarely necessary after -the first campaign; for the system, once established, went on like -clock-work, and the soldiers latterly became devotedly attached to him; -for while he exacted from them the most rigid obedience, he was, on -his own part, keenly alive to every thing they had a right to expect -from him in return, and woe befel the commissary who failed to give a -satisfactory reason for any deficiencies in his issues. It is stated -that one of them went to the commander-in-chief to complain that he had -been unable to procure bread for the light division, and that General -Crawfurd had threatened that if they were not supplied within a given -time, he would put him in the guard-house. "Did he?" said his lordship; -"then I would recommend you to find the bread, for if he said so, by -----, he'll do it!" - -Having in this chapter flogged every man who had any shadow of claim to -such a distinction, I shall now proceed and place myself along with my -regiment to see that they prove themselves worthy of the _pains_ taken -in their instruction. - -From the position which the light division then held, their commander -must have been fully satisfied in his own mind that their military -education had not been neglected, for _certes_ it required every man -to be furnished with a clear head, a bold heart, and a clean pair of -heels--all three being liable to be put in requisition at any hour by -day or night. It was no place for reefing topsails and making all snug, -but one which required the crew to be constantly at quarters; for, -unlike their nautical brethren, the nearer a soldier's shoulders are to -the rocks the less liable he is to be wrecked--and there they had more -than enough of play in occupying a front of twenty-five miles with that -small division and some cavalry. The chief of the 1st German hussars -meeting our commandant one morning, "Well, Colonel," says the gallant -German in broken English, "how you do?" "O, tolerably well, thank you, -considering that I am obliged to sleep with one eye open." "By Gott," -says the other, "I never sleeps at all." - -Colonel Beckwith at this time held the pass of Barba del Puerco with -four companies of the Rifles, and very soon experienced the advantage -of having an eye alive, for he had some active neighbours on the -opposite side of the river who had determined to beat up his quarters -by way of ascertaining the fact. - -The _Padrè_ of the village, it appeared, was a sort of vicar of Bray, -who gave information to both sides so long as accounts remained pretty -equally balanced between them, but when the advance of the French -army for the subjugation of Portugal became a matter of certainty, he -immediately chose that which seemed to be the strongest, and it was not -ours. - -The _Padrè_ was a famous hand over a glass of grog, and where -amusements were so scarce, it was good fun for our youngsters to make a -_Padrè_ glorious, which they took every opportunity of doing; and as is -not unusual with persons in that state, (laymen as well as _Padrès_,) -he invariably fancied himself the only sober man of the party, so that -the report was conscientiously given when he went over to the French -General Ferey, who commanded the division opposite, and staked his -reputation as a _Padrè_, that the English officers in his village were -in the habit of getting blind drunk every night, and that he had only -to march over at midnight to secure them almost without resistance. - -Ferey was a bold enterprising soldier, (I saw his body in death after -the battle of Salamanca); he knew to a man the force of the English -in the village, and probably did not look upon the attempt as very -desperate were they even at their posts ready to receive him; but -as the chances seemed to be in favour of every enemy's head being -"nailed to his pillow," the opportunity was not to be resisted, and -accordingly, at midnight on the 19th of March, he assembled his force -silently at the end of the bridge. The shadows of the rocks which -the rising moon had just cast over the place prevented their being -seen, and the continuous roar of the mountain torrent, which divided -them, prevented their being heard even by our double sentry posted -at the other end of the bridge within a few yards of them. Leaving a -powerful support to cover his retreat in the event of a reverse, Ferey -at the head of six hundred chosen grenadiers burst forth so silently -and suddenly, that, of our double sentry on the bridge, the one was -taken and the other bayonetted without being able to fire off their -pieces. A sergeant's party higher up among the rocks had just time to -fire off as an alarm, and even the remainder of the company on picquet -under O'Hare had barely time to jump up and snatch their rifles when -the enemy were among them. O'Hare's men, however, though borne back -and unable to stop them for an instant, behaved nobly, retiring in -a continued hand-to-hand personal encounter with their foes to the -top of the pass, when the remaining companies under Sidney Beckwith -having just started from their sleep, rushed forward to their support, -and with a thundering discharge, tumbled the attacking column into -the ravine below, where, passing the bridge under cover of the fire -of their supporting body, they resumed their former position, minus -a considerable number of their best and bravest. The colonel, while -urging the fight, observed a Frenchman within a yard or two, taking -deliberate aim at his head. Stooping suddenly down and picking up a -stone, he immediately shyed it at him, calling him at the same time -a "scoundrel, to get out of that." It so far distracted the fellow's -attention that while the gallant Beckwith's cap was blown to atoms, the -head remained untouched. - -The whole concern was but the affair of a few minutes, but we -nevertheless looked upon it as no inconsiderable addition to our -regimental feather, for the appointed alarm post of one of the -companies had carried it to a place where it happened that they were -not wanted, so that there were but three companies actually engaged; -and therefore with something less than half their numbers they had -beaten off six hundred of the _élite_ of the French army. But our chief -pride arose from its being the first and last night-attempt which the -enemy ever made to surprise a British post in that army. - -Of the worthy pastor I never heard more--I know not whether the bold -Ferey paid the price of the information he had brought, in gold, or -with an ounce of lead; but certain it is that his flock were without -ghostly consolation during the remainder of our sojourn--not that it -was much sought after at that particular time, for the village damsels -had already begun running up a score of _peccadillos_, and it was of -little use attempting to wipe it out until the final departure of their -heretical visitors. - -Among the wounded who were left on the field by the enemy, there was a -French sergeant whom I have often heard our officers speak of with much -admiration--he was a fine handsome young fellow, alike romantic in his -bravery, and in devotion to his emperor and his country--he had come -on with the determination to conquer or to die, and having failed in -the first, he seemed resolved not to be balked in the other, which a -ball through a bad part of the thigh had placed him in the high road -for, and he, therefore, resisted every attempt to save him, with the -utmost indignation, claiming it as a matter of right to be allowed to -die on the field where he had fallen. Our good, honest, rough diamonds, -however, who were employed in collecting the wounded, were equally -determined that the point in dispute should only be settled between him -and the doctor in the proper place, and accordingly they shouldered him -off to the hospital whether he would or no. But even there he continued -as untameable as a hyena--his limb was in such a state that nothing but -amputation could save his life--yet nothing would induce him to consent -to it--he had courage to endure any thing, but nothing could reconcile -him to receive any thing but blows from his enemies. I forget how, or -in what way, the amputation of the limb was at length accomplished. To -the best of my recollection death had already laid a hand upon him, -and it was done while he was in a state of insensibility. But be that -as it may, it was done, and the danger and the fit of heroics having -travelled with the departed limb, he lived to thank his preservers -for the brotherly kindness he had experienced at their hands, and -took a grateful and affectionate farewell of them when his health was -sufficiently restored to permit his being removed to the care of his -countrymen. - -Shortly after this affair at Barba del Puerco the French army under -Massena came down upon Ciudad Rodrigo, preparatory to the invasion of -Portugal, and obliged the light division to take up a more concentrated -position. - -It is not my intention to take notice of the movements of the army -further than is necessary to illustrate the anecdotes I relate; but -I cannot, on this occasion, resist borrowing a leaf out of Napier's -admirable work, to shew the remarkable state of discipline which those -troops had been brought to--for while I have no small portion of -personal vanity to gratify in recording the fact of my having been for -many years after an associate in all the enterprises of that gallant -band, I consider it more particularly a duty which every military -writer owes to posterity, (be his pretensions great or humble,) to shew -what may be effected in that profession by diligence and perseverance. - -The light division, and the cavalry attached to it, was at this period -so far in advance of every other part of the army that their safety -depended on themselves alone, for they were altogether beyond the reach -of human aid--their force consisted of about four thousand infantry, -twelve hundred cavalry, and a brigade of horse artillery--and yet -with this small force did Crawfurd, trusting to his own admirable -arrangements, and the surprising discipline of his troops, maintain -a position which was no position, for three months, within an hour's -march of six thousand horsemen, and two hours' march from sixty -thousand infantry, of a brave, experienced, and enterprising enemy, who -was advancing in the confidence of certain victory. - -Napier says, "His situation demanded a quickness and intelligence in -the troops, the like of which has seldom been known. Seven minutes -sufficed for the division to get under arms in the middle of the -night, and a quarter of an hour, night or day, to bring it in order of -battle to the alarm posts, with the baggage loaded and assembled at a -convenient distance in the rear. And this not upon a concerted signal, -or as a trial, but at all times, and certain!" - - "In peace love tunes the shepherd's reed; - In war he mounts the warrior's steed." - -And thus, in humble imitation of her master-man, did Mother Coleman, -one fine morning, mount her donkey, and join her French lover to war -against her lord. - -While the troops of the light division, as already noticed, were -strutting about with the consciousness of surpassing excellence, -menacing and insulting a foe for which their persons' knapsacks and all -would barely have sufficed for a luncheon--a dish of mortification was -served up for those of our corps, by the hands of their better half, -which was not easy of digestion. To speak of the wife of a regiment -is so very unusual as to imply that she must have been some very -great personage--and without depriving her of the advantage of such a -magnificent idea, I shall only say that she was the only wife they had -got--for they landed at Lisbon with eleven hundred men and only one -woman. - -By what particular virtues she had attained such a dignified position -among them, I never clearly made out, further than that she had arrived -at years of discretion, was what is commonly called a useful woman, and -had seen some service. She was the wife of a sturdy German, who plyed -in the art of shoemaking, whenever his duties in the field permitted -him to resort to that species of amusement, so that it appeared that -she had beauty enough to captivate a cobbler, she had money enough -to command the services of a jackass, and finally she proved she -had wit enough to sell us all, which she did the first favourable -opportunity--for, after plying for some months at the tail of her -donkey at the tail of the regiment, and fishing in all the loose -dollars which were floating about in gentlemen's pockets, (by those -winning ways which ladies know so well how to use when such favourable -opportunities offer,) she finally bolted off to the enemy, bag and -baggage, carrying away old Coleman's all and awl. - -It was one of those French leave-takings which man is heir to, but we -eventually got over it, under the deepest obligation all the time for -the sympathy manifested by our friends of the 43d and 52d. - -The movements of the enemy were at length unshackled by the fall of -Ciudad Rodrigo, after a desperate defence, which gave immortal glory to -its old governor Herrasti, and his brave Spanish garrison--and although -it may appear that I am saying one word in honour of the Spaniards -for the purpose of giving two to the British, yet my feelings are too -national to permit me to pass over a fact which redounds so much to -the glory of our military history--namely, that in this, the year -1810, the French were six weeks in wresting from the Spaniards the same -fortress which we, in the year 1812, carried, with fire and sword, out -of the hands of the French in eleven days! - -Now that the enemy's movements were unshackled, the cloud, which for -months had been gathering over Portugal, began to burst--and, sharp as -Crawfurd and his division looked before, it now behoved them to look -somewhat sharper. Had he acted in conformity with his instructions, -he had long ere this been behind the Coa, but deeply enamoured of his -separate command as ever youth was of his mistress, he seemed resolved -that nothing but force should part them; and having gradually given -ground, as necessity compelled, the 23d of July found him with his -back on the river, and his left resting on the fortress of Almeida, -determined to abide a battle, with about five thousand men of all arms -to oppose the whole French army. - -I shall leave to abler pens the description of the action that -followed, and which (as might have been foreseen, while it was highly -honourable to the officers and troops engaged) ended in their being -driven across the Coa with a severe loss. My business is with a youth -who had the day before joined the division. The history of his next -day's adventure has beguiled me of many a hearty laugh, and although -I despair of being able to communicate it to my readers with any -thing like the humour with which I received it from an amiable and -gallant friend, yet I cannot resist giving it such as it rests on my -remembrance. - -Mr. Rogers, as already stated, had, the day before, arrived from -England, as an officer of one of the civil departments attached to the -light division, and as might be expected on finding himself all at -once up with the outposts of the army, he was full of curiosity and -excitement. Equipped in a huge cocked hat, and a hermaphrodite sort -of scarlet coat, half military and half civil, he was dancing about -with his budget of inquiries, when chance threw him in the way of the -gallant and lamented Jock Mac Culloch, at the time a lieutenant in the -Rifles, and who was in the act of marching off a company to relieve one -of the picquets for the night. - -Mac Culloch, full of humour, seeing the curiosity of the fresh arrival, -said, "Come, Rogers, my boy, come along with me, you shall share my -beefsteak, you shall share my boat-cloak, and it will go hard with me -but you shall see a Frenchman, too, before we part in the morning." - -The invitation was not to be resisted, and away went Rogers on the spur -of the moment. - -The night turned out a regular Tam o'Shanter's night, or, if the reader -pleases, a Wellington night, for it is a singular fact that almost -every one of his battles was preceded by such a night;--the thunder -rolled, the lightning flashed, and all the fire-engines in the world -seemed playing upon the lightning, and the devoted heads of those -exposed to it. It was a sort of night that was well calculated to be -a damper to a bolder spirit than the one whose story I am relating; -but he, nevertheless, sheltered himself as he best could, under the -veteran's cloak, and put as good a face upon it as circumstances would -permit. - -As usual, an hour before day-break, Mac Culloch, resigning the -boat-cloak to his dosing companion, stood to his arms, to be ready for -whatever changes daylight might have in store for him: nor had he to -wait long, for day had just begun to dawn when the sharp crack from -the rifle of one of the advanced sentries announced the approach of -the enemy, and he had just time to counsel his terrified bedfellow -to make the best of his way back to the division, while he himself -awaited to do battle. Nor had he much time for preparation, for, as -Napier says, "Ney, seeing Crawfurd's false dispositions, came down -upon them with the stoop of an eagle. Four thousand horsemen, and a -powerful artillery, swept the plain, and Loison's division coming up -at a charging pace, made towards the centre and left of the position." -Mac Culloch, almost instantly, received several bad sabre wounds, and, -with five-and-twenty of his men, was taken prisoner. - -Rogers, it may be believed, lost no time in following the salutary -counsel he had received with as clever a pair of heels as he could -muster. The enemy's artillery had by this time opened, and, as the -devil would have it, the cannon-balls were travelling the same road, -and tearing up the ground on each side of him almost as regularly as -if it had been a ploughing match. Poor Rogers was thus placed in a -situation which fully justified him in thinking, as most young soldiers -do, that every ball was aimed at himself. He was half distracted; it -was certain death to stop where he was, neither flank offered him the -smallest shelter, and he had not wind enough left in his bellows to -clear the tenth part of the space between him and comparative safety; -but, where life is at stake, the imagination is fertile, and it -immediately occurred to him that by dowsing the cocked hat he would -make himself a less conspicuous object; clapping it, accordingly -under his arm, he continued his frightful career, with the feelings -of a maniac and the politeness of a courtier, for to every missile -that passed he bowed as low as his racing attitude would permit, in -ignorance that the danger had passed along with it, performing, to all -appearance, a continued rotatory sort of evolution, as if the sails of -a windmill had parted from the building, and continued their course -across the plain, to the utter astonishment of all who saw him. At -length, when exhausted nature could not have carried him twenty yards -further, he found himself among some skirmishers of the 3d Caçadores, -and within a few yards of a rocky ridge, rising out of the ground, the -rear of which seemed to offer him the long-hoped-for opportunity of -recovering his wind, and he sheltered himself accordingly. - -This happened to be the first occasion in which the Caçadores had been -under fire; they had the highest respect for the bravery of their -British officers, and had willingly followed where their colonel had -led; but having followed him into the field, they did not see why -they should not follow another out of it, and when they saw a red coat -take post behind a rock, they all immediately rushed to take advantage -of the same cover. Poor Rogers had not, therefore, drawn his first -breath when he found himself surrounded by these Portuguese warriors, -nor had he drawn a second before their colonel (Sir George Elder) rode -furiously at him with his drawn sword, exclaiming "who are you, you -scoundrel, in the uniform of a British officer, setting an example of -cowardice to my men? get out of that instantly, or I'll cut you down!" - -Rogers's case was desperate--he had no breath left to explain that he -had no pretensions to the honour of being an officer, for he would have -been cut down in the act of attempting it: he was, therefore, once -more forced to start for another heat with the round shot, and, like a -hunted devil, got across the bridge, he knew not how; but he was helm -up for England the same day, and the army never saw him more. - -General Crawfurd's conduct in the affair alluded to, would argue that -his usual soldier-like wits had gone a wool-gathering for the time -being--he had, in fact, like a moth, been fluttering so long with -impunity around a consuming power that he had at length lost all sense -of the danger. But even then it is impossible to conceive upon what -principle he took up the position he did--for, in the first place, it -was in direct defiance of Lord Wellington's orders; and had the river -behind him been flowing with milk and honey, or had the rugged bank on -which he was posted been built of loaves and fishes, it would scarcely -have justified him in running the risk he did to preserve the sweets; -but as the one was flooded with muddy water, and the other only bearing -a crop of common stones, and when we consider, too, that the simple -passing of the river would have made a hundred of his troops equal to a -thousand of the invaders, we must continue lost in wonder. - -It is difficult to imagine, however, that he ever contemplated the -possibility of stopping the French army but for the moment. Confiding, -probably, in the superiority of his troops, he had calculated on -successfully repelling their first attack, and that having thus taught -them the respect that was due to him, he might then have made a -triumphant retreat to the opposite bank, where, for a time, he could -safely have offered them further defiance. - -If such was his object, (and it is the only plausible one I can find,) -he had altogether overlooked that for a man with one pair of arms to -grapple with another who had ten, it must rest with the ten-pair man to -say when the play is over, for although the one-pair man may disable an -equal number in his front, there are still nine pair left to poke him -in the sides and all round about; and thus the general found it; for -having once exposed himself to such overwhelming numbers, there was no -getting out of it but at a large sacrifice--and but for the experience, -the confidence, and the devotion of the different individual battalion -officers, seconded by the gallantry of the soldiers, the division had -been utterly annihilated. Napier, as an eye-witness, states, (what -I have often heard repeated by other officers who were there,) that -"there was no room to array the line, no time for any thing but battle, -every captain carried off his company as an independent body, and -joining as he could with the ninety-fifth or fifty-second, the whole -presented a mass of skirmishers acting in small parties, and under no -regular command, yet each confident in the courage and discipline of -those on his right and left, and all regulating their movements by a -common discretion, and keeping together with surprising vigour." - -The result of the action was a loss on the British portion of the -division of two hundred and seventy-two, including twenty-eight -officers, killed, wounded, and taken. - -It is curious to observe by what singular interpositions of Providence -the lives of individuals are spared. One of our officers happening -to have a pocket-volume of Gil Blas, was in the middle of one of his -interesting stories when the action commenced. Not choosing to throw -it away, he thrust it into the breast of his jacket for want of a -better place, and in the course of the day it received a musket-ball -which had been meant for a more tender subject. The volume was -afterwards, of course, treated as a tried friend. - -Having, in one of the foregoing pages, introduced the name of Mac -Culloch in a prominent part of the action, I must be forgiven for -taking this opportunity of following him to the end of his highly -honourable earthly career. - -John Mac Culloch was from Scotland, (a native, I believe, of -Kirkudbright;) he was young, handsome, athletic, and active; with the -meekness of a lamb, he had the heart of a lion, and was the delight of -every one. At the time I first became acquainted with him he had been -several years in the regiment, and had shared in all the vicissitudes -of the restless life they then led. I brought him under the notice of -the reader in marching off to relieve the advanced picquet on the night -prior to the action of the Coa. - -For the information of those who are unacquainted with military -matters, I may as well mention that the command of an outline picquet -is never an enviable one--it is a situation at all times dangerous and -open to disgrace, but seldom to honour--for come what may, in the event -of an attack spiritedly made, the picquet is almost sure to go to the -wall. From the manner in which the French approached on the occasion -referred to, it may readily be imagined that my gallant friend had but -little chance of escape--it was, therefore, only left to him to do his -duty as an officer under the circumstances in which he was placed. He -gave the alarm, and he gave his visitors as warm a reception as his -fifty rifles could provide for them, while he gallantly endeavoured to -fight his way back to his battalion, but the attempt was hopeless; the -cavalry alone of the enemy ought to have been more than enough to sweep -the whole of the division off the face of the earth--and Mac Culloch's -small party had no chance; they were galloped into, and he, himself, -after being lanced and sabred in many places, was obliged to surrender. - -Mac Culloch refused to give his parole, in the hope of being able -to effect his escape before he reached the French frontier; he was, -therefore, marched along with the men a close prisoner as far as -Valladolid, where fortune, which ever favours the brave, did not fail -him. The escort had found it necessary to halt there for some days, and -Mac Culloch having gained the goodwill of his conductor, was placed in -a private house under proper security, as they thought; but in this -said house there happened to be a young lady, and of what avail are -walls of brass, bolts, bars, or iron doors, when a lady is concerned? -She quickly put herself in communion with the handsome prisoner--made -herself acquainted with his history, name, and country, and as quickly -communicated it, as well as her plans for his escape, to a very worthy -countryman of his, at that time a professor in one of the universities -there. Need I say more than that before many hours had passed over his -head, he found himself equipped in the costume of a Spanish peasant, -the necessary quantity of dollars in his pocket, and a kiss on each -cheek burning hot from the lips of his preserver, on the high road to -rejoin his battalion, where he arrived in due course of time, to the -great joy of every body--Lord Wellington himself was not the least -delighted of the party, and kindly invited him to dine with him that -day, in the _costume_ in which he had arrived. - -Mac Culloch continued to serve with us until Massena's retreat from -Portugal, when, in a skirmish which took place on the evening of the -15th of March, 1811, I, myself, got a crack on the head which laid -me under a tree, with my understanding considerably bothered for the -night, and I was sorry to find, as my next neighbour, poor Mac Culloch, -with an excruciatingly painful and bad wound in the shoulder joint, -which deprived him of the use of one arm for life, and obliged him to -return to England for the recovery of health. - -In the meantime, by the regular course of promotion, he received his -company, which transferred him to the 2d battalion, and, serving with -it at the battle of Waterloo, he lost his sound arm by one of the last -shots that was fired in that bloody field. - -As soon as he had recovered from this last wound he rejoined us in -Paris, and, presenting himself before the Duke of Wellington in his -usual straightforward manly way, said, "Here I am, my Lord; I have -no longer an arm left to wield for my country, but I still wish to -be allowed to serve it as I best can!" The Duke duly appreciated the -diamond before him, and as there were several captains in the regiment -senior to Mac Culloch, his Grace, with due regard to their feelings, -desired the commanding officer to ascertain whether they would not -consider it a cause of complaint if Mac Culloch were recommended for -a brevet majority, as it was out of his power to do it for every one, -and, to the honour of all concerned, there was not a dissentient voice. -He, therefore, succeeded to the brevet, and was afterwards promoted to -a majority, I think, in a veteran battalion. - -He was soon after on a visit in London, living at a hotel, when one -afternoon he was taken suddenly ill; the feeling to him was an unusual -one, and he immediately sent for a physician, and told him that he -cared not for the consequences, but insisted on having his candid -opinion on his case. - -The medical man accordingly told him at once that his case was an -extraordinary one--that he might within an hour or two recover from it, -or within an hour or two he might be no more. - -Mac Culloch, with his usual coolness, gave a few directions as to -the future, and calmly awaited the result, which terminated fatally -within the time predicted--and thus perished, in the prime of life, the -gallant Mac Culloch, who was alike an honour to his country and his -profession. - - - - -CHAP. V. - - The paying of a French compliment, which will be repaid in a - future chapter. A fierce attack upon hairs. A niece compliment, - and lessons gratis to untaught sword-bearers. - - -After the action of the Coa the enemy quickly possessed themselves of -the fortress of Almeida, when there remained nothing between Massena -and his kingdom but the simple article of Lord Wellington's army, of -which he calculated he would be able to superintend the embarkation -within the time requisite for his infantry to march to Lisbon. He -therefore put his legions in motion to pay his distinguished adversary -that last mark of respect. - -The Wellingtonians retired slowly before them shewing their teeth as -often as favourable opportunities offered, and several bitter bites -they gave before they turned at bay--first on the heights of Busaco, -and finally and effectually on those of Torres Vedras. - -The troops of all arms composing the rear guard conducted themselves -admirably throughout the whole of that retreat, for although the enemy -did not press them so much as they might have done, yet they were at -all times in close contact, and many times in actual combat, and it -was impossible to say which was the most distinguished--the splendid -service of the horse artillery, the dashing conduct of the dragoons, or -the unconquerable steadiness and bravery of the infantry. - -It was a sort of military academy which is not open for instruction -every day in the year, nor was it one which every fond mamma would -choose to send her darling boy to, calculated although it was to lead -to _immortal_ honours. A youngster (if he did not stop a bullet by the -way) might commence his studies in such a place with nothing but "the -soft down peeping through the white skin," and be entitled to the -respect due to a beard or a bald head before he saw the end of it. - -It is curious to remark how fashions change and how the change affects -the valour of the man too. The dragoon since the close of the war -has worn all his hair below the head and none on the top it, and how -fiercely he fought in defence of his whiskers the other day when some -of the regiments were ordered to be shaved, as if the debility of -Samson was likely to be the result of the operation. My stars! but I -should be glad to know what the old royal _heavies_ or fourteenth and -sixteenth _lights_ cared about hairs at the period I speak of, when -with their bare faces they went boldly in and bearded muzzles that -seemed fenced with furze bushes; and while it was "damned be he who -first cries hold--enough!" they did hold enough too, sometimes bringing -in every man his bird, mustachoes and all. In those days they seemed -to put more faith in their good right hand than in a cart-load of -whiskers, for with it and their open English countenances they carved -for themselves a name as British dragoons, which they were too proud to -barter for any other. - -Every attempt at rearing a _moustache_ among the British in those days -was treated with sovereign contempt, no matter how aristocratic the -soil on which it was sown. But, to do justice to _every body_, I must -say that, to the best of my recollection, a crop was seldom seen but on -the lips of _nobodies_. - -It was in the course of this retreat, as I mentioned in a former work, -that I first joined Lord Wellington's army, and I remember being -remarkably struck with the order, the confidence, and the daring spirit -which seemed to animate all ranks of those among whom it was my good -fortune to be cast. Their confidence in their illustrious chief was -unbounded, and they seemed to feel satisfied that it only rested with -him any day to say to his opponent, "thus far shalt thou come but no -farther;" and if a doubt on the subject had rested with any one before, -the battle of Busaco removed it, for the Portuguese troops having -succeeded in beating their man, it confirmed them in their own good -opinion, and gave increased confidence to the whole allied army. - -I am now treading on the heels of my former narrative, and although it -did not include the field of Busaco, yet, as I have already stated, -it is foreign to my present purpose to enter into any details of the -actions in which we were engaged, further than they may serve to -illustrate such anecdotes as appear to me to be likely to amuse the -reader. I shall therefore pass over the present one, merely remarking -that to a military man, one of the most interesting spectacles which -took place there, was the light division taking up their ground the -day before in the face of the enemy. They had remained too long in -their advanced position on the morning of the 25th of September while -the enemy's masses were gathering around them; but Lord Wellington -fortunately came up before they were too far committed and put them in -immediate retreat under his own personal direction. Nor, as Napier -says, "Was there a moment to lose, for the enemy with incredible -rapidity brought up both infantry and guns, and fell on so briskly that -all the skill of the general and the readiness of the excellent troops -composing the rear guard, could scarcely prevent the division from -being dangerously engaged. Howbeit, a series of rapid and beautiful -movements, a sharp cannonade, and an hour's march, brought every thing -back in good order to the great position." - -On the day of the battle (the 27th) the French General Simon, who led -the attack upon our division, was wounded and taken prisoner, and as -they were bringing him in he raved furiously for General Crawfurd, -daring him to single combat, but as he was already a prisoner there -would have been but little wit in indulging him in his humour. - -In the course of the afternoon his baggage was brought in under a -flag of truce, accompanied by a charm to soothe the savage breast, -in the shape of a very beautiful little Spanish girl, who I have no -doubt succeeded in tranquillizing his pugnacious disposition. I know -not what rank she held on his establishment, but conclude that she -was his niece, for I have observed that in Spain the prettiest girl -in every gentleman's house is the niece. The Padrès particularly are -the luckiest fellows in the world in having the handsomest brothers -and sisters of any men living,--not that I have seen the brother or -the sister of any one of them, but then I have seen nine hundred -and ninety-nine Padrès, and each had his niece at the head of his -establishment, and I know not how it happened but she was always the -prettiest girl in the parish. - -It was generally the fate of troops arriving from England, to join the -army at an unhappy period--at a time when easy stages and refreshment -after the voyage was particularly wanted and never to be had. The -marches at this period were harassing and severe, and the company with -which I had just arrived were much distressed to keep pace with the old -campaigners--they made a tolerable scramble for a day or two, but by -the time they arrived at the lines the greater part had been obliged to -be mounted. Nevertheless, when it became Massena's turn to tramp out of -Portugal a few months after, we found them up to their work and with as -few stragglers as the best. Marching is an art to be acquired only by -habit, and one in which the strength or agility of the animal, man, has -but little to do. I have seen Irishmen (and all sorts of countrymen) -in their own country, taken from the plough-tail--huge, athletic, -active fellows, who would think nothing of doing forty or fifty miles -in the course of the day as countrymen--see these men placed in the -rank as recruits with knapsacks on their backs and a musket over their -shoulders, and in the first march they are dead beat before they get -ten miles. - -I have heard many disputes on the comparative campaigning powers -of tall and short men, but as far as my own experience goes I have -never seen any difference. If a tall man happens to break down it is -immediately noticed to the disadvantage of his class, but if the same -misfortune befals a short one, it is not looked upon as being anything -remarkable. The effective powers of both in fact depend upon the nature -of the building. - -The most difficult and at the same time the most important duty to -teach a young soldier on first coming into active service, is how to -take care of himself. It is one which, in the first instance, requires -the unwearied attention of the officer, but he is amply repaid in the -long run, for when the principle is once instilled into him, it is duly -appreciated, and he requires no further trouble. In our battalion, -during the latter years of the war, it was a mere matter of form -inspecting the men on parade, for they knew too well the advantages -of having their arms and ammunition at all times in proper order to -neglect them, so that after several weeks marching and fighting, I have -never seen them on their first ordinary parade after their arrival in -quarters, but they were fit for the most rigid examination of the -greatest Martinet that ever looked through the ranks. The only thing -that required the officers' attention was their necessaries, for as -money was scarce, they were liable to be bartered for strong waters. - -On service as every where else, there is a time for all things, but the -time there being limited and very uncertain, the difficulty is to learn -how to make the most of it. - -The first and most important part lies with the officer, and he cannot -do better than borrow a leaf out of General Crawfurd's book, to learn -how to prevent straggling, and to get his men to the end of their day's -work with the least possible delay. - -The young soldier when he first arrives in camp or bivouac will (unless -forced to do otherwise) always give in to the languor and fatigue which -oppresses him, and fall asleep. He awakens most probably after dark, -cold and comfortless. He would gladly eat some of the undressed meat in -his haversack, but he has no fire on which to cook it. He would gladly -shelter himself in one of the numerous huts which have arisen around -him since he fell asleep, but as he lent no hand in the building he is -thrust out. He attempts at the eleventh hour to do as others have done, -but the time has gone by, for all the materials that were originally -within reach, have already been appropriated by his more active -neighbours, and there is nothing left for him but to pass the remainder -of the night as he best can, in hunger, in cold, and in discomfort, -and he marches before day-light in the morning without having enjoyed -either rest or refreshment. Such is often the fate of young regiments -for a longer period than would be believed, filling the hospitals and -leading to all manner of evils. - -On the other hand, see the old soldiers come to their ground. Let their -feelings of fatigue be great or small, they are no sooner suffered -to leave the ranks than every man rushes to secure whatever the -neighbourhood affords as likely to contribute towards his comfort for -the night. Swords, hatchets, and bill-kooks are to be seen hewing and -hacking at every tree and bush within reach,--huts are quickly reared, -fires are quickly blazing, and while the camp kettle is boiling, -or the pound of beef frying, the tired, but happy souls, are found -toasting their toes around the cheerful blaze, recounting their various -adventures until the fire has done the needful, when they fall on like -men, taking especial care however that whatever their inclinations -may be, they consume no part of the provision which properly belongs -to the morrow. The meal finished, they arrange their accoutrements -in readiness for any emergency, (caring little for the worst that -can befal them for the next twenty-four hours,) when they dispose -themselves for rest, and be their allowance of sleep long or short they -enjoy it, for it does one's heart good to see "the rapture of repose -that's there." - -In actual battle, young soldiers are apt to have a feeling, (from which -many old ones are not exempt,) namely, that they are but insignificant -characters--only a humble individual out of many thousands, and that -his conduct, be it good or bad, can have little influence over the fate -of the day. This is a monstrous mistake, which it ought to be the duty -of every military writer to endeavour to correct; for in battle, as -elsewhere, no man is insignificant unless he chooses to make himself -so. The greater part of the victories on record, I believe, may be -traced to the individual gallantry of a very small portion of the -troops engaged; and if it were possible to take a microscopic view of -that small portion, there is reason to think that the whole of the -glory might be found to rest with a very few individuals. - -Military men in battle may be classed under three disproportionate -heads,--a very small class who consider themselves insignificant--a -very large class who content themselves with doing their duty, without -going beyond it--and a tolerably large class who do their best, many of -which are great men without knowing it. One example in the history of a -private soldier will establish all that I have advanced on the subject. - -In one of the first smart actions that I ever was in, I was a young -officer in command of experienced soldiers, and, therefore, found -myself compelled to be an observer rather than an active leader in -the scene. We were engaged in a very hot skirmish, and had driven the -enemy's light troops for a considerable distance with great rapidity, -when we were at length stopped by some of their regiments in line, -which opened such a terrific fire within a few yards that it obliged -every one to shelter himself as he best could among the inequalities -of the ground and the sprinkling of trees which the place afforded. We -remained inactive for about ten minutes amidst a shower of balls that -seemed to be almost like a hail-storm, and when at the very worst, -when it appeared to me to be certain death to quit the cover, a young -scampish fellow of the name of Priestly, at the adjoining tree, started -out from behind it, saying, "Well! I'll be d----d if I'll be bothered -any longer behind a tree, so here's at you," and with that he banged -off his rifle in the face of his foes, reloading very deliberately, -while every one right and left followed his example, and the enemy, -panic struck, took to their heels without firing another shot. The -action requires no comment, the individual did not seem to be aware -that he had any merit in what he did, but it is nevertheless a valuable -example for those who are disposed to study causes and effects in the -art of war. - -In that same action I saw an amusing instance of the ruling passion -for sport predominating over a soldier; a rifleman near me was in the -act of taking aim at a Frenchman when a hare crossed between them, the -muzzle of the rifle mechanically followed the hare in preference, and, -as she was doubling into our lines, I had just time to strike up the -piece with my sword before he drew the trigger, or he most probably -would have shot one of our own people, for he was so intent upon his -game that he had lost sight of every thing else. - - - - -CHAP. VI. - - Reaping a Horse with a Halter. Reaping golden Opinions out of - a Dung-Hill, and reaping a good Story or two out of the next - Room. A Dog-Hunt and Sheep's Heads prepared at the Expense of a - Dollar each, and a Scotchman's Nose. - - -I have taken so many flights from our line of retreat in search of the -fanciful, that I can only bring my readers back to our actual position, -by repeating the oft told tale that our army pulled up in the lines of -Torres Vedras to await Massena's further pleasure; for, whether he was -to persevere in his intended compliment of seeing us on board ship, or -we were to return it by seeing him out of Portugal again, was still -somewhat doubtful; and, until the point should be decided, we made -ourselves as comfortable as circumstances would permit, and that was -pretty well. - -Every young officer on entering a new stage in his profession, let him -fancy himself ever so acute, is sure to become for a time the _butt_ of -the old hands. I was the latest arrival at the time I speak of, and of -course shared the fate of others, but as the only hoax that I believe -they ever tried upon me, turned out a profitable one, I had less cause -for soreness than falls to the lot of green-horns in general. It -consisted in an officer, famous for his waggery, coming up to me one -morning and mentioning that he had just been taking a ride over a part -of the mountain, (which he pointed out,) where he had seen a wild horse -grazing, and that he had tried hard to catch him, but lamented that he -had been unable to succeed, for that he was a very handsome one! - -As the country abounded in wolves and other wild characters I did not -see why there should not also be wild horses, and, therefore, greedily -swallowed the bait, for I happened not only to be in especial want of -a horse, but of dollars to buy one, and arming myself accordingly with -a halter and the assistance of an active rifleman, I proceeded to the -place, and very quickly converted the wild horse into a tame one! It -was not until a year after that I discovered the hoax by which I had -unwittingly become the stealer of some unfortunate man's horse; but, -in the mean time, it was to the no small mortification of my waggish -friend, that he saw me mounted upon him when we marched a few days -after, for he had anticipated a very different result. - -The saddle which sat between me and the horse on that occasion ought -not to be overlooked, for, take it all in all, I never expect to -see its like again. I found it in our deserted house at Arruda; the -seat was as soft as a pillow, and covered with crimson silk velvet, -beautifully embroidered, and gilt round the edges. I knew not for what -description of rider it had been intended, but I can answer for it that -it was exceedingly comfortable in dry weather, and that in wet it -possessed all the good properties of a sponge, keeping the rider cool -and comfortable. - -While we remained in the lines, there was a small, thatched, -mud-walled, deserted cottage under the hill near our company's post, -which we occasionally used as a shelter from the sun or the rain, -and some of our men in prowling about one day discovered two massive -silver salvers concealed in the thatch. The captain of the company very -properly ordered them to be taken care of, in the hope that their owner -would come to claim them, while the soldiers in the mean time continued -very eager in their researches in the neighbourhood, in expectation of -making further discoveries, in which however they were unsuccessful. -After we had altogether abandoned the cottage, a Portuguese gentleman -arrived one day and told us that he was the owner of the place, and -that he had some plate concealed there which he wished permission to -remove. Captain ---- immediately desired the salvers to be given to -him, concluding that they were what he had come in search of, but on -looking at them he said that they did not belong to him, that what he -wished to remove was concealed under the dunghill, and he accordingly -proceeded there and dug out about a cart load of gold and silver -articles which he carried off, while our unsuccessful searchers stood -by, cursing their mutual understandings which had suffered such a prize -to slip through their fingers, and many an innocent heap of manure was -afterwards torn to pieces in consequence of that morning's lesson. - -Massena having abandoned his desolated position in the early part of -November, the fifteenth of that month saw me seated on my cloth of -crimson and gold, taking a look at the French rear guard, which, under -Junot, was in position between Cartaxo and El Valle. A cool November -breeze whistled through an empty stomach, which the gilded outside was -insufficient to satisfy. Our chief of division was red hot to send -us over to warm ourselves with the French fires, and had absolutely -commenced the movement when the opportune arrival of Lord Wellington -put a stop to it; for, as it was afterwards discovered, we should have -burnt our fingers. - -While we therefore awaited further orders on the road side, I was -amused to see General Slade, who commanded the brigade of cavalry -attached to us, order up his sumpter mule, and borrowing our doctor's -medical panniers, which he placed in the middle of the road by way -of a table, he, with the assistance of his orderly dragoon, undid -several packages, and presently displayed a set-out which was more -than enough to tempt the cupidity of the hungry beholders, consisting -of an honest-looking loaf of bread, a thundering large tongue, and the -fag end of a ham--a bottle of porter, and half a one of brandy. The -bill of fare is still as legibly written on my remembrance as on the -day that I first saw it--for such things cannot be, and overcome us -like the vision of a Christmas feast, without especial longings for an -invitation; but we might have sighed and looked, and sighed again, for -our longings were useless--our doctor, with his usual politeness, made -sundry attempts to insinuate himself upon the hospitable notice of the -general, by endeavouring to arrange the panniers in a more classical -shape for his better accommodation, for which good service he received -bow for bow, with a considerable quantity of thanks into the bargain, -which, after he had done his best, (and that was no joke,) still left -him the general's debtor on the score of civility. When the doctor had -failed, the attempt of any other individual became a forlorn hope, but -nothing seems desperate to a British soldier, and two thorough going -ones, the commanders of the twelfth and fourteenth light dragoons, -(Colonels Ponsonby and Harvey,) whose olfactory nerves, at a distance -of some hundred yards, having snuffed up the tainted air, eagerly -followed the scent, and came to a dead point before the general and his -panniers. But although they had flushed their game they did not succeed -in bagging it; for while the general gave them plenty of his own -tongue, the deuce take the slice did he offer of the bullock's--and -as soon as he had satisfied his appetite he very deliberately bundled -up the fragments, and shouted to horse, for the enemy had by this -time withdrawn from our front, and joined the main body of the army -on the heights of Santarem. We closed up to them, and exchanged a -few civil shots--a ceremony which cannot be dispensed with between -contending armies on first taking up their ground, for it defines their -territorial rights, and prevents future litigation. - -Day-light next morning showed that, though they had passed a restless -night, they were not disposed to extend their walk unless compelled to -it, for their position, formidable by nature, had, by their unwearied -activity, become more so by art--the whole crest of it being already -fenced with an abbatis of felled trees, and the ground turned up in -various directions. - -One of our head-quarter staff-officers came to take a look at them in -the early part of the morning, and, assuming a superior knowledge -of all that was passing, said that they had nothing there but a -rear-guard, and that we should shove them from it in the course of the -day--upon which, our brigadier, (Sir Sidney Beckwith,) who had already -scanned every thing with his practised eye, dryly remarked, in his -usual homely but emphatic language, "It was a gay strong rear guard -that built that abbatis last night!" And so it proved, for their whole -army had been employed in its construction, and there they remained for -the next four months. - -The company to which I belonged, (and another,) had a deserted -farming establishment turned over for our comfort and convenience -during the period that it might suit the French marshal to leave us -in the enjoyment thereof. It was situated on a slope of the hill -overlooking the bridge of Santarem, and within range of the enemy's -sentries, and near the end of it was one of the finest aloes I have -ever seen, certainly not less than twelve or fourteen feet high. Our -mansion was a long range of common thatched building--one end was -a kitchen--next to it a parlour, which became also the drawing and -sleeping room of two captains, with their six jolly subs--a door-way -communicated from thence to the barn, which constituted the greater -part of the range, and lodged our two hundred men. A small apartment -at the other extremity, which was fitted up for a wine-press, lodged -our non-commissioned officers; while in the back-ground we had -accommodation for our cattle, and for sundry others of the domestic -tribes, had we had the good fortune to be furnished with them. - -The door-way between the officers' apartment and that of the soldiers -showed, (what is so very common on the seat of war,) when "a door -is not a door," but a shovel full of dust and ashes--the hinges had -resisted manfully by clinging to the door-post, but a fiery end had -overtaken the timber, and we were obliged to fill up the vacuum with -what loose stones we could collect in the neighbourhood; it was, -nevertheless, so open, that a hand might be thrust through it in every -direction, and, of course, the still small voices on either side of -the partition were alike audible to all. I know not what degree of -amusement the soldiers derived from the proceedings on our side of the -wall, but I know that the jests, the tales, and the songs, from their -side, constituted our greatest enjoyment during the many long winter -nights that it was our fate to remain there. - -The early part of their evenings was generally spent in witticisms -and tales; and, in conclusion, by way of a lullaby, some long-winded -fellow commenced one of those everlasting ditties in which soldiers -and sailors delight so much--they are all to the same tune, and the -subject, (if one may judge by the tenor of the first ninety-eight -verses,) was battle, murder, or sudden death; but I never yet survived -until the catastrophe, although I have often, to attain that end, -stretched my waking capacities to the utmost. I have sometimes heard a -fresh arrival from England endeavour to astonish their unpolished ears -with "the white blossomed sloe," or some such refined melody, but it -was invariably coughed down as instantaneously as if it had been the -sole voice of a conservative amidst a select meeting of radicals. - -The wit and the humour of the rascals were amusing beyond any -thing--and to see them next morning drawn up as mute as mice, and as -stiff as lamp-posts, it was a regular puzzler to discover on which -_post_ the light had shone during the bye-gone night, knowing, as we -did, that there were at least a hundred original pages for Joe Miller, -encased within the head-pieces then before us. - -Their stories, too, were quite unique--one, (an Englishman,) began -detailing the unfortunate termination of his last matrimonial -speculation. He had got a pass one day to go from Shorncliffe to -Folkestone, and on the way he fell in with one of the finest young -women "as ever he seed! my eye, as we say in Spain, if she was not a -_wapper_; with a pair of cheeks like cherries, and shanks as clean as -my ramrod, she was bounding over the downs like a young colt, and -faith, if she would not have been with her heels clean over my head if -I had'n't caught her up and demanded a parley. O, Jem, man, but she -was a nice creature! and all at once got so fond of me too, that there -was no use waiting; and so we settled it all that self same night, -and on the next morning we were regularly spliced, and I carries her -home to a hut which Corporal Smith and I hired behind the barrack for -eighteen pence a week. Well! I'll be blessed if I was'n't as happy as -a shilling a day and my wife could make me for two whole days; but the -next morning, just before parade, while Nancy was toasting a slice of -tommy[B] for our breakfast, who should darken our door but the carcase -of a great sea marine, who began blinking his goggle eyes like an owl -in a gooseberry bush, as if he did'n't see nothing outside on them; -when all at once Nancy turned, and, my eye, what a squall she set up as -she threw the toast in the fire, and upset my tinful of crowdy, while -she twisted her arms round his neck like a vice, and began kissing him -at no rate, he all the time blubbering, like a bottle-nose in a shoal, -about flesh of his flesh, and bones of his bones, and all the like o' -that. Well! says I to myself, says I, this is very queer any how--and -then I eyes the chap a bit, and then says I to him, (for I began to -feel somehow at seeing my wife kissed all round before my face without -saying by your leave,) an' says I to him, (rather angrily,) look ye, -Mr. Marine, if you don't take your ugly mouth farther off from my wife, -I'll just punch it with the butt end of my rifle! thunder and oons, you -great sea lobster that you are, don't you see that I married her only -two days ago just as she stands, bones and all, and you to come at this -time o' day to claim a part on her!" - - [B] Brown loaf. - -The marine, however, had come from the wars as a man of peace--he had -already been at her father's, and learnt all that had befallen her, -and, in place of provoking the rifleman's further ire, he sought an -amicable explanation, which was immediately entered into. - -It appeared that Nancy and he had been married some three years -before; that the sloop of war to which he belonged was ordered to the -West Indies, and while cruising on that station an unsuccessful night -attempt was made to cut out an enemy's craft from under a battery, in -the course of which the boat in which he was embarked having been sent -to the bottom with a thirty-two pound shot, he was supposed to have -gone along with it, and to be snugly reposing in Davy Jones's locker. -His present turn up, however, proved his going down to have been a -mistake, as he had succeeded in saving his life at the expense of his -liberty, for the time being; but the vessel, on her voyage to France, -was captured by a British frigate bound for India, and the royal marine -became once more the servant of his lawful sovereign. - -In the meanwhile Nancy had been duly apprised of his supposed fate -by some of his West Indian shipmates--she was told that she might -still hope; but Nancy had no idea of holding on by any thing so -precarious--she was the wife of a sailor, had been frequently on board -a ship, and had seen how arbitrarily every thing, even time itself, is -made subservient to their purposes, and she determined to act upon the -same principle, so that, as the first lieutenant authorizes it to be -eight o'clock after the officer of the watch has reported that it is -so, in like manner did Nancy, when her husband was reported dead, order -that he should be so; but it would appear that her commands had about -as much influence over her husband's fate as the first lieutenant's -had over time, from his making his untoward appearance so early in her -second honey-moon. - -As brevity formed no part of the narrator's creed, I have merely given -an outline of the marine's history, such as I understood it, and shall -hasten to the conclusion in the same manner. - -The explanation over, a long silence ensued--each afraid to pop the -question, which must be popp'd, of whose wife was Nancy? and when, -at last, it did come out, it was more easily asked than answered, -for, notwithstanding all that had passed, they continued both to be -deeply enamoured of their mutual wife, and she of both, nor could a -voluntary resignation be extracted from either of them, so that they -were eventually obliged to trust the winning or the losing of that -greatest of all earthly blessings, (a beloved wife,) to the undignified -decision of the toss of a halfpenny. The marine won, and carried off -the prize--while the rifleman declared that he had never yet forgiven -himself for being cheated out of his half, for he feels convinced that -the marine had come there prepared with a ha'penny that had two tails. - -The tail of the foregoing story was caught up by a _Patlander_ -with--"Well! the devil fetch me if I would have let her gone that -way any how, if the marine had brought twenty tails with his -ha'penny!--but you see I was kicked out of the only wife I never had -without ere a chance of being married at all. - -"Kitty, you see, was an apprentice to Miss Crump, who keeps that -thundering big milliner's shop in Sackville-street, and I was Mike -Kinahan's boy at the next door--so you see, whenever it was Kitty's -turn to carry out one of them great blue boxes with thingumbobs for -the ladies, faith, I always contrived to steal away for a bit, to give -Kitty a lift, and the darling looked so kind and so grateful for't that -I was at last quite kilt!" - -I must here take up the thread of Paddy's story for the same reasons -given in the last, and inform the reader that, though he himself had -received the finishing blow, he was far from satisfied that Kitty's -case was equally desperate, for, notwithstanding her grateful looks, -they continued to be more like those of a mistress to an obliging -servant than of a sweetheart. As for a kiss, he could not get any thing -like one even by coaxing, and the greatest bliss he experienced, in -the course of his love making, was in the interchange among the fingers -which the frequent transfer of the band-box permitted, and which Pat -declared went quite through and through him. - -Matters, however, were far from keeping pace with Paddy's inclinations, -and feeling convinced at last, that there must be a rival in the -case, he determined to watch her very closely, in order to have his -suspicions removed, or, if confirmed, to give his rival such a pounding -as should prevent his ever crossing his path again. Accordingly, -seeing her one evening leave the shop better dressed than usual, he -followed at a distance, until opposite the post-office, when he saw her -joined, (evidently by appointment,) by a tall well-dressed spalpeen -of a fellow, and they then proceeded at a smart pace up the adjoining -street--Paddy followed close behind in the utmost indignation, but -before he had time to make up his mind as to which of his rival's bones -he should begin by breaking, they all at once turned into a doorway, -which Paddy found belonged to one of those dancing shops so common in -Dublin. - -Determined not to be foiled in that manner, and ascertaining that a -decent suit of _toggery_ and five _tin_-pennies in his pocket would -ensure him a _free_ admission, he lost no time in equipping in his -Sunday's best, and having succeeded in _borrowing_ the needful for the -occasion out of his master's till, he sallied forth bent on conquest. - -Paddy was ushered up stairs into the ball-room with all due decorum, -but that commodity took leave of him at the door, for the first thing -he saw on entering, was his mistress and his rival, within a yard of -him, whirling in the mazes of a country dance. Pat's philosophy was -unequal to the sight, and throwing one arm round the young lady's -waist, and giving her partner a douse in the chops with the other, it -made as satisfactory a change in their relative positions as he could -have reasonably desired, by sending his rival in a continuation of his -waltzing movement, to the extremity of the room to salute the wall at -the end of it. - -Pat, however, was allowed but brief space to congratulate himself on -his successful _debut_ in a ball-room, for in the next instant he found -himself most ungracefully propelled through the door-way, by sundry -unseen hands, which had grasped him tightly by the _scruff_ of the -neck, and on reaching the top of the staircase, he felt as if a hundred -feet had given a simultaneous kick which raised him like a balloon for -a short distance, and then away he went heels over head towards the -bottom. It so happened at this particular moment, that three gentlemen -very sprucely dressed, had just paid their money and were in the act -of ascending, taking that opportunity, as gentlemen generally do, of -arranging their hair and adjusting their frills to make their _entré_ -the more bewitching, and it is therefore unnecessary to say that the -descent of our aëronaut not only disturbed the economy of their wigs -but carried all three to the bottom with the impetus of three sacks of -potatoes. - -Paddy's temperament had somewhat exceeded madman's heat before he -commenced his aërial flight, and, as may be imagined, it had not much -cooled in its course, so that when he found himself safely landed, -and, as luck would have it, on the top of one of the unfortunates, he -very unceremoniously began taking the change out of his head for all -the disasters of the night, and having quickly demolished the nose and -bunged up both eyes, he (seeing nothing more to be done thereabouts) -next proceeded to pound the unfortunate fellow's head against the -floor, before they succeeded in lugging him off to finish his love -adventure in the watch-house. - -That night was the last of Paddy's love and of his adventures in the -City of Dublin. His friends were respectable of their class, and on the -score of his former good conduct, succeeded in appeasing the aggrieved -parties and inducing them to withdraw from the prosecution on condition -that he quitted the city for ever, and, when he had time to reflect -on the position in which the reckless doings of the few hours had -placed him, he was but too happy to subscribe to it, and passing over -to Liverpool enlisted with a recruiting party of ours, and became an -admirable soldier. - -Having given two of the soldiers' stories, it may probably be amusing -to my readers to hear one from our side of the wall. It was related by -one of our officers, a young Scotchman, who was a native of the place, -and while I state that I give it to the best of my recollection, I -could have wished, as the tale is a true one, that it had fallen into -the hands of the late lamented author of Waverly, who would have done -greater justice to its merits. - - -THE OFFICER'S STORY. - -On the banks of the river Carron, near the celebrated village of that -name, which shows its glowing fields of fiery furnaces, stirred by ten -thousand imps of darkness, as if all the devils from the nether world -there held perpetual revels, toasting their red hot irons and twisting -them into all manner of fantastic shapes--tea-kettles, ten-pounders, -and ten-penny nails--I say, that near that village--not in the upper -and romantic region of it, where old Norval of yore fished up his -basketful of young Norvals--but about a mile below where the river -winds through the low country, in a bight of it there stands a stately -two-story house, dashed with pale pink and having a tall chimney at -each end, sticking up like a pair of asses' ears. The main building is -supported by a brace of wings not large enough to fly away with it, -but standing in about the same proportions that the elbows of an easy -chair do to its back. The hall door is flanked on each side by a pillar -of stone as thick as my leg, and over it there is a niche in the wall -which in the days of its glory might have had the honour of lodging -Neptune or Nicodemus, but is now devoted exclusively to the loves of -the sparrows. - -Viewed at a little distance the mansion still wears a certain air of -imposing gentility--looking like the substantial retreat of one who -had well feathered his nest upon the high seas, or as an adventurer -in foreign lands. But a nearer approach shews that the day of its -glory has long departed, the winds are howling through the glassless -casements, the roof is plastered by the pigeons, the pigs and the -poultry are galloping at large over the ruins of the garden-wall, -luxuriating in its once costly shrubbery, and a turkey is most likely -seen at the hall-door, staring the visitor impertinently in the face, -and blustering as if he would say, "if you want me you must down with -the dust." - -Had that same turkey, however, lived some six score years before, in -the life-time, or in the death-time of the last of its lairds, he would -have found himself compelled to gabble to another tune, for in place of -being allowed to insult his guests in his master's hall, he would have -been called upon to share his merry-thought for their amusement at the -festive board. - -That the last laird of Abbots-Haugh had lived like a right good country -gentleman all of the olden days, the manner of his death will testify, -for though his living history is lost in the depth of time, his death -is still alive in the recollections of our existing great grandfathers. -He was, to the best of my belief, wifeless and relationless, -nevertheless, when the time approached that "the old man he must die," -he did as all prudent men do, made his temporal arrangements previous -to the settling of that last debt which he owed to nature. - -The laird, it appeared, was not haunted by the fears of most men, -which forbid the inspection of their last testaments, until the -last shovelful of earth has secured their remains from the wrath of -disappointed expectants, and from a conscious dread too that the only -tears that would otherwise be shed at their obsequies, would be by the -undertaker and his assistants with their six big black horses; but the -laird, as before said, was altogether another manner of man, and his -last request was, that certain persons should consider themselves his -executors, that they should open his will the moment the breath was out -of his body, and that they should see his last injunctions faithfully -executed as they hoped that he should rest calmly in his grave. - -The laird quietly gave up the ghost, and his last wish was complied -with; when, to the no small astonishment of the executors, the only -bequest which his will decreed was, that every man within a given -distance of his residence was to be invited to the funeral, and that -they were all to be filled blind drunk before the commencement of the -procession! - -This was certainly one of the most jovial wills that was ever made by a -dying man, and it was acted upon to the letter. - -The appointed day arrived, and so did the guests too; and although the -invitations had only extended to the men, yet did their wives, like -considerate folks as they always are, reflect that a dying man cannot -have all his wits about him, and had any one but taken the trouble to -remind him that there were such things as angels even in this world, -they would no doubt have been included, and with that view of the case -they considered it their duty to give their aid in the _mournful_ -ceremony. - -The duties of the day at length began as was usual on those days, by-- - - "One-mile prayers and half-mile graces," - -to which the assembled multitude impatiently listened with their - - "Toom wames and lang wry faces." - -That ceremony over, they proceeded with all due diligence to honour the -last request of the departed laird. - -The droves of bullocks, sheep, and turkeys, which had been sacrificed -for the occasion, were served up at mid-day, and as every description -of foreign and British wines, spirits, and ales flowed in pailfuls, the -executors indulged in the very reasonable expectation that the whole -party would be sufficiently glorious to authorize their proceeding with -their last duty so as to have it over before dark: but they had grossly -miscalculated the capacities of their guests, for even at dusk when -they considered themselves compelled to put the procession in motion at -all hazards, it was found that many of them were not more than "half -seas over." - -The distance from Abbots-Haugh to the dormitory of the parish-church -is nearly two miles, the first half of the road runs still between two -broad deep ditches which convey the drainings of these lowlands into -the river; the other half is now changed by the intersection of the -great canal, but an avenue formed by two quick-set hedge-rows still -marks its former line. - -Doctor Mac Adam had not in those days begun to disturb the bowels of -the harmless earth, by digging for stones wherewith to deface its -surface, so that the roads were perfect evergreens, (when nobody -travelled upon them,) but at the period I speak of, a series of -wet weather and perpetual use had converted them into a sort of -hodge-podge, which contributed nothing towards maintaining the gravity -of the unsteady multitude now in motion, so that although the hearse -started with some five or six hundred followers, all faithful and -honest in their purpose to see the end of the ceremony, there were -not above as many dozens who succeeded in following it into the -church-yard, which it reached about midnight. These few however went on -in the discharge of their duty and proceeded to remove the coffin from -the hearse to its intended receptacle, but to their utter consternation -there was no longer a coffin or a corpse there! - -Tam O'Shanter lived a generation later than the period of my history, -and I believe that there were few Scotchmen even in his days who were -altogether free from supernatural dread however well primed with -whiskey; but certain it is, that on this occasion every bonnet that -was not on a bald head rose an inch or two higher, and many of them -were pitched off altogether, as they began to reason (where reason -there was none) as to the probable flight of the coffin; and though -they were unanimously of opinion that it had gone the Lord knows where, -yet they at last agreed that it was nevertheless a duty they owed the -deceased to go back to Abbots-Haugh and inquire whether the laird had -not returned. They accordingly provided themselves with lanterns, and -examined all parts of the road on their way back, which was easily -traced by the sleeping and besotted persons of the funeral party which -formed a continuous link from the one place to the other--some lying in -the road--some stuck fast in the hedges, but the majority three parts -drowned in the ditches. When our return party arrived near the site -of the present distillery, which happened to be the deepest part of -the way, they heard something floundering at a frightful rate at the -edge of a pool of water on the road side, and which, on examination, -proved to be a huge old woman who was in the habit of supplying the -farmers in that part of the country with loaf bread for their Sunday's -breakfasts; she was holding on fiercely by what appeared to be the -stump of a tree, while her nether end was immersed in the water, -but when they went to pull her out, they found to their delight and -astonishment that she was actually holding on by the end of the lost -coffin, which had fallen at the edge of the pool. Old Nelly could give -no information as to how it got there, she had some recollection of -having been shoved into the hearse at first starting, but knew nothing -more until she found herself up to her _oxters_ in the water, holding -fast by something--that she had bawled until she was hoarse, and had -now nothing but a kick left to tell the passers by that a poor creature -was perishing. She had most probably been reposing on the coffin as a -place of rest, and been jolted a step beyond it when the two fell out. - -A council was now called to determine the proper mode of further -proceeding, when it was moved and carried that a vote of censure be -passed upon the executors for having failed to fulfil the provisions of -the laird's will, for in place of being drunk, as they ought to have -been, they were all shamefully sober; secondly, that it was in vain -to repeat the attempt to bury him until the conditions upon which he -died were complied with, for he had pledged himself not to rest quiet -in his grave if it was neglected, and it was evident from what he had -already done that he was not to be humbugged, but would again slip -through their fingers unless justice was done to his memory, and it -was therefore finally resolved that the laird be carried back to his -own hall, there to lie in state until the terms of his testament were -confirmed and ratified beyond dispute. - -Back, therefore, they went to Abbots-Haugh, and set themselves again -right honestly to work, as good and loyal vassals to obey their -master's last behests, and that they at length succeeded in laying the -restless spirit may be inferred from the fact that it was the afternoon -of the third day from that time before the party felt themselves in -a condition to renew the attempt to complete the ceremony; however -it was then done effectually, as for fear of accidents, and not to -lose sight of the coffin a second time, as many as there was room for -took post on the top of it, provided with the means of finishing, at -their destination, what the defunct might have considered underdone -on their departure. And accordingly when they had at last succeeded -in depositing the coffin within the family vault, and had set the -bricklayers to work, they renewed their revels in the church-yard, -until they finally saw the tomb closed over one of the most eccentric -characters that ever went into it. - -I shall now take leave of tales, and recommence the narration of -passing events by mentioning that while we remained at Valle, one of -our officers made an amusing attempt to get up a pack of hounds. He -offered a dollar a head for anything in the shape of a dog that might -be brought to him, which in a very short time furnished his kennel -with about fifteen couple, composed of poodles, sheep-dogs, curs, and -every species but the one that was wanted. When their numbers became -sufficiently formidable to justify the hope that there might be a few -noses in the crowd gifted with the sense of smelling something more -game than their porridge-pots; the essay was made, but they proved a -most ungrateful pack, for they were no sooner at liberty than every one -went howling away to his own home as if a tin kettle had been tied to -his tail. (A prophetic sort of feeling of what would inevitably have -befallen him had he remained a short time longer.) - -Scotchmen are generally famed for the size of their noses, and I know -not whether it is that on service they get too much crammed with snuff -and gunpowder, or from what other cause, but certain it is that they do -not prove themselves such useful appendages to the countenance there -as they do in their own country, in scenting out whatever seemeth good -unto the wearer, for I remember one day, while waging war against the -snipes on the flooded banks of the Rio Maior, in passing by the rear -of a large country house which was occupied by the commander-in-chief -of the cavalry, (Sir Stapleton Cotton,) I was quite horrified to find -myself all at once amidst the ruins of at least twenty dozen of sheep's -heads, unskinned and unsinged, to the utter disgrace of about two -thousand highland noses belonging to the forty-second and seventy-ninth -regiments, which had, all the while of their accumulation, been lodged -within a mile, and not over and above well provided with that national -standing dish. - -I will venture to say, that had such a deposit been made any evening on -the North Inch of Perth in the days of their great grandfathers, there -would have been an instinctive gathering of all the clans between the -Tay and Cairngorum before day-light next morning. - - - - -CHAP. VII. - - "Blood and destruction shall be so in use, - And dreadful objects so familiar, - That mothers shall but smile when they behold - Their infants quartered with the hands of war." - - -The month of March, eighteen hundred and eleven, showed the successful -workings of Lord Wellington's admirable arrangements. The hitherto -victorious French army, which, under their "spoilt child of fortune," -had advanced to certain conquest, were now obliged to bundle up their -traps and march back again, leaving nearly half their numbers to fatten -the land which they had beggared. They had fallen, too, on nameless -ground, in sickness and in want, and without a shot, by which their -friends and relatives might otherwise have proudly pointed to the -graves they filled. - -Portugal, at that period, presented a picture of sadness and desolation -which it is sickening to think of--its churches spoliated, its villages -fired, and its towns depopulated. - -It was no uncommon sight, on entering a cottage, to see in one -apartment some individuals of the same family dying of want, some -perishing under the brutal treatment of their oppressors, and some -(preferring death to dishonour) lying butchered upon their own hearths. - -These were scenes which no Briton could behold without raising his -voice in thanksgiving to the Author of all good, that the home of his -childhood had been preserved from such fearful visitations; and yet -how melancholy it is to reflect that even in that cherished home there -should be many self-styled patriots, who not only grumble at, but would -deny their country's pittance to those who devoted the best part of -their lives, sacrificed their health, and cheerfully scattered their -limbs in rolling the tide of battle from its door. - -I lament it feelingly but not selfishly, for as far as I am -individually concerned, my country and I are quits. I passed through -the fiery ordeal of these bloody times and came out scatheless. While -I parted from its service on the score of expediency, it is to me a -source of pride to reflect (may I be pardoned the expression) that we -parted with mutual regret. That she may never again require a re-union -with such an humble individual as myself may heaven in its infinite -mercy forfend; but if she does, I am happy in the feeling that I have -still health and strength, and a heart and soul devoted to her cause. - -Massena's retreat having again called the sword from its scabbard, -where it had slumbered for months, it was long ere it had another -opportunity of running to rust through idleness, seeing that it was not -only in daily communication with the _heads_ of the enemy's corps in -the course of their return through Portugal, but wherever else these -same heads were visible, and for a year and a half from that date they -were rarely out of sight. - -On the 9th, we came up with their rear-guard on a table land near -Pombal. We had no force with which to make any serious attack upon it, -so that it was a day's dragooning, "all cry and little wool." We had -one company mixed among them from day-light until dark, but they came -back to us without a scratch. - -On the morning of the 11th, finding that the enemy had withdrawn from -the scene of the former day's skirmish, we moved in pursuit towards -the town, which they still occupied as an advanced post. Two of our -companies, with some Caçadores and a squadron of the royal dragoons, -made a dash into it, driving the enemy out, and along with a number of -prisoners captured the baggage of young Soult. - -I know not whether young Soult was the son of old Soult or only the -son of his father; all I know is, that by the letters found in his -portmanteau, he was the colonel of that name. - -His baggage, I remember, was mounted on a stately white horse with a -Roman nose and a rat tail, which last I believe is rather an unusual -appendage to a horse of that colour, but he was a waggish looking -fellow, and probably had shaken all the hairs out of his tail in -laughing at the contents of the portmanteau of which he was the bearer. - -He and his load were brought to the hammer the same day by his captors, -and excited much merriment among us. I wish that I felt myself at -liberty to publish an inventory of the contents of a French officer's -portmanteau, but as they excited such excess of laughter in a horse -I fear it would prove fatal to my readers--not to mention (as I see -written on some of the snug corners of our thoroughfares) that "decency -forbids." Suffice it that it abounded in luxuries which we dreamt not -of. - -Next day, the 12th, in following the retiring foe we came to the field -of Redinha. I have never in the course of my subsequent military -career seen a more splendid picture of war than was there shewn. -Ney commanded the opposing force, which was formed on the table land -in front of the town in the most imposing shape. We light folks were -employed in the early part of the action in clearing the opposing -_lights_ from the woods which flanked his position, and in the course -of an hour about thirty thousand British, as if by magic, were seen -advancing on the plain in three lines, with the order and precision of -a field day: the French disappeared before them like snow under the -influence of a summer's sun. The forces on both sides were handled by -masters in the art. - -A late lady writer (Miss Pardoe) I see has now peopled Redinha with -banditti, and as far as my remembrance goes, they could not have -selected a more favourable position, with this single but important -professional drawback, that there can be but few folks thereabout worth -robbing. - -I know not what class of beings were its former tenants, but at the -time I speak of, the curse of the Mac Gregors was upon them, for the -retiring enemy had given - - "Their roofs to the flames and their flesh to the eagles," - -and there seemed to be no one left to record its history. - -After the peace, in 1814, I met, at a ball in Castel Sarrazin, the -colonel who commanded the regiment opposed to us in the wood on that -occasion. He confessed that he had never been so roughly handled, and -had lost four hundred of his men. He was rather a rough sort of a -diamond himself, and seemed anxious to keep his professional hand in -practice, for he quarreled that same night with one of his countrymen -and was bled next morning with a small sword. - -From Redinha we proceeded near to Condeixa, and passed that day and -night on the road side in comparative peace. Not so the next, for at -Casal Nova, on the 14th, we breakfasted, dined, and supped on powder -and ball. - -Our general of division was on leave of absence in England during -this important period, and it was our curse in the interim to fall -into the hands successively of two or three of the worthiest and best -of men, but whose only claims to distinction as officers was their -sheet of parchment. The consequence was, that whenever there was any -thing of importance going on, we were invariably found leaving undone -those things which we ought to have done, and doing that which we -ought not to have done. On the occasion referred to we were the whole -day battering our brains out against stone walls at a great sacrifice -of life, whereas, had we waited with common prudence until the proper -period, when the flank movements going on under the direction of our -illustrious chief had begun to take effect, the whole of the loss would -have been on the other side, but as it was, I am afraid that although -we carried our point we were the greatest sufferers. Our battalion had -to lament the loss of two very valuable officers on that occasion, -Major Stewart and Lieutenant Strode. - -At the commencement of the action, just as the mist of the morning -began to clear away, a section of our company was thrown forward among -the skirmishers, while the other three remained in reserve behind a -gentle eminence, and the officer commanding it, seeing a piece of -rising ground close to the left, which gave him some uneasiness, he -desired me to take a man with me to the top of it, and to give him -notice if the enemy attempted any movement on that side. We got to -the top; but if we had not found a couple of good sized stones on the -spot, which afforded shelter at the moment, we should never have got -any where else, for I don't think they expended less than a thousand -shots upon us in the course of a few minutes. My companion, John Rouse, -a steady sturdy old rifleman, no sooner found himself snugly covered, -than he lugged out his rifle to give them one in return, but the -slightest exposure brought a dozen balls to the spot in an instant, -and I was amused to see old Rouse, at every attempt, jerking back his -head with a sort of knowing grin, as if it were only a parcel of -schoolboys, on the other side, threatening him with snow-balls; but -seeing, at last, that his time for action was not yet come, he withdrew -his rifle, and, knowing my inexperience in those matters, he very -good-naturedly called to me not to expose myself looking out just then, -for, said he, "there will be no moving among them while this shower -continues." - -When the shower ceased we found that they had also ceased to hold -their formidable post, and, as quickly as may be, we were to be seen -standing in their old shoes, mixed up with some of the forty-third, and -among them the gallant Napier, the present historian of the Peninsular -War, who there got a ball through his body which seemed to me to have -reduced the remainder of his personal history to the compass of a -simple paragraph: it nevertheless kept him but a very short while in -the back-ground. - -I may here remark that the members of that distinguished family were -singularly unfortunate in that way, as they were rarely ever in any -serious action in which one or all of them did not get hit. - -The two brothers in our division were badly wounded on this occasion, -and, if I remember right, they were also at Busaco; the naval captain, -(the present admiral of that name,) was there as an amateur, and -unfortunately caught it on a spot where he had the last wish to be -distinguished, for, accustomed to face broadsides on his native -element, he had no idea of taking in a ball in any other direction than -from the front, but on shore we were obliged to take them just as they -came! - -This severe harassing action closed only with the day-light, and left -the French army wedged in the formidable pass of Miranda de Corvo. - -They seemed so well in hand that some doubt was entertained whether -they did not intend to burst forth upon us; but, as the night closed -in, the masses were seen to melt, and at day-light next morning they -were invisible. - -I had been on picquet that night in a burning village, and the first -intimation we had of their departure was by three Portuguese boys, -who had been in the service of French officers, and who took the -opportunity of the enemy's night march to make their escape--they -seemed well fed, well dressed, and got immediate employment in our -camp, and they proved themselves very faithful to their new masters. -One of them continued as a servant to an officer for many years after -the peace. - -In the course of the morning we passed the brigade of General -Nightingale, composed of Highlanders, if I remember right, who had made -a flank movement to get a slice at the enemy's rear guard; but he had -arrived at the critical pass a little too late. - -In the afternoon we closed up to the enemy at Foz d'Aronce, and, after -passing an hour in feeling for their different posts, we began to squat -ourselves down for the night on the top of a bleak hill, but soon -found that we had other fish to fry. Lord Wellington, having a prime -nose for smelling out an enemy's blunder, no sooner came up than he -discovered that Ney had left himself on the wrong side of the river, -and immediately poured down upon him with our division, Picton's, and -Pack's Portuguese, and, after a sharp action, which did not cease until -after dark, we drove him across the river with great loss. - -I have often lamented in the course of the war that battalion officers, -on occasions of that kind, were never entrusted with a peep behind -the curtain. Had we been told before we advanced that there was but a -single division in our front, with a river close behind them, we would -have hunted them to death, and scarcely a man could have escaped; but, -as it was, their greatest loss was occasioned by their own fears and -precipitancy in taking to the river at unfordable places--for we were -alike ignorant of the river, the localities, or the object of the -attack; so that when we carried the position, and exerted ourselves -like prudent officers to hold our men in hand, we were, from want of -information, defeating the very object which had been intended, that -of hunting them on to the finale. - -When there is no object in view beyond the simple breaking of the -heads of those opposed to us, there requires no speechification; but, -on all occasions, like the one related, it ought never to be lost -sight of--it is easily done--it never, by any possibility, can prove -disadvantageous, and I have seen many instances in which the advantages -would have been incalculable. I shall mention as one--that three days -after the battle of Vittoria, in following up the retreating foe, -we found ourselves in a wood, engaged in a warm skirmish, which we -concluded was occasioned by our pushing the enemy's rear guard faster -than they found it convenient to travel; but, by and bye, when they had -disappeared, we found that we were near the junction of two roads, and -that we had all the while been close in, and engaged with the flank of -another French division, which was retiring by a road running parallel -with our own. The road (and that there was a retiring force upon it) -must, or ought to have been known to some of our staff officers, and -had they only communicated their information, there was nothing to have -prevented our dashing through their line of march, and there is little -doubt, too, but the thousands which passed us, while we stood there -exchanging shots with them, would have fallen into our hands. - -The day after the action at Foz d'Aronce was devoted to repose, of -which we stood much in want, for we had been marching and fighting -incessantly from day-light until dark for several consecutive days, -without being superabundantly provisioned; and our jackets, which had -been tolerably tight fits at starting, were now beginning to sit as -gracefully as sacks upon us. When wounds were abundant, however, we did -not consider it a disadvantage to be low in flesh, for the poorer the -subject the better the patient! - -A smooth ball or a well polished sword will slip through one of your -transparent gentlemen so gently that be scarcely feels it, and the -holes close again of their own accord. But see the smash it makes -in one of your turtle or turkey fed ones! the hospital is ruined in -finding materials to reduce his inflammations, and it is ten to one if -ever he comes to the scratch again. - -On descending to the river side next morning to trace the effects -of the preceding night's combat, we were horrified and disgusted by -the sight of a group of at least five hundred donkeys standing there -ham-strung. The poor creatures looked us piteously in the face, as much -as to say, "Are you not ashamed to call yourselves human beings?" And -truly we were ashamed to think that even our enemy could be capable of -such refinement in cruelty. I fancy the truth was, they were unable -to get them over the river, they had not time to put them to death, -and, at the same time, they were resolved that we should not have the -benefit of their services. Be that as it may, so disgusted and savage -were our soldiers at the sight, that the poor donkeys would have -been amply revenged, had fate, at that moment, placed five hundred -Frenchmen in our hands, for I am confident that every one of them would -have undergone the same operation. - -The French having withdrawn from our front on the 16th, we crossed the -Ciera, at dawn of day, on the 17th; the fords were still so deep, that, -as an officer with an empty haversack on my back, it was as much as I -could do to flounder across it without swimming. The soldiers ballasted -with their knapsacks, and the sixty rounds of ball cartridge were of -course in better fording trim. We halted that night in a grove of cork -trees, about half a league short of the Alva. - -Next morning we were again in motion, and found the enemy's rear-guard -strongly posted on the opposite bank of that river. - -The Alva was wide, deep, and rapid, and the French had destroyed the -bridge of Murcella, and also the one near Pombeira. Nevertheless, -we opened a thundering cannonade on those in our front, while Lord -Wellington, having, with extraordinary perseverance, succeeded -in throwing three of his divisions over it higher up, threatening -their line of retreat--it obliged those opposed to us to retire -precipitately, when our staff corps, with wonderful celerity, having -contrived to throw a temporary bridge over the river, we passed in -pursuit and followed until dark; we did not get another look at them -that day, and bivouacked for the night in a grove of pines, on some -swampy high lands, by the road side, without baggage, cloaks, or -eatables of any kind. - -Who has not passed down Blackfriars-road of an evening? and who has not -seen, in the vicinity of Rowland Hill's chapel, at least half a dozen -gentlemen presiding each over his highly polished tin case, surmounted -by variegated lamps, and singing out that most enchanting of all -earthly melodies to an empty stomach, that has got a sixpence in its -clothly casement, "hot, all hot!" The whole concern is not above the -size of a drum, and, in place of dealing in its empty sounds, rejoices -in mutton-pies, beef-steaks, and kidney-puddings, "hot, all hot!" If -the gentlemen had but followed us to the wars, how they would have been -worshipped in such a night, even without their lamps. - -In these days of invention, when every suggestion for ameliorating -the condition of the soldier is thankfully received, I, as one, who -have suffered severely by outward thawings and inward gnawings, beg to -found my claim to the gratitude of posterity, by proposing that, when a -regiment is ordered on active service, the drummers shall deposit their -sheep-skins and their cat-o'-nine tails in the regimental store-room, -leaving one cat only in the keeping of the drum major. And in lieu -thereof that each drummer be armed with a _tin drum_ full of "hot, all -hot!" and that whenever the quarter-master fails to find the _cold_, -the odd cat in the keeping of the drum-major shall be called upon to -remind him of his duty. - -If the simple utterance of the three magical monosyllables already -mentioned did not rally a regiment more rapidly round the given point -than a tempest of drums and trumpets, I should be astonished, and as we -fought tolerably well on empty stomachs, I should like to see what we -would not do on kidney puddings, "hot, all hot!" - -On the 19th we were again in motion at day-light, and both on that day -and the next, although we did not come into actual contact with the -enemy, we picked up a good many stragglers. We were obliged, however, -to come to a halt for several days from downright want, for the country -was a desert, and we had out-marched our supplies. Until they came -up, therefore, we remained two days in one village, and kept creeping -slowly along the foot of the Sierra, until our commissariat was -sufficiently re-inforced to enable us to make another dash. - -I was amused at that time, in marching through those towns and -villages which had been the head-quarters of the French army, to -observe the falling off in their respect to the Marquess d'Alorna, -a Portuguese nobleman, who had espoused their cause, and who, during -Massena's advance, had been treated like a prince among them. On -their retreat, however, it was easily seen that he was considered -an incumbrance. Their names were always chalked on the doors of the -houses they occupied, and we remarked that the one allotted to the -unfortunate marquis grew gradually worse as we approached the frontier, -and I remember that in the last village before we came to Celerico, -containing about fifty houses, only a cow's share of the buildings had -fallen to his lot. - -We halted one day at Mello, and seeing a handsome-looking new church on -the other side of the Mondego, I strolled over in the afternoon to look -at it. It had all the appearance of having been magnificently adorned -in the interior, but the French had left the usual traces of their -barbarous and bloody visit. The doors were standing wide open, the -valuable paintings destroyed, the statues thrown down, and mixed with -them on the floor, lay the bodies of six or seven murdered Portuguese -peasants. It was a cruel and a horrible sight, and yet in the midst -thereof was I tempted to commit a most sacrilegious act, for round -the neck of a prostrate marble female image, I saw a bone necklace of -rare and curious workmanship, the only thing that seemed to have been -saved from the general wreck, which I very coolly transferred to my -pocket and in due time to my portmanteau. But a day of retribution was -at hand, for both the portmanteau and the necklace went from me like a -tale that is told, and I saw them no more. - -It was the 28th before we again came in contact with the enemy at the -village of Frexadas. Two companies of ours and some dragoons were -detached to dislodge them, which they effected in gallant style, -sending them off in confusion and taking a number of prisoners; but the -advantage was dearly purchased by the death of our adjutant, Lieutenant -Stewart. He imprudently rode into the main street of the village, -followed by a few riflemen, before the French had had time to withdraw -from it, and was shot from a window. - -One would imagine that there is not much sense wrapped up in an ounce -of lead, and yet it invariably selects our best and our bravest, (no -great compliment to myself by the way, considering the quantity of -those particles that must have passed within a yard of my body at -different times, leaving all standing.) Its present victim was a public -loss, for he was a shrewd, active, and intelligent officer; a gallant -soldier, and a safe, jovial, and honourable companion. - -I was not one of the party engaged on that occasion, but with many of -my brother officers, watched their proceedings with my spy-glass from -the church-yard of Alverca. Our rejoicings on the flight of the enemy -were quickly turned into mourning by observing in the procession of our -returning victorious party, the gallant adjutant's well-known bay horse -with a dead body laid across the saddle. We at first indulged in the -hope that he had given it to the use of some more humble comrade; but -long ere they reached the village we became satisfied that the horse -was the bearer of the inanimate remains of his unfortunate master, who -but an hour before had left us in all the vigour of health, hope, and -manhood. At dawn of day on the following morning the officers composing -the advanced guard, dragoons, artillery, and riflemen, were seen -voluntarily assembled in front of Sir Sidney Beckwith's quarters, and -the body, placed in a wooden chest, was brought out and buried there -amid the deep but silent grief of the spectators. - -Brief, however, is the space which can be allotted to military -lamentations in such times, for within a quarter of an hour we were -again on the move in battle array, to seek laurels or death in another -field. - -Our movement that morning was upon Guarda, the highest standing town -in Portugal, which is no joke, as they are rather exalted in their -architectural notions--particularly in convent-building--and were even -a thunder-charged cloud imprudent enough to hover for a week within -a league of their highest land, I verily believe that it would get so -saddled with monks, nuns, and their accompanying iron bars, that it -would be ultimately unable to make its escape. - -Our movement, as already said, was upon Guarda, and how it happened, -the Lord and Wellington only knows, but even in that wild mountainous -region the whole British army arriving from all points of the compass -were seen to assemble there at the same instant, and the whole French -army were to be seen at the same time in rapid retreat within gun-shot -through the valley below us. - -There must have been some screws loose among our minor departments, -otherwise such a brilliant movement on the part of our chief would not -have gone for nothing. But notwithstanding that the enemy's masses were -struggling through a narrow defile for a considerable time, and our -cavalry and horse artillery were launched against them, three hundred -prisoners were the sole fruits of the day's work. - - - - -CHAP. VII. - - The persecution of the guardian of two angels. A Caçadore and - his mounted followers. A chief of hussars in his trousers. - A chief of rifles in his glory, and a sub of ditto with two - screws in the neck. - - -In one of the first chapters of this book I not only pledged my -constancy to my fair readers, but vowed to renew my addresses from -time to time as opportunities offered. As my feet, however, have since -trodden from one extremity of a kingdom to the other, and many months -have, in the meanwhile, rolled away without giving me an opportunity -of redeeming the pledge, I fear that my fidelity might be doubted -if I delayed longer in assuring them that the spirit has all along -been willing, but the subject fearfully wanting; for wherever I have -wandered the angel of death has gone before, and carefully swept from -the female countenance all lines of beauty, leaving nothing for the eye -to dwell on but the hideous ruins of distress. - -The only exceptions were our fellow travellers, for the country on -our line of march, as already said, was reduced to a desert, and no -one remained in it who had either wealth or strength to remove, and -our regimental wife had deserted, but our gallant associates, the -43d and 52d regiments, had one each, who had embarked with them, and -remained true to the brigade until the end of the war. One of them was -remarkably pretty, and it did one's heart good to see the everlasting -sweets that hung upon her lovely countenance, assuring us that our -recollections of the past were not ideal, which they would otherwise -have been apt to revolve themselves into from the utter disappearance -of reality for so long a period. - -The only addition to them which our division could boast, were two -smart substantial looking Portuguese angels, who followed our two -Caçadore regiments, and rode on mule-back under the especial protection -of their regimental chaplain. These two were a continual source of -amusement to us on the march whenever we found ourselves at liberty -to indulge in it. The worthy father himself was quite a lady's man, -(Portuguese,) he was a short stout old fellow, with a snuff-coloured -coat buttoned up to the throat, which was quite unnecessary with him, -seeing that he shaved and put on a clean shirt sometimes as often as -once a fortnight. The round mealy-faced ball which he wore as a head -was surmounted by a tall cocked hat, and when mounted on his bay pony -in his Portuguese saddle, which is boarded up like a bucket, (the shape -of his seat and thighs,) he was exactly like some of the cuts I have -seen of Hudibras starting on his erratic expedition. - -It was our daily amusement whenever we could steal away from our -regiment a short time, for two or three of us to start with some -design against the Padré and his dark-eyed wards. One of us would ride -quietly up alongside of him and another on that of the ladies as if we -wished to pass, but in wishing them the compliments of the season we of -course contrived to get ourselves entangled in conversation, while a -third officer of our party rode some distance in the rear in readiness -to take advantage of circumstances. - -The Padré was a good-natured old fellow, fond of spinning a yarn, and -as soon as one of us had got him fairly embarked in his story, the -other began gradually to detach one or both of the damsels from his -side, according as the inequalities of the road favoured the movement. -They entered into the frolic merrily, but still he was so much alive -that we rarely succeeded in stealing one out of sight; but if we did -by any accident, it was a grand scene to see the scramble which he and -his pony made after the fugitives, and on recovering the one, his rage -on his return to find that the other had also disappeared. After one of -these successful expeditions we found it prudent never to renew the -attack until his wrath was assuaged, and it never abode with him long, -so that week after week and year after year we continued to renew the -experiment with various success. - -It is amusing to think to what absurdities people will have recourse -by way of amusement when subjects for it are scarce. It was long -a favourite one with us to hunt a Caçadore as we called it. Their -officers as well as our own were always mounted, and when their corps -happened to be marching in our front, any officer who stopped behind, -(which they frequently had occasion to do,) invariably, in returning -to rejoin his regiment, passed ours at a full gallop; and on those -occasions he had no sooner passed our first company than the officers -of it were hard at his heels, the others following in succession as -he cleared them, so that by the time he had reached the head of the -regiment the whole of our officers had been in full chace. We never -carried the joke too far, but made it a point of etiquette to stop -short of our commanding officer, (who was not supposed to see what was -going on,) and then fell quietly back to our respective places. - -I have often seen the hunted devil look round in astonishment, but I -do not think he ever saw the wit of the thing, and for that matter I -don't know that my readers will feel that they are much wiser, but -it was nevertheless amusing to us; and not without its use, for the -soldiers enjoyed the joke, which, though trifling, helped to keep up -that larking spirit among them, which contributed so much towards -the superiority and the glory of our arms. In times of hardship and -privation the officer cannot be too much alive to the seizing of every -opportunity, no matter how ridiculous, if it serves to beguile the -soldier of his cares. - -On the 1st of April we again closed up with the enemy on the banks of -the Coa, near Sabugal. It was a wet muggy afternoon near dusk when we -arrived at our ground, and I was sent, with the company which I had -charge of, on picquet to cover the left front of our position. - -The enemy held an opposite post on our side of the river, and I was -ordered if they were civil to me not to interfere with them, but in the -event of the reverse, to turn them over to their own side. My stomach -was more bent upon eating than fighting that evening, and I was glad -to find that they proved to be _gentlemen_, and allowed me to post my -sentries as close as I pleased without interruption. - -I found one of our German hussar videttes on a rising ground near me, -and received an order from my brigadier to keep him there until he -was relieved, and I accordingly placed a rifleman alongside of him -for his better security, but after keeping him an hour or two in the -dark and no relief appearing, I was forced to let him go or to share -my slender allowance with him, for the poor fellow (as well as his -horse) was starving. I have seen the day, however, that I would rather -have dispensed with my dinner (however sharp set) than the services -of one of those thorough-bred soldiers, for they were as singularly -intelligent and useful on outpost duty, as they were effective and -daring in the field. - -The first regiment of hussars were associated with our division -throughout the war and were deserved favourites. In starting from a -swampy couch and bowling along the road long ere dawn of day, it was -one of the romances of a soldier's life to hear them chanting their -national war songs--some three or four voices leading and the whole -squadron joining in the chorus. As I have already said, they were no -less daring in the field than they were surpassingly good on out-post -duty. The hussar was at all times identified with his horse, he shared -his bed and his board, and their movements were always regulated by the -importance of their mission. If we saw a British dragoon at any time -approaching in full speed, it excited no great curiosity among us, but -whenever we saw one of the first hussars coming on at a gallop it was -high time to gird on our swords and bundle up. - -Their chief, too, was a perfect soldier, and worthy of being the leader -of such a band, for he was to them what the gallant Beckwith was to -us--a father, as well as a leader. - -He was one who never could be caught napping. They tell a good -anecdote of him after the battle of Toulouse, when the news arrived -of the capture of Paris and Bonaparte's abdication. A staff officer -was sent to his outpost quarter to apprise him of the cessation of -hostilities--it was late when the officer arrived, and after hearing -the news, the colonel proceeded to turn into bed as usual, "all -standing," when the officer remarked with some surprise, "Why, colonel, -you surely don't mean to sleep in your clothes to-night, when you know -there is an armistice?" - -"Air mistress or no air mistress," replied the veteran, "by Got I -sleeps in my breeches!" - -We remained another day in front of Sabugal, and as it was known -that Reynier held that post with his single corps unsupported, Lord -Wellington resolved to punish him for his temerity. - -The day dawned on the morning of the 3d of April, however, rather -inauspiciously. Aurora did not throw off her night-cap at the usual -hour, and when she could no longer delay the ceremony she shed such -an abundance of dewy tears that Sabugal, with its steel-clad heights, -remained invisible to the naked eye at the distance of a few hundred -yards, which interfered materially with that punctuality in the -combined movements so necessary to ensure the complete success of our -enterprize. Leaving, therefore, to those concerned to account for their -delays, my object in renewing this battle is to pay a last tribute to -the memory of Sir Sidney Beckwith, the hero of that day. - -He, as he had been directed, moved his brigade to a ford of the Coa, -and was there waiting further orders, when a staff officer rode up, and -hastily demanded why he had not attacked? - -Beckwith was an actor of the immortal Nelson's principle--that if -a commander is in doubt he never can do wrong in placing himself -alongside of the enemy. We instantly uncorked our muzzle-stoppers, off -with our lock-caps, and our four companies of riflemen, led through -the river, (which was deep and rapid,) followed by the 43d, driving in -the enemy's picquet which defended it. The officer commanding, left his -sky-blue cloak fluttering in the breeze on the top of a furze bush, -and I felt a monstrous inclination to transfer it to my own shoulders, -for it was an article of which I happened, at that moment, to be in -especial want; but as it was the beginning of a battle in place of the -end of one, and I had an insurmountable objection to fight under false -colours, I passed it by. - -As soon as we gained the summit of the hill it became as clear as -the mist that we were regularly in for it. Beckwith, finding himself -alone and unsupported, in close action, with only hundreds to oppose -to the enemy's thousands, at once saw and felt all the danger of his -situation; but he was just the man to grapple with any odds, being -in his single person a host--of a tall commanding figure and noble -countenance, with a soul equal to his appearance--he was as Napier -says, "a man equal to rally an army in flight." - -Our four companies had led up in skirmishing order, driving in the -enemy's light troops; but the summit was defended by a strong compact -body, against which we could make no head; but opening out, and -allowing the 43d to advance, they, with a tearing volley and a charge, -sent the enemy rolling into the valley below, when the rifles again -went to work in front, sticking to them like leeches. - -The hill we had just gained became our rally-post for the remainder of -the day, and, notwithstanding the odds on the side of the enemy, they -were never able to wrest it from us. Our force was as well handled as -theirs was badly, so that in the successive and desperate encounters -which took place, both in advance and in retreat, we were as often to -be seen in their position as they were in ours. - -Beckwith himself was the life and soul of the fray; he had been the -successful leader of those who were then around him in many a bloody -field, and his calm, clear, commanding voice was distinctly heard amid -the roar of battle, and cheerfully obeyed. He had but single companies -to oppose to the enemy's battalions; but, strange as it may appear, I -saw him twice lead successful charges with but two companies of the -43d, against an advancing mass of the enemy. His front, it is true, was -equal to theirs, and such was his daring, and such the confidence which -these hardy soldiers had in him, that they went as fiercely to work -single-handed as if the whole army had been at their heels. - -Beckwith's manner of command on those occasions was nothing more than -a familiar sort of conversation with the soldier. To give an idea of -it I may as well mention that in the last charge I saw him make with -two companies of the 43d, he found himself at once opposed to a fresh -column in front, and others advancing on both flanks, and, seeing the -necessity for immediate retreat, he called out, "Now, my lads, we'll -just go back a little if you please." On hearing which every man began -to run, when he shouted again, "No, no, I don't mean that--we are in no -hurry--we'll just walk quietly back, and you can give them a shot as -you go along." This was quite enough, and was obeyed to the letter--the -retiring force keeping up a destructive fire, and regulating their -movements by his, as he rode quietly back in the midst of them, -conversing aloud in a cheerful encouraging manner--his eye all the -while intently watching the enemy to take advantage of circumstances. -A musket-ball had, in the meantime, shaved his forehead, and the blood -was streaming down his countenance, which added not a little to the -exciting interest of his appearance. As soon as we had got a little way -up the face of our hill, he called out, "Now, my men, this will do--let -us shew them our teeth again!" This was obeyed as steadily as if the -words halt, front, had been given on parade, and our line was instantly -in battle array, while Beckwith, shaking his fist in the faces of the -advancing foe, called out to them, "Now, you rascals, come on here if -you dare!" Those he addressed shewed no want of courage, but, for a -while, came boldly on to the tune of _old trousers_,[C] notwithstanding -the fearful havoc we were making in their ranks; but they could not -screw themselves up the long disputed hill--the 52d (two battalions) -had, by this time, come into the line of battle, and were plying them -hard on the right, while our rifles were peppering them on their front -and left, and, as soon as they came near enough, another dash by -Beckwith, at the head of the 43d, gave them the _coup de grace_. The -fate of the day was now decided--the net which had been wove in the -morning, and which the state of the weather had prevented being brought -to a crisis as soon as was intended, now began to tighten around -them--the 5th division crossed by the bridge of Sabugal, and the 3d, -(I believe,) by a ford to the right--and Reynier, seeing no hopes of -salvation but by immediate flight, very speedily betook himself to it, -and, I believe, saved all that did not fall on the field of battle--a -piece of good fortune of which his conduct that day shewed him -undeserving, for, had not the extraordinary state of the weather caused -the delays and mistakes which took place on our side, he could scarcely -have taken a man out of the field. - - [C] _Old trousers_ was a name given by our soldiers to the - point of war which is beat by the French drummers in - advancing to the charge. I have, when skirmishing in - a wood, and a French regiment coming up to the relief - of the opposing skirmishers, often heard the drum - long before we saw them, and, on those occasions, our - riflemen immediately began calling to each other, from - behind the different bushes, "Holloa there! look sharp! - for damn me, but here comes old trousers!" - -While standing in our last position, awaiting the attack in our front, -I was much amused in observing, on the opposite height, the approach -of our 3d division, unnoticed by the enemy--a French column occupied -the top of what seemed to be almost a precipice overlooking the river; -but I observed some of the 60th rifles clambering up the face of it on -all fours, and, to see their astonishment, when they poked their heads -over the brink, to find themselves within a couple of yards of a French -column! They, of course, immediately concealed themselves under the -bank; but it was curious to observe that they were unseen by the enemy, -who were imprudent enough either to consider themselves secure on that -side, or to give all their attention to the fight going on between -their comrades and us; but certain it is they allowed the riflemen to -gather there in formidable numbers. As we advanced immediately, the -intervening rising ground prevented my seeing what took place, but on -crowning the opposite height, which the French had just evacuated, -we found, by the bodies on the ground, that they had just received a -volley from a part of the third division--and one of the most deadly -which had been fired that day. - -Our cavalry had been astray during the fight, but they afterwards made -two or three ineffectual attempts to break in upon the enemy's line of -retreat. - -Immediately after the action, we drew up behind an old cow-shed, which -Lord Wellington occupied for a short time, while it poured torrents of -rain. Sir William Erskine, with some of his horsemen, joined us there, -and I heard him say to the commander-in-chief that he claimed no merit -for the victory, as it belonged alone to Sidney Beckwith! I believe his -lordship wanted no conjurer to tell him so, and did ample justice to -the combatants, by stating in his dispatch that "this was one of the -most glorious actions that British troops were ever engaged in." - -To those accustomed to the vicissitudes of warfare it is no less -curious to remark the many miraculous escapes from wounds than the -recovery from them. As an instance of the former, I may observe, that, -in the course of the action just related, I was addressing a passing -remark to an officer near me, who, in turning round to answer, raised -his right foot, and I observed a grape shot tear up the print which it -had but that instant left in the mud. As an instance of the latter I -shall here relate, (though rather misplaced,) that, at the storming of -Badajos, in April, 1812, one of our officers got a musket-ball in the -right ear, which came out at the back of the neck, and, though after -a painful illness, he recovered, yet his head got a twist, and he was -compelled to wear it, looking over the right shoulder. At the battle of -Waterloo, in 1815, (having been upwards of three years with his neck -awry,) he received a shot in the left ear, which came out within half -an inch of his former wound in the back of the neck, and it set his -head straight again! - -This is an anecdote which I should scarcely have dared to relate were -it not that, independent of my personal knowledge of the facts, the -hero of it still lives to speak for himself, residing on his property, -in Nottinghamshire, alike honoured and respected as a civilian, as he -was loved and esteemed as a gentleman and a gallant soldier.[D] - - [D] Lieutenant Worsley. - -After the action at Sabugal our brigade was placed under cover in the -town, and a wild night it proved--the lightning flashed--the winds -howled--and the rains rained. The house occupied by my brother sub and -myself was a two-story one, and floored after the manner of some of -our modern piers, with the boards six inches apart, and transferrable, -if necessary, to a wider range, without the trouble of extracting or -unscrewing nails. - -The upper floor, as the most honoured portion, was assigned to us, -while the first was reserved for the accommodation of some ten or a -dozen well-starved inmates. - -We had scarcely proceeded to dry our clothes, and to masticate the few -remaining crumbs of biscuit, when we received a deputation from the -lower regions, craving permission to join the mess; but, excepting the -scrapings of our haversacks, we had literally nothing for ourselves, -and were forced to turn a deaf ear to their entreaties, for there was -no making them believe we were as destitute as we seemed. It was one -of those cruel scenes to which the seats of war alone can furnish -parallels, for their wan and wasted countenances shewed that they were -wildly in want. - -The following day saw Portugal cleared of its invaders, and the British -standard once more unfurled within the Spanish boundary. - -The French army retired behind the Agueda, and our division took -possession of a portion of its former quarters, Fuentes d'Onoro, -Gallegos, and Espeja. There we enjoyed a few days repose, of which we -stood in much need, it having been exactly a month since we broke up in -front of Santarem, and, as the foregoing pages shew, it was not spent -in idleness. - - - - -CHAP. VIII. - - National Characters. Adventures of a pair of leather Breeches. - Ditto of a pound of Beef. Shewing what the French General did - not do, and a Prayer which he did not pray; with a few random - Shots. - - -Fuentes, which was our first resting place, was a very handsome -village, and every family so well known to the light division, that no -matter into which quarter the billet fell, the individual was received -as an old and approved friend. - -The change from Portugal into Spain, as alluded to in my first work, -was very striking. In the former the monkish cowl seemed even on -ordinary occasions to be drawn over the face of nature; for though -their sun was a heavenly one, it shone over a dark and bigotted race; -and though they were as ripe for mischief as those of more enlightened -nations, yet even in that they were woefully defective, and their -joys seemed often sadly miscalled. But at the time I speak of, as if -to shroud every thing in unfathomable gloom, the ravages of the enemy -had turned thousands of what (to them) were happy homes, into as many -hells--their domestic peace ruined--their houses and furniture fired, -and every countenance bearing the picture of melancholy and wan despair. - -Their damsels' cheeks wore no roses, yet did they wear soil enough on -which to rear them. But at the same time be it remarked that I quarrel -not with the countenance but with the soil, for I am a pale lover -myself. - -In Spain, on the contrary, health and joy seemed to beam on every -countenance, and comfort in every dwelling. I have observed some -writers quarrel with my former statement on this subject, and maintain -that though the difference in appearance was remarkable, that so -far as regards the article of cleanliness, the facts were not so. -With these, however, I must still differ after giving every thing due -consideration. The Portuguese did not assume to be a cleanly race, -and they were a filthy one in reality. The Spaniards did affect to -be the former, and I do think that they approached it as nearly as -may be. I allude to the peasantry, for the upper and middling classes -sink into immeasurable contempt in the comparison, but their peasantry -I still maintain are as fine and as cleanly a class as I ever saw. -Their dress is remarkably handsome, and though I can give no opinion -as to the weekly value of soap expended on their manly countenances, -yet in regard to the shirt, which is their greatest pride, and neatly -embroidered in the bosom according to the position of the wearer in -the minds of those on whom that portion of the ornamental devolves, I -can vouch for their having shewn a clean one as often as need be. And -though I do not feel myself at liberty to enter into the details of the -dress of their lovely black-eyed damsels, I may be permitted to say -that it is highly becoming to them; and, in short, I should have some -dread of staking our national credit by parading the inmates of any -chance village of our own against a similar one of theirs. - -Their houses too are remarkably neat and cleanly, and would be -comfortable were it not for those indefatigable villainous insects that -play at a perpetual hop, skip, and jump, giving occasional pinches -to the exposed parts of the inmate; and yet what warm country is -exempt from them or something worse. Go into boasted America, and so -great is the liberty of all classes there, that what with the hum of -the musquitto above, and the bug below the blanket, the unfortunate -wight, as I can testify, is regularly _hum-bugged_ out of his natural -repose. As I have taken a trip across the Atlantic for the foregoing -example, I cannot resist giving an anecdote to shew that our brethren -on that side of the water sometimes have a night's rest sacrificed to -_inexpressible_ causes as well as natural ones. - -A gentleman at the head of the law there, (not the hangman,) told me -that in his early days while the roads were yet in their infancy, he -was in the habit of going his circuit on horseback, with nothing but -a change of linen tacked to his crupper--that one day he had been -overtaken by a shower of rain before he could reach the lonely cottage, -which he had destined for his night's repose--and that it interfered -materially with the harmony which had hitherto existed between him -and his leather breeches, for he felt uncomfortable in them, and he -felt uncomfortable out of them, arising from the dread that he might -never be able to get into them again. His landlady, however, succeeded -in allaying his fears for the moment, and having lent him one of her -nether garments for present use, she finally consigned him to bed, with -injunctions to sleep undisturbed, for that she would take especial -care, while they underwent the necessary fiery ordeal, that she would -put that within which should preserve their capacities undiminished. - -Notwithstanding the satisfactory assurance on the part of the dame, a -doubt continued still to hang on the mind of the man in the petticoat; -and as "the mind disturbed denies the body rest," so was every attempt -of his to close an eye, met by the vision of a pair of shrivelled -leathers, until at length in a fit of feverish excitement he started -from his couch determined to know the worst; and throwing open the door -of the kitchen, he, to his no small astonishment, beheld his leathers -not only filled, but well filled too, by the landlady herself, who -there stood in them, toasting and turning round and round; neither so -gracefully nor so fast as Taglioni, perhaps, but still she kept turning -all the same; and it, most probably, was the smoke arising from the -lawyer's wet leathers which Tom Moore saw curling so gracefully above -the green elms when he wrote the Woodpecker. - -But to return to the Peninsula. While it must be admitted that the -hidalgo's evil is the lesser, I could, nevertheless, wish that the -good old Spaniard would march a little more with the spirit of the -times, for by the ordinary use of a small-tooth comb, he might be -enabled to limit his _hair_ hunting to the sports of the field. - -The day after our arrival at Fuentes I was amused to hear one of our -soldiers describing to a comrade his last night's fare in the new -quarter. Soon after his taking possession of it, three days' rations -had been served out to him, and his landlady, after reconnoitring it -for a while with a wistful eye, at length proposed that they should -mess together while he remained in their house, to which he readily -assented; and by way of making a fair beginning, he cut off about a -pound of the beef which he handed over to her, but at the same time -allowing her about as much play with it as a cat does to a mouse--a -precaution which he had reason to rejoice in, for he presently found -it transferred to a kettle then boiling on the fire, containing, as -he said, thirteen buckets of water, in which his pound of beef was -floating about like a cork in the middle of the ocean! "Hilloah, my -nice woman, says I, if you and I are to mess together I'll just trouble -you to take out twelve buckets and a half of that water, and in place -thereof, that you will be pleased to put in a pound of beef for every -mouth which you intend shall keep mine in company--and if you choose to -give some butter or a slice or two of bacon in addition, I shall not -object to it, but I'll have none of your gammon!" The dispute ended in -the rifleman's being obliged to fish out his pound of beef and keep it -under his own protection. - -Our repose in Fuentes was short. The garrison of Almeida was blockaded -with a fortnight's provision only, and two companies of ours under -Colonel Cameron were immediately dispatched to shoot their bullocks -while grazing on the ramparts, which still further contracted their -means of subsistence. - -Lord Wellington had in the mean time hurried off to the south in -consequence of the pressing importance of the operations of the corps -under Marshal Beresford, leaving the main army for the time being under -the command of Sir Brent Spencer. In the afternoon of the 16th of April -we were hastily ordered under arms, and passing through Gallegos we -were halted behind a hill on the banks of the Agueda, when we found -that the movement had been occasioned by the passing of a convoy -of provisions which the enemy were attempting to throw into Ciudad -Rodrigo, and which was at that moment with its escort of two hundred -men shut up in some inclosures of stone walls within half a mile of us -surrounded by our dragoons. - -I don't know how it happened, but we were kept there inactive for a -couple of hours with eight thousand men sending in summonses for them -to surrender, when a couple of our idle guns would have sent the loose -wall about their ears and made them but too happy to be allowed to do -so. But as it was, the garrison of Ciudad Rodrigo came out and carried -them off triumphantly from under our noses. - - "There's nae luck about the house, - There's nae luck ava; - There's nae luck about the house, - When our gude man's awa." - -This was the most critical period of the whole war; the destinies not -only of England but of Europe hung upon it, and all hinged on the -shoulders of one man,--that man was Wellington! I believe there were -few even of those who served under him capable of knowing, still less -of appreciating, the nature of the master-mind which there, with God's -assistance, ruled all things; for he was not only the head of the army -but obliged to descend to the responsibility of every department in -it. In the different branches of their various duties, he received -the officers in charge, as ignorant as schoolboys, and, by his energy -and unwearied perseverance, he made them what they became--the most -renowned army that Europe ever saw. Wherever he went at its head, glory -followed its steps--wherever he was not--I will not say disgrace, -but something near akin to it ensued, for it is singular enough -to remark that of all the distinguished generals who held separate -commands in that army throughout the war Lord Hill alone (besides -the commander-in-chief) came out of it with his fame untarnished -by any palpable error. In all his battles Lord Wellington appeared -to us never to leave any thing to chance. However desperate the -undertaking--whether suffering under momentary defeat, or imprudently -hurried on by partial success--we ever felt confident that a redeeming -power was at hand, nor were we ever deceived. Those only, too, who -have served under such a master-mind and one of inferior calibre can -appreciate the difference in a physical as well as a moral point of -view--for when in the presence of the enemy, under him, we were never -deprived of our personal comforts until prudence rendered it necessary, -and they were always restored to us again at the earliest possible -moment. Under the temporary command of others we have been deprived of -our baggage for weeks through the timidity of our chief, and without -the shadow of necessity; and it is astonishing in what a degree the -vacillation and want of confidence in a commander descends into the -different ranks. - -Of all the commanders in that army at the period I speak of, none -stood more distinguished than he who was for the moment our head (the -gallant Spencer,) and yet, singularly enough, the moment he was left to -himself, not only his usual daring but all spirit of enterprise seemed -to have forsaken him. Witness the escape of the French detachment -as just related, as well as the various subsequent movements under -him; whereas, within a few days, when in the field of Fuentes under -Wellington, he was himself again. - -While halted behind the hill already mentioned, I got my first -look at the celebrated Guerilla chief, Don Julian Sanchez. He was -a middling-sized thick-set fellow, with a Spanish complexion, well -whiskered and mustached, with glossy black hair, and dressed in a -hussar uniform. The peasantry of that part of the country used to tell -rather a romantic story of the cause which induced him to take up -arms,--namely, that the French had maltreated and afterwards murdered -his wife and family before his face, besides firing his house, (cause -enough in all conscience,) and for which he amply revenged himself, -for he became the most celebrated throat-cutter in that part of the -world. His band when he first took the field did not exceed fifty -men, but about the period I speak of his ranks had swelled to about -fifteen hundred. They were a contemptible force in the field, but -brave, enterprising, and useful in their mountain fastnesses--in -cutting off supplies and small detachments. I did not see his troops -until some time after, when his heavy dragoons one day crossed our line -of march. They afterwards cut a more respectable figure; but at that -period they looked a regular set of ragamuffins, wearing cocked hats -with broad white lace round the edges; yellow coats, with many more -than button-holes, and red facings; breeches of various colours and no -stockings, but a sort of shoe on the foot with a spur attached, and -their arms were as various as their colours; some with lances, some -with carabines, and in short, every one seemed as if he had equipped -himself in whatever the fortune of war had thrown in his way. - -As the battle of Fuentes approached, our life became one of perpetual -motion, and when I raised my head from its stone pillow in the morning, -it was a subject of speculation to guess within a league of its next -resting place, although we were revolving within a very limited space. -Nothing clings so tenaciously to my mind as the remembrance of the -different spots on which I have passed a night. Out of six years -campaigning it is probable that I slept at least half the period under -the open canopy of heaven, (barring latterly a sheet of canvas,) and -though more than twenty years have since rolled over my head, I think I -could still point out my every resting place. - -On the night of the 1st of May I was sent from Alameda with thirty -riflemen and six dragoons to watch a ford of the Agueda. The French -held a post on the opposite side--but at daylight in the morning I -found they had disappeared. Seeing a Spanish peasant descending on the -opposite bank--and the river not being fordable to a person on foot, -while its continuous roaring through its rugged course drowned every -other voice--I detached one of the dragoons, who brought him over -behind him, and as he told me that the French were, at that moment, on -the move to the left, I immediately transmitted the information to head -quarters. I was soon after ordered to join my battalion, which I found -lodged in a stubble field about half way between Gallegos and Alameda, -on a piece of rising ground which we had christened Kraüchenberg's -hill, in compliment to that gallant captain of German hussars, who, -with his single troop, had made a brilliant and successful charge from -it the year before on the enemy's advancing horsemen. - -The following night we had gone to bed in the village of Espeja, but -were called to arms in the middle of it, and took post in the wood -behind. - -With the enemy close upon us, our position was any thing but a safe -one; but, as it included a conical hill, which commanded a view of -their advance, Lord Wellington was anxious to retain it until the last -possible moment. - -The chief of the German hussars, who covered the reconnoitring party, -looked rather blank when he found, next morning, that the infantry -were in the act of withdrawing, and tried hard to persuade Beckwith to -leave two companies of riflemen as a support, assuring him that all the -cavalry in the world were unable to harm them in such a cover; but as -the cover was, in reality, but a sprinkling of the Spanish oaks, our -chief found it prudent to lend his deaf ear to the request. However, -we all eventually reached the position of Fuentes unmolested--a piece -of good luck which we had no right to expect, considering the military -character of our adversaries, and the nature of the ground we had to -pass over. - -Having been one of the combatants in that celebrated field, and having -already given a history of the battle such as the fates decreed, it -only remains with me, following the example of other historians, to -_favour_ the public with my observations thereon. - -In the course of my professional career several events have occurred -to bother my subaltern notions on the principles of the art of war, -and none more than the battle of Fuentes; but to convey a just idea -of what I mean to advance, it is necessary that I should describe -the ground, and while those who choose, may imagine that they see it -sketched by one who never before drew any thing but the cork out of a -bottle, or a month's pay out of the hands of the pay-master, others, -whose imaginations are not so lively, must be contented in supposing -themselves standing, with an army of thirty thousand men, between the -streams of the Tourones and Dos Casas, with our right resting on Nava -d'Aver, and our left on Fort Conception, a position extending seven -miles. - -The French advanced from Rodrigo with forty-five thousand men to -relieve their garrison, which we had shut up in Almeida, which is -in rear of our left--and in place of going the straight road to it, -through Alameda and Fort Conception, Massena spreads his army along our -whole front, and finally attacks the most distant part of it, (Nava -d'Aver.) - -That, I believe, was all strictly according to rule, for the purpose -of preserving his base of operations; but I am labouring to shew that -it was an occasion on which Massena might and ought to have set every -rule at defiance, for, in possession of a strong fortress under his own -lee, and another under that of his adversary, with an army in the field -exceeding ours by a fourth, he ought to have known that no possible -cast of the dice could have enabled us to do more than maintain the -blockade--that, if we gave him a defeat it was impossible for us to -follow it up, and if he defeated us our ruin was almost inevitable--in -short, had I been Prince of Essling, I would have thrust every thing -but my fighting men under the protection of the guns of Rodrigo, and -left myself, free and unfettered, to go where I liked, do what I could, -and, if need be, to change bases with my adversary; and it is odd to me -if I would not have cut such capers as would have astonished the great -Duke himself. - -From Fuentes to Alameda, a distance of between two and three miles, -trusting to the ruggedness of the banks of the Dos Casos, the position -was nearly altogether unoccupied on our side, and had Massena but -taken the trouble to wade through that stream as often as I had, -sometimes for love and sometimes for duty, he would have found that -it was passable in fifty places--and, as the ground permitted it, had -he assembled twenty thousand infantry there, to be thrust over at -day-light, and held the rest of his army in readiness to pounce upon -the wing to be attacked--and, had he prayed too, as did the Scottish -knight of old, (who had more faith in his good sword than in the -justice of his cause,) in these words, "O, Lord, we all know that -the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, and that, -whichever side you take, will be sure to win; but, if you will, for -this once, stand aside, and leave us two to fight it out, I shall be -for ever obliged to you"--he might then have commenced the day's work -with a tolerable prospect of success--for, if half the twenty thousand -men, on reaching the top of the hill, remained to keep the one wing in -check, and the remainder turned against the flank of the devoted one, -while his main army took it in front, they would have had good cause to -feel ashamed of themselves if they did not dispose of it long before -human aid could have reached, and odd would it have been if the others -had not then considered it high time to be off. - -What alterations Lord Wellington would have made in his dispositions -had he found himself opposed to one who held such fighting views as -I do, it is not for me to say; but it is evident that he estimated -Massena at his full value when he persisted in holding such an extended -position with an inferior army, while the other, with his superior -force, was satisfied with battering a portion of his best regimental[E] -brains out against the stone walls about Fuentes, and retiring, at -last, without attaining the object of his advance. - - [E] The most formidable attack there on the 5th was made - by his most choice troops, and they succeeded in - penetrating to the high ground behind the church, - where they were met by a brigade of the 3d division, - and routed with great slaughter. One of the wounded - prisoners pointed out to me the body of a captain of - grenadiers, (whose name I forget,) who was renowned in - their army for his daring. - -The foregoing reflections will, no doubt, to many, appear wild; but, -with a tolerable knowledge of the ground, and of the comparative -strength, I am not the less satisfied that my plan may be often tried -with success. - -In speaking of distance, however, it must not be forgotten that -in war the opposing bodies come together with wonderful celerity; -for, although soldiers do not see so far as severed lovers, who, -by transmitting their looks at each other through the moon or some -favoured star, contrive to kill space more quickly, yet the soldier, -who has no great stomach for the battle, and sees his enemy in the -morning almost out of sight, begins to reckon himself secure for that -day, must be rather astonished when he finds how soon a cannon-ball -makes up the difference between them! - -Packenham, (the gallant Sir Edward,) who was then adjutant-general, led -the brigade of the third division, which restored the battle in the -village. He came to us immediately after, faint with excitement, where -we were standing in reserve, and asked if any officer could oblige him -with some wine or brandy--a calabash was unslung for his use, and after -taking a small sip out of it, and eulogizing, in the handsomest manner, -the conduct of the troops, he left us to renew his exertions wherever -they might be wanted. He was as gallant a spirit as ever went into a -field! - -Lord Wellington, in those days, (as he was aware,) was always -designated among the soldiers by the name of _Old Douro_. The morning -after the battle, the celebrated D. M. of the guards, rode up to a -group of staff officers, and demanded if any of them had seen Beau -Douro this morning? His Lordship, who was there reclining on the ground -in his boat-cloak, started up, and said, "Well! by ---- I never knew -I was a beau before!" The same morning that officer came galloping -to us with an order--our chief, (Sidney Beckwith,) who was never on -horseback except when his duty required it, had the greatest horror -of the approach of a staff officer, who generally came at full speed -until within a yard or two--seeing M. coming on as usual on his fiery -dark chesnut, he began waving his hand for him to stop before he had -got within fifty yards, and calling out, "Aye, aye, that will do! we'll -hear all you have got to say quite well enough!" - -Among the many great and goodly names of general officers which the -Army-list furnished, it was lamentable to see that some were sent -from England, to commands in that army, who were little better than -old wives,[F] and who would have been infinitely more at home in -feeding the pigs and the poultry of a farm-yard than in furnishing -food for powder in the field; yet so it was:--the neglect of such an -one to deliver an order with which he had been entrusted, lost us the -fame and the fruits of our victory, it prevented a gallant regiment -from occupying the important post intended for it, and it cost that -regiment its gallant chief, whose nice sense of honour could see no way -of removing the stain which the neglect of his superior had cast upon -his reputation, than by placing a pistol to his own head. His fate was -sadly and deeply deplored by the whole army. - - [F] No allusion to the last-mentioned officer, who was one - of another stamp. - -As this particular period furnished few occurrences to vary the -monotony of the hammer-and-tongs sort of life we led, I shall take -advantage of the opportunity it affords to fire a few random shots for -the amusement of my readers. - - -SHOT THE FIRST. - -_The Duel._ - -On reaching Paris, after the battle of Waterloo, we found Johnny Petit -in very bad humour; and that three out of every four of the officers -in each army were not disposed of by private contract, with pistols -and small swords, must be ascribed to our ignorance alike of their -language and their national method of conveying offence; for, in regard -to the first, although we were aware that the _sacre boeuftake_ and -_sacre pomme de terre_, with which we were constantly saluted, were -not applied complimentarily, yet, as the connecting offensive links -were lost to most of us, these words alone were not looked upon as -of a nature requiring _satisfaction_; and, with regard to practical -insults, a favourite one of theirs, as we afterwards discovered, was to -tread, as if by accident, on the toe of the person to be insulted. Now, -as the natural impulse of the Englishman, on having his toe trodden -on, is to make a sort of apology to the person who did it, by way of -relieving him of a portion of the embarrassment which he expects to be -the attendant of such awkwardness, many thousand insults of the kind -passed unnoticed:--the Frenchman flattering himself that he had done a -bold thing,--the Englishman a handsome one; whereas, had the character -of the tread been distinctly understood, it would, no doubt, have been -rewarded on the spot by _our_ national method--a douse on the chops! -However, be that as it may, my business is to record the result of one -in which there was no misunderstanding; and, as some one has justly -remarked, "when people are all of one mind, it is astonishing how well -they agree." - -It occurred at an early hour in the morning, at one of those seminaries -for grown children so common in Paris, and the parties (a French -officer and one of ours) agreed to meet at day-light, which left -them but brief space for preparation, so that when they arrived on -the ground, and their fighting irons were paraded, the Frenchman's -were found to consist of a brace of pocket-pistols, with finger-sized -barrels,--while our officer had a huge horse pistol, which he had -borrowed from the quarter-master, and which looked, in the eyes of the -astonished Frenchman, like a six-pounder, the bore of it being large -enough to swallow the stocks, locks, and barrels of his brace, with the -ball-bag and powder-horn into the bargain; and he, therefore, protested -vehemently against the propriety of exposing himself to such fearful -odds, which being readily admitted on the other side, they referred the -decision to a halfpenny whether they should take alternate shots with -the large, or one each with the small. - -The Fates decreed in favour of the small arms; and, the combatants -having taken their ground, they both fired at a given signal, when -the result was that the Frenchman's pistol burst, and blew away his -finger, while our man blew away his ramrod; and as they had no longer -the means of continuing the fight, they voted that they were a brace -of good fellows, and after shaking the Frenchman by his other three -fingers, our officer accompanied him home to breakfast. - - -SHOT THE SECOND. - -_Cannon-Law._ - -While stationed, in the province of Artois, with the Army of -Occupation, one of our soldiers committed a most aggravated case -of highway-robbery upon a Frenchwoman, for which he was tried by a -court-martial, condemned, and suffered death within three days. About -a fortnight after, when the whole affair had nearly been forgotten -by us, the French report of the outrage, after having gone through -its routine of the different official functionaries, made its -appearance at our head-quarters, describing the atrocious nature of -the offence, and calling for vengeance on the head of the offender. -The commander-in-chief's reply was, as usual, short, but to the -purpose:--The man was hanged for it ten days ago. - - -SHOT THE THIRD. - -_Civil Law._ - -Whilst on the station mentioned in the foregoing anecdote, two of our -medical officers went in a gig, on a short tour, in the neighbourhood -of our cantonments, and having unconsciously passed the line of -demarkation, they were pulled up on their entrance into the first town -they came to, for the payment of the usual toll; but they claimed a -right to be exempted from it on the score of their being officers of -the Army of Occupation. The collector of the customs, however, being -of a different opinion, and finding his oratorical powers thrown away -upon them, very prudently called to his aid one of those men-at-arms -with which every village in France is so very considerately furnished. -That functionary, squaring his cocked hat, giving his mustachoes a -couple of twists, and announcing that he was as brave as a lion, as -brave as the devil, and sundry other characters of noted courage, -he, by way of illustration, drew his sword, and making half-a-dozen -furious strokes at the paving stones, made the sparks fly from them -like lightning. Seeing that the first half dozen had failed to extract -the requisite quantity of sous, he was proceeding to give half-a-dozen -more, but his sword broke at the first, and our two knights of the -lancet, having fewer scruples about surrendering to him as an unarmed -than an armed man, made no further difficulty in accompanying him to -the municipal magistrate. - -That worthy, after hearing both sides of the case with becoming -gravity, finally sentenced our two travellers to pay for the repairs -of the sword which had been so courageously broken in defence of their -civic rights. - - -SHOT THE FOURTH. - -_Sword Law._ - -At the commencement of the battle of Waterloo, three companies of our -riflemen held a sand bank, in front of the position, and abreast of La -Haye Saint, which we clung to most tenaciously, and it was not until -we were stormed in front and turned in both flanks that we finally -left it. Previous to doing so, however, a French officer rushed out of -their ranks and made a dash at one of ours, but neglecting the prudent -precaution of calculating the chances of success before striking the -first blow, it cost him his life. The officer he stormed happened to -be a gigantic highlander about six feet and a half--and, like most big -men, slow to wrath, but a fury when roused. The Frenchman held that in -his hand which was well calculated to bring all sizes upon a level--a -good small sword--but as he had forgotten to put on his spectacles, -his first (and last) thrust passed by the body and lodged in the -highlander's left arm. Saunders's blood was now up (as well as down) -and with our then small regulation half-moon sabre, better calculated -to shave a lady's-maid than a Frenchman's head, he made it descend on -the pericranium of his unfortunate adversary with a force which snapped -it at the hilt. His next dash was with his fist (and the hilt in it) -smack in his adversary's face, which sent him to the earth; and though -I grieve to record it, yet as the truth must be told, I fear me that -the chivalrous Frenchman died an ignominious death, viz. by a kick. But -where one's own life is at stake, we must not be too particular. - - -SHOT THE FIFTH. - -_Love Law._ - -Of all the evils with which a sober community can be cursed, there is -none so great as a guard-house; for while the notable house-wife is -superintending the scouring of her kitchen coppers, and the worthy -citizen is selling his sweets, the daughters are as surely to be found -lavishing their's upon their gaudy neighbour, while the nursery-maid -standing a story higher is to be seen sending her regards a step -lower--into the sentry-box. - -Though many years have now passed away, I remember as if but yesterday, -my first guard mounting, in a certain garrison town which shall be -nameless. After performing the first usual routine of military duties, -my next was, as a matter of course, to reconnoitre the neighbourhood; -for if a house happened to be within range of the officer's beat, -he seldom had to look for an adventure in vain,--nor had I on the -occasion alluded to. The station was in the centre of a populous city, -the purlieus were genteel, and at the window of one of the opposite -houses I soon descried a bevy of maidens who seemed to be regarding me -with no small curiosity. - -Eyes met eyes which looked again, and as all seemed to go merry as a -marriage bell, I took out my pencil and motioned as if I would write, -which meeting with an approving smile, I straightway indited an epistle -suitable to the occasion, and shewing it to them when ready, I strolled -past the door, where, as I expected, I found a fair hand which seemed -to belong to nobody, in readiness to receive it. - -In the course of a few minutes I received a note from the same -mysterious hand, desiring to be informed for which of the group my last -effusion was intended; and though the question was rather a puzzler to -a person who had never seen them before, and, even then, too far off to -be able to distinguish whether their eyes were green or yellow, yet I -very judiciously requested that my correspondent would accept it on her -own account. It was arranged accordingly, and her next epistle, while -it preached prudence and discretion, desired that I should come to the -door at eleven at night when she would have an opportunity of speaking -to me. - -It may be imagined that time flew on leaden wings until the arrival -of the appointed hour, when proceeding as directed, I found the door -ajar, and the vision of the hand, now with a body in the back ground, -beckoning me to enter. Following the invitation the door was gently -closed, and I was soon in a large dimly lighted hall, by the side of my -fair incognita, with my hand clasped in hers. But ah me! I had barely -time to unburthen myself of a hurricane of sighs (enough to have blown -a fire out) and to give one chaste salute, when papa's well-known knock -was heard at the door and dissolved the charm. - -In an agony of affright my fair friend desired me to run up stairs to -the first landing, and as I valued my life, not to stir from it until -she should come to fetch me. - -Misfortunes they say seldom come single, and so I found it, for I -had scarcely reached the desired place when the voice of the sentry -thundered, "Guard, turn out!" and conveyed to me the very pleasant -information that the grand rounds approached, while I, the officer of -the guard, was absent, the captive of a damsel. I was in a precious -scrape; for, prior to the arrival of the other evil, I held it to be -somewhat more than doubtful whether I was reserved for a kiss or a -kick, but the odds were now two to one in favour of the latter, for -if I did not find my way outside the walls within three quarters of a -minute, it was quite certain that if I failed to receive what was due -to me inside the house I should catch it outside, by getting kicked -from the service. My case was therefore desperate, and as the voice of -papa was still heard at the stair-foot and precluded the possibility -of bolting undetected by the door, my only alternative was the stair -window. - -The field officer was passing under it as I threw up the sash, and -though the distance to the ground loomed fearfully long there was no -time for deliberation, but bundling out, and letting myself down by the -hands as far as I could, I took my chance of the remainder and came -down on the pavement with such a tremendous clatter that I thought I -had been shivered to atoms. The noise fortunately startled the field -officer's horse, so that it was as much as he could do to keep his seat -for the moment, which gave me time to gather myself up; when, telling -him that in my hurry to get to my place before him, I had stumbled -against a lamp post and fallen, the affair passed away without further -notice, but my aching bones, for many an after-day, would not permit me -to forget the adventure of that night. - -In my next turn for guard at the same place I got a glimpse of my fair -friend, and but for once. I saw on my arrival that the family were in -marching order, and my old acquaintance, the hand, soon after presented -me with a billet announcing their immediate departure for the season, -to a distant watering place. She lamented the accident which she feared -had befallen me, and as she thought it probable that we would never -meet again, she begged that I would forgive and look upon it merely as -the badinage of a giddy girl. - - -SHOT THE SIXTH. - -_At a sore subject._ - -"They who can feel for other's woes should ne'er have cause to -mourn their own!" so sayeth the poet, and so should I say if I saw -them feeling; but I have found such a marvellous scarcity of those -tender-hearted subjects on the field of battle, that, in good sooth, if -the soldier had not a tear to shed for his own woes, he stood a very -good chance of dying unwept, which may either be considered a merry or -a dreary end, according to the notion of the individual. - -In taking a comparative view of the _comforts_ attending a sea and land -fight, I know not what evils our nautical brethren may have to contend -against, which we have not; but they have this advantage over us--that, -whatever may be the fate of the day, they have their bed and breakfast, -and their wounds are promptly attended to. This shot, be it observed, -is especially fired at the wounded. - -When a man is wounded the corps he belongs to is generally in action, -and cannot spare from the ranks the necessary assistance, so that he is -obliged to be left to the tender mercies of those who follow after, and -they generally pay him the attention due to a mad dog, by giving him as -wide a berth as they possibly can--so that he often lies for days in -the field without assistance of any kind. - -Those who have never witnessed such scenes will be loth to believe that -men's hearts can get so steeled; but so it is--the same chance befals -the officer as the soldier, and one anecdote will illustrate both. - -At the battle of Vittoria one of our officers was disabled by a shot -through the leg, but having contrived to drag himself to a road-side, -he laid himself down there, in the hope that, among the passing -thousands, some good Samaritan might be found with compassion enough to -bind up his wound, and convey him to a place of shelter. - -The rear of a battle is generally a queer place--the day is won and -lost there a dozen times, unknown to the actual combatants--fellows who -have never seen an enemy in the field, are there to be seen flourishing -their drawn swords, and "cutting such fantastic tricks before high -heaven, as make angels weep," while others are flying as if pursued -by legions of demons; and, in short, while every thing is going on in -front with the order and precision of a field-day, in rear every thing -is confusion worse confounded. - -When my wounded friend took post on the road-side, it was in the midst -of a panic amongst the followers of the army, caused by an imaginary -charge of cavalry--he tried in vain, for a length of time, to attract -the notice of somebody, when his eyes were at length regaled by a -staff surgeon of his acquaintance, who approached amid the crowd of -fugitives, and, having no doubt but he would at length receive the -requisite attention, he hailed him by name as soon as he came within -reach. The person hailed, pulled up, with "Ah! my dear fellow, how -do you do? I hope you are not badly hit?" "I can't answer for that," -replied my friend, "all I know is, that my leg is bleeding profusely, -and until some good-natured person dresses it and assists me to remove, -here I must lie!" "Ah! that's right," returned the other, "keep -yourself quiet--this is only an affair of cavalry--so that you may make -yourself quite comfortable," and, clapping spurs to his horse, he was -out of sight in a moment! - -The next known character who presented himself was a volunteer, at -that time attached to the regiment--an eccentric sort of a gentleman, -but one who had a great deal of method in his eccentricity--for, though -he always went into battle with us, I know not how it happened, but -no one ever saw him again until it was all over--he must have been an -especial favourite of the fickle goddess--for, by his own shewing, -his absence from our part of the battle was always occasioned by his -accidentally falling in with some other regiment which had lost all its -officers, and, after rallying and leading them on to the most brilliant -feat of the day, he, with the modesty becoming a hero, left them alone -in their glory--in ignorance of the person to whom they owed so much, -while he retired to his humble position as a volunteer! - -On the occasion referred to, however, in place of being at the head -of a regiment and leading them on to the front, he was at the head -of half a dozen horses, which he had contrived to scrape together in -the field, and was leading them the other road. As soon as he had -descried my wounded friend he addressed him as did the doctor--was -remarkably glad to see him, and hoped he was not badly hit--and, having -received a similar reply, he declared that he was very sorry to hear -it--_very_--"but," added he, "as you are lying there, at all events, -perhaps you will be good enough to hold these horses for me until I -return, for I know where I can get about as many more!" - -Patience had not then ceased to be a virtue--and, lest my readers -should think that I am drawing too largely on theirs, I shall resume -the thread of my narrative. - - - - -CHAP. IX. - - A bishop's gathering.--Volunteers for a soldier's love, with - a portrait of the lover.--Burning a bivouac.--Old invented - thrashing machines and baking concerns.--A flying Padre taking - a shot flying. - - -Soon after the battle of Fuentes Lord Wellington was again called -to the south, leaving us with a burning desire to follow, which was -eventually gratified; for, after various coquettish movements between -us and the enemy, which carried us in retreat near to Sabugal, we, at -length, received an order for the south; and, leaving our adversaries -to do that which might seem best unto them, we were all at once helm up -for the other side of the Tagus. - -On our way there we halted a night at Castello Branco, and hearing that -the Bishop's garden was open for inspection, and well worth the seeing, -I went with a brother-officer to reconnoitre it. - -Throughout the country which we had been traversing for a season, the -ravages of the contending armies had swept the fruits, flowers, and -even the parent stems, from the face of the earth, as if such things -had never been; and it is, therefore, difficult to convey an idea of -the gratification we experienced in having our senses again regaled -with all that was delightful in either, and in admirable order. - -Beauty, in whatever shape it comes before us, is almost irresistible, -and the worthy prelate's oranges proved quite so; for they looked so -brightly yellow--so plumply ripe--and the trees groaned with their -load, as if praying for relief, that with hearts framed as ours, so -sensitively alive to nature's kindlier feelings, it was impossible to -refuse the appeal. - -Stolen kisses, they say, are the sweetest, and besides, as there -might have been some impropriety in pressing the oranges to our lips -so publicly, we were at some loss to provide for their transfer to a -suitable place, as our dress was pocketless, and fitted as tight as a -glove; but we contrived to stow away about a dozen each in our then -sugar-loaf-shaped regimental caps, and placing them carefully on the -head, we marched off as stiffly as a brace of grenadiers. - -As the devil would have it, however, in traversing the palace-hall, -we encountered the Bishop himself, and as it was necessary that the -compliments of the season should pass between us, it was rather an -awkward meeting; I was myself alive to the consequences of having more -brains above the head than in it, and, therefore, confined myself to -the stiff soldier's salute; but my companion, unluckily, forgot his -load, and in politely returning the prelate's bow, sent his cap and -oranges rolling at his feet, while his face shone as a burnt offering -at the same shrine! The Bishop gave a benevolent smile, and after very -good naturedly assisting the youth to collect the scattered fruit, he -politely wished us a good morning, leaving us not a little ashamed of -ourselves, and deeply impressed with a sense of his gentleman-like -demeanour and amiable disposition. - -Our third march from Castello Branco brought us to Portalegre, where we -halted for some days. - -In a former chapter, I have given the Portuguese national character, -such as I found it generally,--but in nature there are few scenes -so blank as to have no sunny side, and throughout that kingdom, the -romantic little town of Portalegre still dwells the greenest spot on -memory's waste. - -Unlike most other places in that devoted land, it had escaped the -vengeful visit of their ruthless foe, and having, therefore, no fatal -remembrance to cast its shade over the future, the inhabitants received -us as if we had been beings of a superior order, to whom they were -indebted for all the blessings they enjoyed, and showered their sweets -upon us accordingly. - -In three out of four of my sojourns there, a friend and I had the good -fortune to be quartered in the same house. The family consisted of a -mother and two daughters, who were very good-looking and remarkably -kind. Our return was ever watched for with intense interest, and when -they could not command sufficient influence with the local authorities -to have the house reserved, they nevertheless contrived to squeeze us -in; for when people are in a humour to be pleased with each other, -small space suffices for their accommodation. - -Such uniform kindness on their part, it is unnecessary to say, did -not fail to meet a suitable return on ours. We had few opportunities -of falling in with things that were rich and rare, (if I except such -_jewels_ as those just mentioned,) yet were we always stumbling over -something or other, which was carefully preserved for our next happy -meeting; and whether they were gems or gew-gaws, they were alike -valued for the sake of the donors. - -The kindness shown by one family to two particular individuals goes, of -course, for nothing beyond its value; but the feeling there seemed to -be universal. - -Our usual morning's amusement was to visit one or other of the -convents, and having ascertained the names of the different pretty -nuns, we had only to ring the bell, and request the pleasure of -half-an-hour's conversation with one of the prettiest amongst them, to -have it indulged; and it is curious enough that I never yet asked a -nun, or an attendant of a nunnery, if she would elope with me, that she -did not immediately consent,--and that, too, unconditionally. - -My invitations to that effect were not general, but, on the contrary, -remarkably particular; and to show that in accepting it they meant no -joke, they invariably pointed out the means, by telling me that they -were strictly watched at that time, but if I returned privately, a -week or two after the army had passed, they could very easily arrange -the manner of their escape. - -I take no credit to myself for any preference shewn, for if there be -any truth in my looking-glass--and it was one of the most flattering -I could find--their discriminating powers would entitle them to small -credit for any partiality shewn to me individually; and while it was no -compliment, therefore, to me, or to the nunnery, it must necessarily -be due to nature, as showing that the good souls were overflowing with -the milk of human kindness, and could not say nay while they possessed -the powers of pleasing: for, as far as I have compared notes with my -companions, the feeling seemed to have been general. - -On quitting Portalegre, we stopped, the next night, at Aronches, a -small miserable walled town, with scarcely a house in it that would -entitle the holder to vote on a ten shilling franchise; and on the -night following we went into bivouac, on Monte Reguingo, between Campo -Mayor and the Caya, where we remained a considerable time. We were -there, as our gallant historian (Napier) tells us, in as judicious -but, at the same time, in as desperate a position as any that Lord -Wellington had held during the war; yet, I am free to say, however, -that none of us knew any thing at all about the matter, and cared still -less. We there held, as we ever did, the most unbounded confidence in -our chief, and a confidence in ourselves, fed by continued success, -which was not to be shaken; so that we were at all times ready for -any thing, and reckless of every thing. The soldiers had become so -inured to toil and danger that they seemed to have set disease, the -elements, and the enemy alike at defiance. Head-aches and heart-aches -were unknown amongst them, and whether they slept under a roof, a tent, -or the open sky, or whether they amused themselves with a refreshing -bath in a stream, or amused the enemy with a shot, was all a matter of -indifference. I do not eulogize our own men at the expense of others, -for although the light division stood on that particular post alone, -our chief confidence originated in the hope and belief that every -division in the army was animated by the same spirit. - -The day after our taking post at Reguingo, notwithstanding my boasted -daring, we were put to the rout by an unlooked-for enemy, namely, a -fire in the bivouac;--a scorching sun had dried up the herbage, and -some of the camp-fires communicated with the long grass on which we -were lodged; the fresh summer-breeze wafted the ground flame so rapidly -through the bivouac that before all the arms and accoutrements could -be removed, many of the men's pouches were blown-up, and caused some -accidents. - -I believe it is not generally, and cannot be too well known to military -men, that this is a measure which is very often had recourse to by an -enemy, (when the wind favours,) to dislodge a post from a field of -standing corn or long grass; and the only way to counteract it is, for -the officer commanding the post to fire the grass immediately behind -him, so that by the time the enemy's fire has burnt up, his own will -have gone away in proportion, and left a secure place for him to stand -on, without losing much ground. - -Our bivouac at Monte Reguingo abounded in various venomous reptiles, -and it is curious enough to think that amongst the thousands of human -beings sleeping in the same bed and at their mercy, one rarely or never -heard of an injury done by them. - -A decayed tree full of holes, against which the officers of our company -had built their straw hut, was quite filled with snakes, and I have -often seen fellows three feet long winding their way through the -thatch, and voting themselves our companions at all hours, but the only -inconvenience we experienced was in a sort of feeling that we would -rather have had the hut to ourselves. - -One morning in turning over a stone on which my head had rested all -night, I saw a scorpion with the tail curled over his back looking me -fiercely in the face; and though not of much use, I made it a rule -thereafter to take a look at the other side of my pillow before I went -to sleep, whenever I used a stone one. - -An officer in putting on his shoe one morning, found that he had -squeezed a scorpion to death in the toe of it. That fellow must have -been caught napping, or he certainly would have resisted the intruder. - -The only thing in the shape of an accident from reptiles that I -remember ever having occurred in our regiment was to a soldier who had -somehow swallowed a lizard. He knew not when or how, and the first hint -he had of the tenement being so occupied, was in being troubled with -internal pains and spitting of blood, which continued for many months, -in spite of all the remedies that were administered. But a powerful -emetic eventually caused him to be delivered of as ugly a child of the -kind as one would wish to look at, about three inches long. I believe -that Dr. Burke, late of the Rifles, has it still preserved. - -In that neighbourhood I was amused in observing the primitive method -adopted by the farmers in thrashing their corn,--namely, in placing it -on a hard part of the public road and driving some bullocks backwards -and forwards through it; and for winnowing, they tossed it in a sieve -and trusted to the winds to do the needful. Notwithstanding the method, -however, they contrived to shew us good looking bread in that part of -the world--as white as a confectioner's seed cake--and though the devil -take such seeds as these sons of cows had contrived to grind up with -the flour, yet it was something like the cooking on board ship; we -ought to have been thankful for the good which the Gods provided and -asked no questions. - -In July, the breaking up of the assembled armies which had so long -menaced us, sent our division again stretching off to the north in -pursuit of fresh game. The weather was so intensely hot, that it was -thought advisable to perform the greater part of our marches during -the night. I can imagine few cases, however, in which a night march -can prove in any way advantageous; for unless the roads are remarkably -good, it requires double time to perform them. The men go stumbling -along half asleep, and just begin to brighten up when their permitted -hour of repose arrives. The scorching sun, too, murders sleep, and of -our ten or twelve days' marching on that occasion, I scarcely ever -slept at all. I have always been of opinion that if men who are inured -to fatigue are suffered to have a decent allowance of repose during the -night, that you may do what you like with them during the day, let the -climate or the weather be what it may. - -I remember having been at that time in possession of a small black -pony, and like the old man and his ass, it might have admitted of a -dispute among the spectators which of us ought to have carried the -other, but to do myself justice I rarely put him to the inconvenience -of carrying anything beyond my boat-cloak, blanket, &c.; but one -morning before day-light, in stumbling along through one of those -sleepy marches, my charger, following at the length of the bridle-rein, -all at once shot past me as if he had been fired out of a mortar, and -went heels over head, throwing a complete somerset and upsetting two of -the men in his headlong career. I looked at the fellow in the utmost -astonishment to see whether he was in joke or earnest, thinking that I -had by accident got hold of one of Astley's cast-off's, who was shewing -me some of his old stage tricks, but when he got up, he gave himself a -shake and went quietly on as usual, so that it must have been nothing -beyond a dreaming caper, seeing that he was not much given to the -exhibition of feats of agility in his waking moments. - -On reaching our destination in the north, our division took up a more -advanced position than before, and placed the garrison of Ciudad -Rodrigo under blockade. - -In the first village we occupied (Mortiago) the only character worthy -of note was a most active half-starved curate, whose duty it was to -marry and to bury every body within a wide range, besides performing -the usual services in sundry chapels in that and the adjoining -villages. He was so constantly at a gallop on horseback in pursuit -of his avocations that we dubbed him the _Padrè volante_ (the flying -parson.) We did there, as in all the Spanish villages the moment we -took possession, levelled the ground at the end of the church, and with -wooden bats cut out in the shape of rackets, got up something like an -apology for that active and delightful game. - -Our greatest enjoyment there was to catch the Padrè in one of his -leisure moments and to get him to join in the amusement, of which he -was remarkably fond, and he was no sooner enlisted, than it became -the malicious aim of every one to send the ball against his lank -ribs. Whenever he saw that it was done intentionally, however, he -made no hesitation in shying his bat at the offender; but he was a -good-natured soul, as were also his tormentors, so that every thing -passed off as was intended. - -The Padrè in addition to his other accomplishments was a sportsman, -and as he was possessed of a pointer dog (a companion which, as we had -more mouths than food, we were obliged to deny ourselves), his company -in the field on that account was in great request; whatever his feats -might have been there however, he generally came off but second best. I -remember that two of our gentlemen accompanied him the first day, and -when they sprung the first covey, the Padrè's bird, out of the three -shots, was the only one that came to the ground; but notwithstanding, -one of the officers immediately ran up and very coolly placed it in -his own bag. The Padrè ran up too, and stood gaping open-mouthed -thinking he had pocketed the bird in joke; however, the other went on -deliberately loading as if all had been right. Meanwhile, the other -officer coming up, said, "Why, S. that was not your bird, it is the -Padrè's!" "My dear sir," he replied, "I know it is not my bird, but do -you suppose that I would allow a fellow like that to think that he had -killed a bird? My good sir, I would not allow him to suppose for one -moment that he had even fired at it!" - - - - -CHAP. X. - - Shewing how a volunteer may not be what Doctor Johnson made - him.--A mayor's nest.--Cupping.--The Author's reasons for - punishing the world with a book.--And some volunteers of the - right sort. - - -When we next changed our quarter we found the new one peopled -exclusively by old wives and their husbands, and, as the enemy were at -a distance, we should certainly have gone defunct through sheer ennui, -had not fortune sent us a fresh volunteer--a regular "broth of a boy," -from the Emerald Isle, who afforded ample scope for the exercise of our -mischievous propensities during our hours of idleness. - -A volunteer--be it known to all who know it not--is generally a young -man with some pretensions to gentility--and while, with some, those -pretensions are so admirably disguised as to be scarcely visible to -the naked eye, in others they are conspicuous; but, in either case, -they are persons who, being without the necessary influence to obtain -a commission at home, get a letter of introduction to the commander -of the forces in the field, who, if he approves, attaches them to -regiments, and, while they are treated as gentlemen out of the field, -they receive the pay, and do the duty of private soldiers in it. In -every storming party or service of danger, in which any portion of a -regiment is engaged, if a volunteer is attached to it, he is expected -to make one of the number, and, if a bullet does not provide for him in -the meantime, he eventually succeeds to the commission of some officer -who has fallen in action. - -Tommy Dangerfield, the hero of my tale, was, no doubt, (as we all -are,) the hero of his mother--in stature he was middle sized--rather -bull shouldered, and walked with bent knees--his face was a fresh -good-natured one, but with the usual sinister cast in the eye worn -by common Irish country countenances--in short, Tommy was rather a -good-looking, and, in reality, not a bad, fellow, and the only mistake -which he seemed to have made, was in the choice of his profession, for -which his general appearance and his ideas altogether disqualified -him--nevertherless, had he fallen into other hands it is possible that -he might have passed muster with tolerable repute until the termination -of the war; but I don't know how it was, nor do I know whether we -differed from other regiments in the same respect, but our first and -most uncharitable aim was to discover the weak points of every fresh -arrival, and to attack him through them. If he had redeeming qualities, -he, of course, came out scatheless, but, if not, he was dealt with most -unmercifully. Poor Tommy had none such--he was weak on all sides, and -therefore went to the wall. - -At the time he joined, we were unusually situated with regard to the -enemy, for, on ordinary occasions, we had their sentries opposite -to ours within a few hundred yards; but, at that period, we had the -French garrison of Ciudad Rodrigo behind us, with the 52d regiment -between; while the nearest enemy in our front was distant some ten or -twelve miles--nevertheless, our first essay was to impress Tommy with a -notion that our village was a fortified place, and that we were closely -blockaded on all sides--and it became our daily amusement to form a -reconnoitring party to endeavour to penetrate beyond the posts--which -posts, be it remarked, were held by a few of our own men, disguised for -the purpose, and posted at the out-skirts of the village wood. - -Tommy, though not a desperate character, shewed no want of -pluck--wherever we went he followed, and wherever we fled he led the -way! - -On the first occasion of the kind we got him on horseback, and -conducting him through the wood until we received the expected volley, -we took to our heels in the hope that he would get unseated in the -flight, but he held on like grim death, and arrived in the village -with the loss of his cap only. It was, however, brought to him in due -time by an old rifleman of the name of Brotherwood, who had commanded -the enemy on that occasion, but who claimed peculiar merit in its -recovery; and, having taken the opportunity of cutting a hole in it as -if a ball had passed through, he got a dollar for the cut! - -Poor Tommy, from that time, led the life of the devil--he could not -shew his nose outside his own house that he was not fired at--and -whenever we made up a larger party to shew him more of the world it was -only to lead him into further mischief. - -I was some time after this removed into the left wing of our regiment, -which belonged to a different brigade, so that I ceased to be a daily -witness of his torments, though aware that they went on as theretofore. - -Tommy continued to rub on for a considerable time. Death had become -busy in our ranks--first, by the siege and storming of Ciudad Rodrigo, -and immediately after, by that of Badajos. I had heard little or -nothing of him during those stirring events of real war--and it was -not until the morning after the storming of Badajos that he again came -under my notice--from having heard that he had been missing the night -before. I there saw him turn up, like a half-drowned rat, covered with -mud and wet, which looked very much as if he had passed the night in -the inundation, adjoining the breach, up to his neck in the water, and -probably a little deeper at times, when the fire-balls were flying -thickest. He nevertheless contrived to hold on yet a little longer--one -day, (agreeably to order,) taking post in the middle of a river, with -his face towards Ispahan, to watch the enemy in that direction--and -the next day, in conformity with the same orders, applying to the -quarter-master-general for a route for himself and party to go -to Kamskatcha to recruit, he got so bewildered that he could not -distinguish between a sham and a real order, and, at last, when in the -face of the enemy, in front of Salamanca, he absolutely refused to take -the duty for which he had been ordered, and was consequently obliged -to cut. - -It was the best thing that could have happened both for him and the -service; for, as I said before, he had mistaken his profession, and as -he was yet but a youth, it is to be hoped that he afterwards stumbled -upon the right one. - -Atalya, which we now occupied, is a mountain village about half a -league in front of the Vadillo. The only amusing characters we found in -it were the pigs. I know not whether any process was resorted to in the -mornings to entice them from their homes to grub up the falling acorns -from the beautiful little evergreen oaks which adorned the hills above, -but it was a great scene every evening at sunset to go to the top of -the village, and see about five hundred of them coming thundering down -the face of the mountain at full speed, and each galloping in to his -own door. - -We had been a considerable time there before we discovered that the -neighbourhood could furnish metal more attractive, but a shooting -excursion at last brought us acquainted with the Quinta Horquera (I -think it was called), a very respectable farm-house, situated on a -tongue of land formed by the junction of another mountain stream with -the Vadillo. - -The house itself was nothing out of the common run, but its inmates -were, for we found it occupied by the chief magistrate of Ciudad -Rodrigo, with his wife and daughter, and two young female relatives. -He himself was a staunch friend of his country, and when the fortress -of Rodrigo fell into the hands of the French, rather than live in -communion with them, he retired with his family to that remote -property, in the hope that as it was so much out of the way he might -rest there in peace and security until circumstances enabled him to -resume his position in society as a true and loyal Spaniard; but as -the sequel will shew, he had reckoned without his host, for with a -British regiment in the neighbourhood, and his house filled with young -ladies he was an unreasonable man to expect peace there, and the enemy -also by and bye came down upon him, as if to prove that his notions of -security were equally fallacious. - -Don Miguel himself was a splendid ruin of a man of three score, -of a majestic figure, regular features, and stern dark Castilian -countenance. He was kind and amusing withal, for though his own face -was forbidden to smile, yet he seemed to enjoy it in others, and did -all in his power to promote amusement, that is, as much as a Spaniard -ever does. - -His wife was very tall and very slender--the skin of her pale fleshless -face fitting so tight as to make it look like a pin-head. She was very -passive and very good-natured, her other day having long passed by. - -Their only daughter was a woman about twenty-eight years of age, with -rather a dull pock-pitted countenance, and a tall, stout, clumsy -figure. She had very little of the Spaniard in her composition, but -was nevertheless a kind good-natured girl. Her relatives, however, -were metal of another sort: the eldest was a remarkably well made -plump little figure, with a fair complexion, natural curly hair, and a -face full of dimples which shewed eternal sunshine; while her sister, -as opposite as day from night, shewed the flashing dark eye, sallow -complexion, and the light sylph-like figure for which her country-women -are so remarkable. To look at her was to see a personification of that -beautiful description of Byron's in his first canto of Childe Harold-- - - "Yet are Spain's maids no race of Amazons, - But formed for all the witching arts of love!" - -Their house, under the circumstances in which we were placed, became -an agreeable lounge for many of us for a month or two, for though the -sports of the field, with the limited means at our disposal, formed -our daily amusement, we always contrived that it should terminate -somewhere in the neighbourhood of the Quinta, where we were sure of -three things--a hearty welcome, a dish of conversation, and another -of chestnuts fried in hog's-lard, with a glass of aguadente to wind -up with, which, after the fatigues of the day, carried us comfortably -home to our more substantial repast, with a few little pleasing -recollections to dream about. - -The French marshal, as if envious of our enjoyments, meagre as they -were, put a sudden stop to them. His advance, however, was not so rapid -but that we were enabled to give our first care towards providing -for the safety of our friends of the Quinta, by assisting them with -the means of transporting themselves to a more remote glen in the -mountains, before it was necessary to look to our own, and - - Although the links of love that morn - Which War's rude hands had asunder torn - -had not been patent ones, yet did it savour somewhat of chivalric times -when we had been one evening in the field in the front of the Quinta -sporting with the young and the lovely of the land, as if wars and -rumours of wars were to be heard of no more. - -I say I felt it rather queerish or so, to be spreading down my -boat-cloak for a bed in the same field the next night, with an enemy -in my front, for so it was, and to find myself again before day-light -next morning, from my cold clay couch, gazing at the wonderful comet of -1811, that made such capital claret, and wishing that he would wag his -fiery tale a little nearer to my face, for it was so stiff with hoar -frost that I dared neither to laugh nor cry for fear of breaking it. - -We passed yet another night in the same field hallowed by such opposite -recollections; but next day, independently of the gathered strength -of the enemy in our front, we found a fight of some magnitude going -on behind us, the combat of Elbodon; and our major-general, getting -alarmed at last at his own temerity, found a sleeping place for us, -some distance in the rear, in a hollow, where none but the comet and -its companions might be indulged with a look. - -Our situation was more than ticklish--with an enemy on three sides and -an almost impassable mountain on the fourth--but starting with the -lark next morning and passing through Robledillo, we happily succeeded -in joining the army in front of Guinaldo in the afternoon, to the no -small delight of his Grace of Wellington, whose judicious and daring -front with half the enemy's numbers, had been our salvation. And it -must no doubt have been a mortifying reflection to our divisional -chief, to find that his obstinacy and disobedience of orders had not -only placed his own division, but that of the whole army in such -imminent peril. - -Marmont had no doubt a laurel-wreath in embryo for the following day, -but he had allowed _his_ day to go by; the night was ours and we used -it, so that when day-light broke, he had nothing but empty field-works -to wreak his vengeance on. He followed us along the road, with some -sharp partial fighting at one or two places, and there seemed a -probability of his coming on to the position in which Lord Wellington -felt disposed to give him battle; but a scarcity of provisions forced -him to retrace his steps, and break up to a certain extent for the -subsistence of his army, while our retreat terminated at Soita, which -it appeared was about the spot on which Lord Wellington had determined -to make a stand. - -I shall ever remember our night at Soita for one thing. The -commissariat had been about to destroy a cask of rum in the course -of that day's retreat, when at the merciful intercession of one of -my brother officers, it was happily spared and turned over to his -safe keeping, and he shewed himself deserving of the trust, for by -wonderful dexterity and management, he contrived to get it wheeled -along to our resting-place, when establishing himself under the awning -of a splendid chestnut-tree, he hung out the usual emblem of its being -the head-quarters of a highland chief--not for the purpose of scaring -way-fairers as erst did his forefathers of yore, to exclude the worthy -Baillie Nicol Jarvie from the clachan of Aberfoyle--but for the more -hospitable one of inviting them to be partakers thereof; and need I add -that among the many wearers of empty calabashes which the chances of -war had there assembled around him, the call was cheerfully responded -to, and a glorious group very quickly assembled. - -The morrow promised to be a bloody one; but we cared not for the -morrow:--"sufficient for the day is the evil thereof:"--the song and -the jest went merrily round, and, if the truth must be told, I believe -that though we carried our cups to the feast, we all went back in them, -and with the satisfaction of knowing that we had relieved our gallant -chieftain of all further care respecting the contents of the cask. - -The enemy having withdrawn the same night, we retraced our steps, next -day, to our former neighbourhood; and though we were occasionally -stirred up and called together by the menacing attitudes of our -opponents, yet we remained the unusually long period of nearly three -months without coming again into actual contact with them. - -No officer during that time had one fraction to rub against another; -and when I add that our paunches were nearly as empty as our pockets, -it will appear almost a libel upon common sense to say that we enjoyed -it; yet so it was,--our very privations were a subject of pride and -boast to us, and there still continued to be an _esprit de corps_,--a -buoyancy of feeling animating all, which nothing could quell; we were -alike ready for the field or for frolic, and when not engaged in the -one, went headlong into the other. - -Ah me! when I call to mind that our chief support in those days of -trial was the anticipated delight of recounting those tales in after -years, to wondering and admiring groups around our domestic hearths, in -merry England; and when I find that so many of these after years have -already passed, and that the folks who people these present years, care -no more about these dear-bought tales of former ones than if they were -spinning-wheel stories of some "auld wife ayont the fire;" I say it is -not only enough to make me inflict them with a book, as I have done, -but it makes me wish that I had it all to do over again; and I think -it would be very odd if I would not do exactly as I have done, for I -knew no happier times, and they were their own reward! - -It is worthy of remark that Lord Wellington, during the time I speak -of, had made his arrangements for pouncing upon the devoted fortress of -Ciudad Rodrigo, with such admirable secrecy, that his preparations were -not even known to his own army. - -I remember, about a fortnight before the siege commenced, hearing that -some gabions and fascines were being made in the neighbourhood, but it -was spoken of as a sort of sham preparation, intended to keep the enemy -on the _qui vive_, as it seemed improbable that he would dare to invest -a fortress in the face of an army which he had not force enough to meet -in the field, unless on some select position; nor was it until the day -before we opened the trenches that we became quite satisfied that he -was in earnest. - -The sieges, stormings, and capture of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajos -followed hard on each other's heels; and as I gave a short detail of -the operations in my former volume, it only remains for me now to -introduce such anecdotes and remarks as were there omitted. - -The garrison of Ciudad was weak in number, but had a superabundant -store of ammunition, which was served out to us with a liberal hand; -yet, curious enough, except what was bestowed on the working parties, -(and that was plenty in all conscience,) the greater portion of what -was intended for the supporting body was expended in air, for they -never seemed to have discovered the true position of the besieging -force; and though some few of us, in the course of each night, by -chance-shots, got transferred from natural to eternal sleep, yet their -shells were chiefly employed in the ploughing-up of a hollow way -between two hills, where we were supposed to have been, and which they -did most effectually at their own cost. - -When our turn of duty came for the trenches, however, we never had -reason to consider ourselves neglected, but, on the contrary, could -well spare what was sent at random. - -I have often heard it disputed whether the most daring deeds are done -by men of good or bad repute, but I never felt inclined to give either -a preference over the other, for I have seen the most desperate things -done by both. I remember one day during the siege that a shell pitched -in the trenches within a few yards of a noted bad character of the -52d regiment, who, rather than take the trouble of leaping out of the -trench until it had exploded, went very deliberately up, took it in his -arms, and pitched it outside, obliging those to jump back who had there -taken shelter from it. - -A wild young officer, whose eccentricities and death, at Waterloo, were -noticed in my former volume, was at that time at variance with his -father on the subject of pecuniary matters, and in mounting the breach, -at Ciudad, sword in hand, while both sides were falling thick and fast, -he remarked to a brother-officer alongside of him, in his usual jocular -way, "Egad, if I had my old father here now, I think I should be able -to bring him to terms!" - -Nothing shows the spirit of daring and inherent bravery of the British -soldier so much as in the calling for a body of volunteers for any -desperate service. In other armies, as Napier justly remarks, the -humblest helmet may catch a beam of glory; but in ours, while the -subaltern commanding the forlorn hope may look for death or a company, -and the field-officer commanding the stormers an additional step by -brevet, to the other officers and soldiers who volunteer on that -desperate service, no hope is held out--no reward given; and yet there -were as many applicants for a place in the ranks as if it led to the -highest honours and rewards. - -At the stormings of Badajos and St. Sebastian I happened to be the -adjutant of the regiment, and had the selection of the volunteers -on those occasions, and I remember that there was as much anxiety -expressed, and as much interest made by all ranks to be appointed to -the post of honour, as if it had been sinecure situations, in place of -death-warrants, which I had at my disposal. - -For the storming of St. Sebastian, the numbers from our battalion were -limited to twenty-five; and in selecting the best characters out of -those who offered themselves, I rejected an Irishman of the name of -Burke, who, although he had been on the forlorn hope both at Ciudad and -Badajos, and was a man of desperate bravery, I knew to be one of those -wild untameable animals that, the moment the place was carried, would -run into every species of excess. - -The party had been named two days before they were called for, and -Burke besieged my tent night and day, assuring me all the while that -unless he was suffered to be of the party, the place would not be -taken! I was forced at last to yield, after receiving an application in -his behalf from the officer who was to command the party; and he was -one of the very few of that gallant little band who returned to tell -the story. - -Nor was that voracious appetite for fire-eating confined to the -private soldier, for it extended alike to all ranks. On the occasion -just alluded to, our quota, as already stated, was limited to a -subaltern's command of twenty-five men; and as the post of honour was -claimed by the senior lieutenant, (Percival,) it in a manner shut the -mouths of all the juniors; yet were there some whose mouths would not -be shut,--one in particular (Lieutenant H.) who had already seen enough -of fighting to satisfy the mind of any reasonable man, for he had -stormed and bled at Ciudad Rodrigo, and he had stormed at Badajos, not -to mention his having had his share in many, and not nameless battles, -which had taken place in the interim; yet nothing would satisfy him but -that he must draw his sword in that also. - -Our colonel was too heroic a soul himself to check a feeling of that -sort in those under him, and he very readily obtained the necessary -permission to be a volunteer along with the party. Having settled his -temporal affairs, namely, willing away his pelisse, jacket, two pairs -of trousers, and sundry nether garments,--and however trifling these -bequests may appear to a military youth of the present day, who happens -to be reconnoitring a merchant tailor's settlement in St. James's -Street, yet let me tell him that, at the time I speak of, they were -valued as highly as if they had been hundreds a year in reversion. - -The prejudice against will-making by soldiers on service is so strong, -that had H. been a rich man in place of a poor one, he must have died -on the spot for doing what was accounted infinitely more desperate than -storming a breach; but his poverty seemed to have been his salvation, -for he was only half killed,--a ball entered under his eye, passed -down the roof of the mouth, through the palate, entered again at the -collar-bone, and was cut out at the shoulder-blade. He never again -returned to his regiment, but I saw him some years after, in his native -country (Ireland), in an active situation, and, excepting that he had -gotten an ugly mark on his countenance, and his former manly voice had -dwindled into a less commanding one, he seemed as well as ever I saw -him. - -Will-making, as already hinted at, was, in the face of the enemy, -reckoned the most daring of all daring deeds, for the doer was always -considered a doomed man, and it was but too often verified--not but -that the same fatality must have marked him out without it; but -so strong was the prejudice generally on that subject that many a -goodly estate has, in consequence, passed into what, under other -circumstances, would have been forbidden hands. - -On the subject of presentiments of death in going into battle, I have -known as many instances of falsification as verification. To the latter -the popular feeling naturally clings as the more interesting of the -two; but I am inclined to think that the other would preponderate -if the account could be justly rendered. The officer alluded to may -be taken as a specimen of the former--he had been my messmate and -companion at the sieges and stormings of both Ciudad and Badajos--and -on the morning after the latter, he told me that he had had a -presentiment that he would have fallen the night before, though he had -been ashamed to confess it sooner--and yet to his credit be it spoken, -so far from wishing to avoid, he coveted the post of danger--as his -duty for that day would have led him to the trenches, but he exchanged -with another officer, on purpose to ensure himself a place in the storm. - -Of my own feelings on the point in consideration, I am free to say -that, while I have been engaged in fifty actions, in which I have -neither had the time, nor taken the trouble to ask myself any questions -on the subject, but encountered them in whatever humour I happened to -be--yet, in many others, (the eve of pitched battles,) when the risk -was imminent, and certain that one out of every three must go to the -ground, I have asked myself the question, "Do I feel like a _dead_ -man?" but I was invariably answered point blank, "_No!_" And yet must -I still look like a superstitious character, when I declare that the -only time that I ever went into action, labouring under a regular -depression of spirits, was on the evening on which the musket-ball felt -my head at Foz d'Aronce. - -But to return to the storming of Ciudad. The moment which is the most -dangerous to the honour and the safety of a British army is that in -which they have won the place they have assaulted. While outside the -walls, and linked together by the magic hand of discipline, they are -heroes--but once they have forced themselves inside they become demons -or lunatics--for it is difficult to determine which spirit predominates. - -To see the two storming divisions assembled in the great square that -night, mixed up in a confused mass, shooting at each other, and firing -in at different doors and windows, without the shadow of a reason, was -enough to drive any one, who was in possession of his senses, mad. The -prisoners were formed in a line on one side of the square--unarmed, it -is true--but, on my life, had they made a simultaneous rush forward, -they might have made a second Bergen-op-Zoom of it--for so absolute -was the sway of the demon of misrule, that half of our men, I verily -believe, would have been panic-struck and thrown themselves into the -arms of death, over the ramparts, to escape a danger that either -did not exist or might have been easily avoided. After calling, and -shouting, until I was hoarse in endeavouring to restore order, and when -my voice was no longer audible, seeing a soldier raising his piece to -fire at a window, I came across his shoulders with a musket-barrel -which I had in my hand, and demanded, "What the devil, sir, are you -firing at?" to which he answered, "I don't know, sir! I am firing -because every body else is!" - -The storming of a fortress was a new era to the British army of -that day, and it is not to be wondered at if the officers were not -fully alive to the responsibility which attaches to them on such an -occasion--but on their conduct every thing hinges--by judgement and -discretion men may be kept together--but once let them loose and they -are no longer redeemable. - -I have often lamented that speechifying was at such a discount in those -days, for, excepting what was promulgated in Lord Wellington's orders, -which were necessarily brief, the subordinates knew nothing of the -past, present, or the future, until the glimpse of an English newspaper -some months after served to enlighten their understandings; but -there were every day occasions, in which the slightest hint from our -superiors, as to the probable results, would have led to incalculable -advantages, and in none more so than in the cases now quoted. So far -from recommending caution, the chief of one of the storming divisions -is grievously belied if he did not grant some special licenses for that -particular occasion, though I am bound to say for him that he did all -he could to repress them when he found the advantage taken. - -Ciudad, being a remote frontier fortress, could boast of few persons -of any note within its walls--our worthy friends of Horquera, (the -Alcaldé, with his family,) were probably the best, and he returned and -resumed his official functions as soon as he found that the place had -reverted to its legal owners--his house had been a princely one, but -was, unfortunately, situated behind the great breach, and was blown to -atoms--so that, for the time being, he was obliged to content himself -with one more humble--though, if I may speak as I have felt, I should -say not less comfortable, for I contrived to make it my home as often -as I could find an excuse for so doing--and, as the old Proverb goes, -"where there is a will there is a way," it was as often as I could. - -One portion of the ceremony of Spanish hospitality was their awaking -me about five in the morning to take a cup of chocolate, made so thick -that a tea-spoon might stand in it, which, with a little crisp brown -toast, was always administered by the fair hands of one of the damsels, -and certes I never could bring myself to consider it an annoyance, -however unusual it may seem in this cold land of ours. - - - - -CHAP. XI. - - Very short, with a few anecdotes still shorter; but the - principal actors thought the scenes long enough. - - -After the fall of Ciudad Rodrigo, our battalion took possession for a -time of Ituera, a pretty little village on the banks of the Azava. - -It was a delightful coursing country, abounding in hares; and as the -chase in those days afforded a double gratification--the one present, -and the other in perspective, (the dinner hour,) it was always followed -with much assiduity. The village, too, happened to be within a short -ride of Ciudad, so that frequent visits to our friends formed an -agreeable variety, and rendered our short sojourn there a season of -real enjoyment. - -I was much struck, on first entering Spain, in observing what appeared -to be a gross absurdity in their religious observances; for whenever -one of those processions was heard approaching, the girls, no matter -how they had been employed, immediately ran to the window, where, -kneeling down, they continued repeating their _aves_ until it had -passed, when they jumped up again and were ready for any frolic or -mischief. - -Such was the effect produced inwardly by the outward passage of -the _Hoste_, but it was not until I went to Ituera that I had an -opportunity of witnessing the fatal results of a more familiar visit -from those gentlemen bearing torches and dark lanterns, for they -certainly seemed to me to put several souls to flight before they were -duly prepared for it. - -One happened to be the landlady of the house in which I was quartered, -a woman about three score, and blind; but she was, nevertheless, as -merry as a cricket, and used to amuse us over the fireside in the -evening, while "twisting her rock and her wee pickle tow," in chaunting -Malbrook and other ditties equally interesting, with a voice which at -one time might have had a little music in it, but had then degenerated -into the squeak of a penny trumpet. - -In her last evening on earth, she had treated us with her usual -serenade, and seemed as likely to live a dozen years longer as any -one of the group around her; but on my return from a field-day next -forenoon, I met the Padré, the sexton, and their usual accompaniments, -marching out of the house to the tune of that _grave_ air of theirs; -and I saw that further question was needless, for the tears of the -attendant damsels told me the tale of woe. - -Her sudden departure was to me most unaccountable, nor could I ever -obtain an explanation beyond that she was very aged; that they had sent -for the Father to comfort her, and now she was happy in the keeping of -their blessed Virgin. - -There was much weeping and wailing for a day or two, and her -grand-daughter, a tall thin lath of a girl, about eleven or twelve -years of age, seemed the most distressed of the group. It so happened -that a few days after, an order was promulgated authorising us to fill -up our ranks with Spanish recruits, to the extent of ten men for each -company, and I started off to some of the neighbouring villages, where -we were well-known, in the hope of being able to pick up some good -ones. On my return I was rather amused to find that the damsel already -mentioned, whom I had left ten days before bathed in tears, was already -a blushing bride in the hands of a strapping muleteer. - -While on the subject of those Spanish recruits I may here remark that -we could not persuade the countrymen to join us, and it was not until -we got to Madrid that we succeeded in procuring the prescribed number -for our battalion. Those we got, however, were a very inferior sample -of the Spaniard, and we therefore expected little from them, but to -their credit be it recorded, they turned out admirably well--they were -orderly and well-behaved in quarters, and thoroughly good in the field; -and they never went into action that they had not their full portion of -casualties. - -There were fifty of them originally, and at the close of the war, -(about a year and a half after,) I think there were about seventeen -remaining, and there had not been a single desertion from among them. -When we were leaving the country they received some months' gratuitous -pay and were discharged, taking with them our best wishes, which they -richly merited. - -Lord Wellington during the whole of the war kept a pack of fox-hounds, -and while they contributed not a little to the amusement of whatever -portion of the army happened to be within reach of head-quarters, -they were to his Lordship valuable in many ways; for while he enjoyed -the chase as much as any, it gave him an opportunity of seeing and -conversing with the officers of the different departments, and other -individuals, without attracting the notice of the enemy's emissaries; -and the pursuits of that manly exercise, too, gave him a better -insight into the characters of the individuals under him, than he -could possibly have acquired by years of acquaintance under ordinary -circumstances. - -It is not unusual to meet, in the society of the present day, some old -Peninsular trump, with the rank very probably of a field officer, and -with a face as polished, and its upper story as well furnished as the -figure-head of his sword hilt, gravely asserting that all the merit -which the Duke of Wellington has acquired from his victories was due to -the troops! And having plundered the Commander-in-Chief of his glory, -and divided it among the followers, he, as an officer of those same -followers, very complacently claims a field officer's allowance in the -division of the spoil. - -I would stake all I have in this world that no man ever heard such an -opinion from the lips of a private soldier--I mean a thorough good -service one--for the ideas of such men are beyond it; and I have -ever found that their proudest stories relate to the good or gallant -deeds of those above them. It is impossible, therefore, to hear -such absurdities advanced by one in the rank of an officer, without -marvelling by what fortuitous piece of luck he, with the military -capacity of a baggage animal, had contrived to hold his commission, -for he must have been deeply indebted to the clemency of those above, -and takes the usual method of that class of persons, to shew his sense -thereof, by kicking down the ladder by which he ascended. - -Our civil brethren in general are of necessity obliged to swallow a -considerable portion of whatever we choose to place before them. But -when they meet with such an one as I have described, they may safely -calculate that whenever the items of his services can be collected, it -will be found that his Majesty has had a hard bargain! For, knowing, -as every one does, what the best ship's crew would be afloat in the -wide world of waters without a master, they may, on the same principle, -bear in mind that there can no more be an efficient army without a good -general, than there can be an efficient general without a good army, -for the one is part and parcel of the other--they cannot exist singly! - -The touching on the foregoing subject naturally obliges me to wander -from my narrative to indulge in a few professional observations, -illustrative not only of war but of its instruments. - -Those unaccustomed to warfare, are apt to imagine that a field of -battle is a scene of confusion worse confounded, but that is a mistake, -for, except on particular occasions, there is in general no noise or -confusion any thing like what takes place on ordinary field days in -England. I have often seen half the number of troops put to death, -without half the bluster and confusion which takes place in a sham -fight in the Phoenix-Park of Dublin. - -The man who blusters at a field day is not the man who does it on the -field of battle: on the contrary his thoughts there are generally -too big for utterance, and he would gladly squeeze himself into a -nutshell if he could. The man who makes a noise on the field of battle -is generally a good one, but all rules have their exceptions, for I -have seen one or two thorough good ones, who were blusterers in both -situations; but it nevertheless betrays a weakness in any officer who -is habitually noisy about trifles, from the simple fact that when any -thing of importance occurs to require an extraordinary exertion of -lungs, nature cannot supply him with the powers requisite to make the -soldiers understand that it is the consequence of an occurrence more -serious, than the trifle he was in the habit of making a noise about. - -In soldiering, as in every thing else, except Billingsgate and ballad -singing, the cleverest things are done quietly. - -At the storming of the heights of Bera, on the 8th of October, 1813, -Colonel, now Sir John Colbourne, who commanded our second brigade, -addressed his men before leading them up to the enemy's redoubt with, -"Now, my lads, we'll just charge up to the edge of the ditch, and if we -can't get in, we'll stand there and fire in their faces." They charged -accordingly, the enemy fled from the works, and in following them up -the mountain, Sir John, in rounding a hill, accompanied only by his -brigade-major and a few riflemen, found that he had headed a retiring -body of about 300 of the French, and whispering to his brigade-major -to get as many men together as he could, he without hesitation rode -boldly up to the enemy's commander, and demanded his sword! The -Frenchman surrendered it with the usual grace of his countrymen, -requesting that the other would bear witness that he had conducted -himself like a good and valiant soldier! Sir John answered the appeal -with an approving nod; for it was no time to refuse bearing witness to -the valour of 300 men, while they were in the act of surrendering to -half a dozen. - -If a body of troops is under fire, and so placed as to be unable to -return it, the officer commanding should make it a rule to keep them -constantly on the move, no matter if it is but two side steps to the -right or one to the front, it always makes them believe they are doing -something, and prevents the mind from brooding over a situation which -is the most trying of any. - -The coolness of an officer in action, if even shewn in trifles, goes -a great way towards maintaining the steadiness of the men. At the -battle of Waterloo, I heard Sir John Lambert call one of his commanding -officers to order for repeating his (the general's) word of command, -reminding him that when the regiments were in contiguous close columns, -they ought to take it from himself! As the brigade was under a terrific -fire at the time, the notice of such a trifling breach of rule shewed, -at all events, that the gallant general was at home! - -In the course of the five days' fighting which took place near Bayonne, -in December, 1813, a singular change of fate, with its consequent -interchange of civilities, took place between the commanding officer of -a French regiment and one of ours; I forget whether it was the 4th or -9th, but I think it was one of the regiments of that brigade--it had -been posted amongst some enclosures which left both its flanks at the -mercy of others. - -The fighting at that place had been very severe, with various success, -and while the regiment alluded to was hotly engaged in front, a French -corps succeeded in getting in their rear; when the enemy's commandant -advancing to the English one, apologised for troubling him, but begged -to point out that he was surrounded, and must consider himself his -prisoner! While the British colonel was listening to the mortifying -intelligence, and glancing around to see if no hope of escape was -left, he observed another body of English in the act of compassing the -very corps by which he had been caught; and, returning the Frenchman's -salute, begged his pardon for presuming to differ with him in opinion, -but that he was labouring under a mistake, for he (the Frenchman) -was, on the contrary, his prisoner, pointing in his turn to the -movement that had taken place while they had been disputing the point. -As the fact did not admit of a doubt, the Frenchman giving a shrug -of the shoulders, and uttering a lament over the fickleness of the -war-goddess, quietly surrendered. - - - - -CHAP. XII. - - Shewing rough visitors receiving a rough reception. Some living - and moving specimens thereof. Tailors not such fractions of - humanity as is generally believed. Gentle visitors receiving a - gentle reception, which ends by shewing that two shakes joined - together sound more melodiously on the heart-strings than two - hands which shake of their own accord. - - -Pass we on to Badajos--to that last, that direful, but glorious -night--the 6th of April--"so fiercely fought, so terribly won, so -dreadful in all its circumstances, that posterity can scarcely be -expected to credit the tale." - -Any one who has taken the trouble to read and digest what Napier has -said in vindication of the measures adopted by Lord Wellington for the -subjugation of those fortresses in the manner in which it was done, -must feel satisfied that their propriety admits of no dispute. But as -the want of time rendered it necessary to set the arts and sciences -at defiance--and that, if carried at all, it must have been done with -an extra sacrifice of human life, it will for ever remain a matter -of opinion at what period of the siege the assault should have been -made with the best prospect of success, and with the least probable -loss--and such being the case it must be free to every writer to offer -his own ideas. - -Lord Wellington, as is well known, waited on each occasion for open -breaches, and was each time successful--so far he did well, and they -may do better who can. Colonel Lamarre would have attacked Badajos -the first night of the siege with better hopes of success than on the -last, as the garrison, he says, would have been less prepared, and the -defences not so complete. But I differ from him on both positions, -for, depend upon it, that every garrison is excessively alive for -the first few days after they have been invested. And as to defensive -preparations, I have reason to think that few after ones of consequence -took place, but those of counteracting the effects of our battering -guns. - -I am, nevertheless, one of those who would like to see the attempt -made at an intermediate period. Breaches certainly serve the important -end of distracting the attention of the garrison, and leading them -to neglect other assailable points--though, whenever they have the -opportunity of retrenching them, as at Badajos, they are undoubtedly -the strongest parts of the works. I should therefore carry on the -siege in the usual manner until about the time the batteries began to -come into operation, and as it might then be fairly presumed that the -garrison, by the regular order of proceedings, would be lulled into a -notion of temporary security, I should feel monstrously inclined to -try my luck. If it turned up trumps it might save valuable time and a -thousand or two of valuable lives. If it failed, the loss would be in -proportion; but it would neither lose time, nor compromise the result -of the siege. - -Colonel Jones, an able writer and an able fighter, in his particular -department, would have had us do what his great guns ought to have done -on that memorable night--namely, to have cleared away the defences on -the top of the breach, which he affirms might have been done by the -rush of a dense mass of troops. But had he been where I was he would -have seen that there was no scarcity of rushes of dense masses of -troops; but, independently of every other engine of destruction which -human ingenuity could invent--they were each time met by a dense rush -of balls, and it is the nature of man to bow before them. No dense mass -of troops could reach the top of that breach. - -Major (then Lieutenant) Johnston, of ours, who was peculiarly -calculated for desperate enterprize, preceded the forlorn hope, in -command of a party carrying ropes, prepared with nooses, to throw over -the sword blades, as the most likely method of displacing, by dragging -them down the breach; but he and his whole party were stricken down -before one of them had got within throwing distance. - -When an officer, as I have already mentioned, with a presentiment of -death upon him, resigned a safe duty to take a desperate one--when -my own servant, rather than remain behind, gave up his situation and -took his place in the ranks--when another man of ours (resolved to -win or to die,) thrust himself beneath the chained sword blades, and -there suffered the enemy to dash his brains out with the ends of their -muskets--these, I say, out of as many thousand instances of the kind -which may be furnished, will shew that there was no want of daring -leaders or desperate followers. - -The defences on the tops of the breaches ought to have been cleared -away by our batteries before the assault commenced. But failing that, -I cannot see why a couple of six-pounders (or half a dozen) might -not have been run up along with the storming party, to the crest of -the glacis. Our battalion took post there, and lay about ten minutes -unknown to the enemy, and had a few guns been sent along with us, I am -confident that we could have taken them up with equal silence, and had -them pointed at the right place--when, at the time that the storming -party commenced operations, a single discharge from each, at that range -of a few yards, would not only have disturbed the economy of the sword -blades and sand-bags, but astonished the wigs of those behind them. As -it was, however, when I visited the breaches next morning, instead of -seeing the ruin of a place just carried by storm, the whole presented -the order and regularity of one freshly prepared to meet it--not a -sword blade deranged, nor a sand-bag removed! - -The advance of the fourth division had been delayed by some accident, -and the head of their column did not reach the ditch until our first -attack had been repulsed, and when considerable confusion consequently -prevailed. - -The seventh Fusileers came gallantly on, headed by Major ----, who, -though a very little man, shouted with the lungs of a giant, for the -way to be cleared, to "let the royal Fusileers advance!" Several of our -officers assisted him in such a laudable undertaking; but, in the mean -time, a musket-ball found its way into some sensitive part, and sent -the gallant major trundling heels over head among the loose stones, -shouting to a less heroic tune--while his distinguished corps went -determinedly on, but with no better success than those who had just -preceded them, for the thing was not to be done. - -After we had withdrawn from the ditch and reformed the division for -a renewal of the attack, (it must have been then about two or three -o'clock in the morning,) some of those on the look-out brought us -information that the enemy were leaving the breaches, and our battalion -was instantly moved forward to take possession. - -We stole down into the ditch with the same silence which marked our -first advance--an occasional explosion or a discharge of musketry -continued to be heard in distant parts of the works; but in the awful -charnel pit we were then traversing to reach the foot of the breach, -the only sounds that disturbed the night were the moans of the dying, -with an occasional screech from others suffering under acute agony; -while a third class lying there disabled, and alive to passing events, -on hearing the movement of troops, (though too dark to distinguish -them,) began proclaiming their names and regiments, and appealing to -individual officers and soldiers of the different corps, on whose -friendly aid they seemed to feel that they could rely if they happened -to be within hearing. - -It was a heart-rending moment to be obliged to leave such appeals -unheeded; but, though the fate of those around might have been ours the -next instant, our common weal, our honour, and our country's, alike -demanded that every thing should be sacrificed to secure the prize -which was now within our grasp; and our onward movement was therefore -continued into the breach with measured tread and stern silence, -leaving the unfortunate sufferers to doubt whether the stone walls -around had not been their only listeners. - -Once established within the walls we felt satisfied that the town -was ours--and, profiting by his experience at Ciudad, our commandant -(Colonel Cameron) took the necessary measures to keep his battalion -together, so long as the safety of the place could in any way be -compromised--for, knowing the barbarous license which soldiers employed -in that desperate service claim, and which they will not be denied, he -addressed them, and promised that they should have the same indulgence -as others, and that he should not insist upon keeping them together -longer than was absolutely necessary; but he assured them that if any -man quitted the ranks until he gave permission he would cause him -to be put to death on the spot. That had the desired effect until -between nine and ten o'clock in the morning, when, seeing that the -whole of the late garrison had been secured and marched off to Elvas, -he again addressed his battalion, and thanked them for their conduct -throughout: he concluded with, "Now, my men, you may fall out and enjoy -yourselves for the remainder of the day, but I shall expect to see you -all in camp at the usual roll-call in the evening!" - -When the evening came, however, in place of the usual tattoo report of -all present, it was all absent, and it could have been wished that the -irregularities had ended with that evening's report. - -As soon as a glimpse of day-light permitted I went to take a look -at the breach, and there saw a solitary figure, with a drawn sword, -stalking over the ruins and the slain, which, in the grey dawn of -morning, appeared to my astonished eyes like a headless trunk, and -concluded that it was the ghost of one of the departed come in search -of its earthly remains. I cautiously approached to take a nearer -survey, when I found that it was Captain M'Nair, of the 52d, with his -head wrapped in a red handkerchief. - -He told me that he was looking for his cap and his scabbard, both of -which had parted company from him in the storm, about that particular -spot; but his search proved a forlorn hope. I congratulated him that -his head had not gone in the cap, as had been the case with but too -many of our mutual companions on that fatal night. - -When our regiment had reformed after the assault we found a melancholy -list of absent officers, ten of whom were doomed never to see it more, -and it was not until our return to the camp that we learnt the fate of -all. - -The wounded had found their way or been removed to their own tents--the -fallen filled a glorious grave on the spot where they fell. - -The first tent that I entered was Johnston's, with his shattered arm -bandaged; he was lying on his boat-cloak fast asleep; and, coupling his -appearance with the recollection of the daring duty he had been called -on to perform but a few hours before, in front of the forlorn hope, I -thought that I had never set my eyes on a nobler picture of a soldier. -His whole appearance, even in sleep, shewed exactly as it had been in -the execution of that duty; his splendid figure was so disposed that it -seemed as if he was taking the first step on the breach--his eyebrows -were elevated--his nostrils still distended--and, altogether, he looked -as if he would clutch the castle in his remaining hand. No one could -have seen him at that moment without saying, "there lies a hero!" - -Of the doomed, who still survived, was poor Donald Mac Pherson, a -gigantic highlander of about six feet and a half, as good a soul as -ever lived; in peace a lamb--in war a lion. Donald feared for nothing -either in this world or the next; he had been true to man and true to -his God, and he looked his last hour in the face like a soldier and a -Christian! - -Donald's final departure from this life shewed him a worthy specimen of -his country, and his methodical arrangements, while they prove what I -have stated, may, at the same time, serve as as a model for Joe Hume -himself, when he comes to cast up his last earthly accounts. - -Donald had but an old mare and a portmanteau, with its contents, -worth about £15, to leave behind him. He took a double inventory of -the latter, sending one to the regiment by post, and giving the other -in charge of his servant--and paying the said worthy his wages up to -the probable day of his death; he gave him a conditional order on the -paymaster for whatever more might be his due should he survive beyond -his time--and, if ever man did, he certainly quitted this world with a -clear conscience. - -Poor Donald! peace be to thy manes, for thou wert one whom memory loves -to dwell on! - -It is curious to remark the fatality which attends individual officers -in warfare. In our regiment there were many fine young men who joined -us, and fell in their first encounter with the enemy; but, amongst the -old standing dishes, there were some who never, by any chance got hit, -while others, again, never went into action without. - -At the close of the war, when we returned to England, if our battalion -did not shew symptoms of its being a well-shot corps, it is very odd: -nor was it to be wondered at if the camp-colours were not covered with -that precision, nor the salute given with the grace usually expected -from a reviewed body, when I furnish the following account of the -officers commanding companies on the day of inspection, viz. - -Beckwith with a cork-leg--Pemberton and Manners with a shot each in the -knee, making them as stiff as the other's tree one--Loftus Gray with a -gash in the lip, and minus a portion of one heel, which made him march -to the tune of dot and go one--Smith with a shot in the ankle--Eeles -minus a thumb--Johnston, in addition to other shot holes, a stiff -elbow, which deprived him of the power of disturbing his friends as a -scratcher of Scotch reels upon the violin--Percival with a shot through -his lungs. Hope with a grape-shot lacerated leg--and George Simmons -with his riddled body held together by a pair of stays, for his was no -holyday waist, which naturally required such an appendage lest the -burst of a sigh should snap it asunder; but one that appertained to a -figure framed in nature's fittest mould to "brave the battle and the -breeze!" - -I know not to what particular circumstances British tailors were in -the first instance indebted, for ranking them so low in the scale -of humanity, but, as far as my knowledge extends, there never was -a more traduced race. Those of our regiment I know were among the -best soldiers in it, and more frequently hit than any, very much to -our mortification; for the very limited allowance of an officer's -campaigning baggage left him almost constantly at their mercy for the -decoration of his outward man; but as the musket-balls shewed no mercy -to them, we could not of course expect them to extend it to us. - -Our master-man having at this time got his third shot, we deemed it -high time to place him on the shelf, by confining his operations in the -field, to the baggage guard. So long as we could preserve him in a -condition to wield the scissors, we luckily discovered that there were -minor thimble-plyers ready to rally round him, for we should otherwise -have been driven sometimes to the extraordinary necessity of invading -the nether garments of the ladies! - -The last night at Badajos had been to the belligerents such as few had -ever seen--the next, to its devoted inhabitants, was such as none would -ever wish to see again, for there was no sanctuary within its walls. - -I was conversing with a friend the day after, at the door of his tent, -when we observed two ladies coming from the city, who made directly -towards us; they seemed both young, and when they came near, the -elder of the two threw back her _mantilla_ to address us, shewing -a remarkably handsome figure, with fine features, but her sallow, -sunburnt, and careworn, though still youthful countenance, shewed that -in her, "The time for tender thoughts and soft endearments had fled -away and gone." - -She at once addressed us in that confident heroic manner so -characteristic of the high bred Spanish maiden, told us who they were, -the last of an ancient and honourable house, and referred to an officer -high in rank in our army, who had been quartered there in the days of -her prosperity, for the truth of her tale. - -Her husband she said was a Spanish officer in a distant part of the -kingdom; he might or he might not still be living. But yesterday, she -and this her young sister were able to live in affluence and in a -handsome house--to day, they knew not where to lay their heads--where -to get a change of raiment or a morsel of bread. Her house, she -said, was a wreck, and to shew the indignities to which they had -been subjected, she pointed to where the blood was still trickling -down their necks, caused by the wrenching of their earrings through -the flesh, by the hands of worse than savages who would not take the -trouble to unclasp them! - -For herself, she said, she cared not; but for the agitated, and almost -unconscious maiden by her side, whom she had but lately received over -from the hands of her conventual instructresses, she was in despair, -and knew not what to do; and that in the rapine and ruin which was at -that moment desolating the city, she saw no security for her but the -seemingly indelicate one she had adopted, of coming to the camp and -throwing themselves upon the protection of any British officer who -would afford it; and so great, she said, was her faith in our national -character, that she knew the appeal would not be made in vain, nor the -confidence abused. Nor was it made in vain! nor could it be abused, for -she stood by the side of an angel!--A being more transcendantly lovely -I had never before seen--one more amiable, I have never yet known! - -Fourteen summers had not yet passed over her youthful countenance, -which was of a delicate freshness, more English than Spanish--her face -though not perhaps rigidly beautiful, was nevertheless so remarkably -handsome, and so irresistibly attractive, surmounting a figure cast in -nature's fairest mould, that to look at her was to love her--and I did -love her; but I never told my love, and in the meantime another, and a -more impudent fellow stepped in and won her! but yet I was happy--for -in him she found such a one as her loveliness and her misfortunes -claimed--a man of honour, and a husband in every way worthy of her! - -That a being so young, so lovely, so interesting, just emancipated -from the gloom of a convent, unknowing of the world and to the world -unknown, should thus have been wrecked on a sea of troubles, and -thrown on the mercy of strangers under circumstances so dreadful, so -uncontrollable, and not to have sunk to rise no more, must be the -wonder of every one. Yet from the moment she was thrown on her own -resources, her star was in the ascendant. - -Guided by a just sense of rectitude, an innate purity of mind, a -singleness of purpose which defied malice, and a soul that soared -above circumstances, she became alike the adored of the camp and of -the drawing-room, and eventually the admired associate of princes. She -yet lives, in the affections of her gallant husband in an elevated -situation in life, a pattern to her sex, and the every body's _beau -ideal_ of what a wife should be. - -My reader will perhaps bear with me on this subject yet a little longer. - -Thrown upon each other's acquaintance in a manner so interesting, it -is not to be wondered at that she and I conceived a friendship for -each other, which has proved as lasting as our lives--a friendship -which was cemented by after circumstances so singularly romantic, that -imagination may scarcely picture them! The friendship of man is one -thing--the friendship of woman another; and those only who have been on -the theatre of fierce warfare, and knowing that such a being was on the -spot, watching with earnest and unceasing solicitude over his safety, -alike with those most dear to her, can fully appreciate the additional -value which it gives to one's existence. - -About a year after we became acquainted, I remember that our battalion -was one day moving down to battle, and had occasion to pass by the -lone country-house in which she had been lodged. - -The situation was so near to the outposts, and a battle certain, I -concluded that she must ere then have been removed to a place of -greater security, and, big with the thought of coming events, I -scarcely even looked at it as we rolled along, but just as I had passed -the door, I found my hand suddenly grasped in her's--she gave it a -gentle pressure, and without uttering a word had rushed back into the -house again, almost before I could see to whom I was indebted for a -kindness so unexpected and so gratifying. - -My mind had the moment before been sternly occupied in calculating the -difference which it makes in a man's future prospects--his killing -or being killed, when "a change at once came o'er the spirit of the -dream," and throughout the remainder of that long and trying day, I -felt a lightness of heart and buoyancy of spirit which, in such a -situation, was no less new than delightful. - -I never, until then, felt so forcibly the beautiful description of Fitz -James's expression of feeling, after his leave-taking of Helen under -somewhat similar circumstances:-- - - "And after oft the knight would say, - That not when prize of festal day, - Was dealt him by the brightest fair - That e'er wore jewel in her hair, - So highly did his bosom swell, - As at that simple, mute, farewell." - - - - -CHAP. XIII. - - Specimens of target-practice, in which markers may become - marked men.--A grave anecdote, shewing how "some men have - honours thrust upon them."--A line drawn between man and - beast.--Lines drawn between regiments, and shewing how - credit may not be gained by losing what they are made - of.--Aristocratic.--Dedicatic.--Dissertation on advanced - guards, and desertion of knapsacks, shewing that "the greater - haste the worse speed." - - -With discipline restored, Badajos secured, and the French relieving -army gone to the right about, we found ourselves once more transferred -to the North. - -Marmont had, during our absence, thrown away much valuable time in -cutting some unmeaning vagaries before the Portuguese militia, which, -happily for us, he might have spent more profitably; and now that we -approached him, he fell back upon Salamanca, leaving us to take quiet -possession of our former cantonments. - -Lord Wellington had thus, by a foresight almost superhuman, and by a -rapidity of execution equal to the conception, succeeded in snatching -the two frontier fortresses out of the enemy's hands in the face -of their superior armies, it gave him a double set of keys for the -security of rescued Portugal, and left his victorious army free and -unfettered for the field. - -We had been on the watch long enough, with the enemy before, beside, -and around us; but it had now become their turn to look out for -squalls, and by and bye they caught it--but in the meanwhile we were -allowed to have some respite after the extraordinary fatigues of the -past. - -Spring had by that time furnished the face of nature with her annual -suit of regimentals, (I wish it had done as much for us,) our pretty -little village stood basking in the sunshine of the plain, while the -surrounding forest courted the lovers of solitude to repose within its -shady bosom. There the nightingale and the bee-bird made love to their -mates--and there too the wolf made love to his meat, for which he -preferred the hind-quarter of a living horse, but failing that, he did -not despise a slice from a mule or a donkey. - -Nature seemed to have intended that region as the abode of rural -tranquillity, but man had doomed it otherwise. The white tent rearing -its fiery top among the green leaves of the forest--the war-steed -careering on the plains--the voice of the trumpet for the bleat of -the lamb--and the sharp clang of the rifle with its thousand echoes -reverberating from the rocks at target-practice, were none of them in -keeping with the scene; so that the nightingale was fain to hush its -melody, and the wolf his howl, until a change of circumstances should -restore him to his former sinecure of head ranger. - -The actors on that busy scene too continued to be wild and reckless as -their occupation, their lives had been so long in perpetual jeopardy -that they now held them of very little value. A rifleman one day in -marking the target, went behind to fix it more steadily; another, who -did not observe him go there, sent a ball through, which must have -passed within a hair's breadth of the marker, but the only notice he -took was to poke his head from behind, and thundering out, "Hilloah -there, d---- your eyes, do you mean to shoot us?" went on with his work -as if it had been nothing. - -Whilst on the subject of rifle-shooting, and thinking of the late -Indian exhibition of its nicety on the London stage, it reminds me that -the late Colonel Wade, and one of the privates of our second battalion, -were in the habit of holding the target for each other at the distance -of 200 yards. - -I cannot think of those days without reflecting on the mutability of -human life, and the chances and changes which man is heir to. For, -to think that I, who had so many years been the sleeping and waking -companion of dead men's bones, and not only accustomed to hold them -valueless, but often to curse the chance "which brought them between -the wind and my nobility;" I say that, under such circumstances, to -think I should e'er have stood the chance of dying the death of a -body snatcher, is to me astonishing, and would shew, even without any -scriptural authority, "that in the midst of life we are in death," for -so it was. - -Some years after, I was on my way from Ireland to Scotland, when I was -taken seriously ill at Belfast. After being confined to bed several -days in a hotel there, and not getting better, I became anxious to -reach home, and had myself conveyed on board a steam-boat which was on -the point of sailing. - -I had been but a few minutes in bed when I heard a confused noise about -the boat; but I was in a low, listless mood, dead to every thing but -a feeling of supreme misery, until my cabin-door was opened, and the -ugly faces of several legal understrappers protruded themselves, and -began to reconnoitre me with a strong sinister expression; I was dead -even to that, but when they at length explained, that in searching -the luggage of the passengers, they had found a defunct gentleman in -one of the boxes, and as he belonged to nobody out of bed, he must -naturally be the property of the only one in it, viz. myself! a very -reasonable inference, at which I found it high time to stir myself, the -more particularly as the intimation was accompanied by an invitation to -visit the police-office. - -My unshaved countenance worn down to a most cadaverous hue with several -days intense suffering, was but ill calculated to bear me out in -assertions to the contrary, but having some documentary evidence to -shew who I was, and seeing too that I was really the invalid which they -thought I had only affected, they went away quite satisfied. Not so, -however, the mob without, who insisted on being allowed to judge for -themselves, so that the officers were obliged to return and beg of me -to shew myself at the cabin widow to pacify them. - -There is no doubt but I must at that time, have borne a much stronger -resemblance to the gentleman in the box, than to the gentleman -proprietor; but to shew the justice and discrimination of mobites, -I had no sooner exhibited my countenance such as it was, than half -of them shouted that they knew me to be the man, and demanded that -I should be handed over to them; and had there not been some of the -family of the hotel fortunately on board seeing their friends off, who -vouched for my authenticity, and for my having been in bed in their -house ever since I came to town, there is little doubt but they would -have made a _subject_ of me. - -Returning from this grave anecdote to the seat of war, I pass on to the -assembling of the army in front of Ciudad Rodrigo preparatory to the -advance upon Salamanca. - -Our last assemblage on the same spot was to visit the walls of that -fortress with the thunder of our artillery, and having, by the force of -such persuasive arguments, succeeded in converting them into friends, -in whom, with confidence, we might rely in the hour of need, we were -now about to bid them and our peasant associates an adieu, with a -fervent wish on our part that it might be a final one, while with joy -we looked forward to the brightening prospect which seemed to promise -us an opportunity of diving a little deeper into their land of romance -than we had yet done. - -Division after division of our iron framed warriors successively -arrived, and took possession of the rugged banks of the Agueda, in -gallant array and in gayer shape than formerly, for in our first -campaigns the canopy of heaven had been our only covering, and our -walking on two legs, clothed in rags, the only distinction between us -and the wild beast of the forest--whereas we were now indulged in the -before unheard of luxury of a tent--three being allowed to the soldiers -of each company, and one to the officers. - -There is nothing on earth so splendid--nothing so amusing to a military -soul as this assembling of an army for active service--to see fifty -thousand men all actuated by one common spirit of enterprize, and -the cause their country's! And to see the manner, too, in which it -acts on the national characters enlisted in it--the grave-looking, -but merry-hearted Englishman--the canny, cautious, and calculating -Scotchman, and the devil-may-care _nonchalance_ of the Irish. - -I should always prefer to serve in a mixed corps, but I love to see a -national one--for while the natives of the three amalgamate well, and -make, generally speaking, the most steady, there is nevertheless an -_esprit_ about a national one which cannot fail to please. - -Nothing occasions so much controversy in civil life as the comparative -merits of those same corps--the Scotchman claiming every victory in -behalf of his countrymen, and the Irishman being no less voracious--so -that the unfortunate English regiments, who furnish more food for -powder than both put together, are thus left to fight and die -unhonoured. - -Those who know no better naturally enough award the greatest glory -to the greatest sufferers; but that is no time criterion--for great -loss in battle, in place of being a proof of superior valour and -discipline, is not unfrequently occasioned by a want of the latter -essential. - -The proudest trophy which the commanding officer of a regiment can -ever acquire is the credit of having done a brilliant deed with little -loss--and although there are many instances in which they may justly -boast of such misfortunes--witness the fifty-seventh at Albuera, the -twenty-seventh at Waterloo, and a hundred similar cases, in which -they nearly all perished on the spot they were ordered to defend, yet -I am of opinion that if the sentiments of old service officers could -be gathered, it would be found among a majority, that their proudest -regimental days were not those on which they had suffered most. - -National regiments have perhaps a greater _esprit de corps_ generally -than the majority of mixed ones, but in action they are more apt to be -carried away by some sudden burst of undisciplined valour, as Napier -would have it, to the great danger of themselves and others. - -An Irishman, after the battle of Vimiera, in writing home to his -friends, said, "We charged them over fifteen leagues of country, we -never waited for the word of command, for we were all Irish!" And I -think I could furnish a Highland anecdote or two of a similar tendency. - -In the present day, the crack national regiments, officered as they are -with their share of the _elite_ of their country's youth, are not to -be surpassed--but in war time I have never considered a crack national -regiment equal to a crack mixed one. - -The Irishman seems sworn never to drink water when he can get whiskey, -unless he likes it better--the Scotchman, for a soldier, sometimes -shews too much of the lawyer--the Englishman, too, has his besetting -sin--but by mixing the three in due proportions, the evils are found -to counteract each other. As regards personal bravery there is not a -choice among them--and for the making of a perfect regiment I should -therefore prescribe one-half English, and of Irish and Scotch a quarter -each. Yet, as I said before, I love to see a national corps, and hope -never to see a British army without them. - -With regard to officers, I think I mentioned before that in war we -had but a slender sprinkling of the aristocracy among us. The reason -I consider a very sensible one, for whatever may be the sins with -which they have, at different times, been charged, the want of pluck -has never been reckoned among the number. But as there never was any -scarcity of officers for the field, and consequently their country did -not demand the sacrifice--they may very conscientiously stand acquitted -for not going abroad, to fight and be starved, when they could live at -home in peace and plenty. - -I have often lamented however that a greater number had not been -induced to try their fortunes on the tented field, for I have ever -found that their presence and example tended to correct many existing -evils. How it should have happened I leave to others, but I have rarely -known one who was not beloved by those under him. They were not better -officers, nor were they better or braver men than the soldiers of -fortune,[G] with which they were mingled; but there was a degree of -refinement in all their actions, even in mischief, which commanded the -respect of the soldiers, while those who had been framed in rougher -moulds, and left unpolished, were sometimes obliged to have recourse -to harsh measures to enforce it. The example was therefore invaluable -for its tendency to shew that habitual severity was not a necessary -ingredient in the art of governing--and however individuals may affect -to despise and condemn the higher orders, it is often because they feel -that they sink in the comparison, and thus it is that they will ever -have their cringers and imitators even among their abusers. - - [G] Meaning soldiers of no fortune. - -I have, without permission, taken the liberty of dedicating this volume -to one of their number--not because he is one of them, but that he -is what I have found him--a nobleman! I dedicate it to him, because, -though personally unacquainted, I knew and admired him in war, as -one of the most able and splendid assistants of the illustrious chief -with whom he served--and, "though poor the offering be," I dedicate it -to him in gratitude, that with no other recommendation than my public -services, I have ever since the war experienced at his hands a degree -of consideration and kindness which none but a great and a good man -could have known how to offer. - -It may appear to my reader that I have no small share of personal -vanity to gratify in making this announcement, and I own it. I am proud -that I should have been thought deserving of his lordship's notice, but -I am still prouder that it is in my power to give myself as an example -that men of rank in office are not all of them the heartless beings -which many try to make them appear. - -With the army assembled, and the baggage laden on a fine May morning, I -shall place every infantry man on his legs, the dragoon in his saddle, -and the followers on their donkeys, starting the whole cavalcade off -on the high road to Salamanca, which, being a very uninteresting one, -and without a shot to enliven the several days' march, I shall take -advantage of the opportunity it affords to treat my young military -readers to a dissertation on advanced guards--for we have been so long -at peace that the customs of war in the like cases are liable to be -forgotten, unless rubbed into existence from time to time by some such -old foggy as I am, and for which posterity can never feel sufficiently -thankful, as to see our army taking the field with the advanced guard -on a plain, prescribed by the book of regulations, would bring every -old soldier to what I for one am not prepared for--a premature end; as -however well the said advanced guard may be calculated to find birds' -nests in a barrack square or on a common parade, in the field it would -worry an army to death. - -In the first place, if a plain is an honest plain, it requires no -advanced guard, for a man's eyes are not worth preserving if they -cannot help him to see three or four miles all round about--but there -is no such thing as a plain any where. Look at the plains of Salamanca, -where you may fancy that you see fifty miles straight on end without so -much as a wart on the face of nature, as big as a mole hill; yet within -every league or two you find yourself descending into a ravine a couple -of miles deep, taking half a day to regain the plain on the opposite -side, within a couple of stones' throw of where you were. - -In place of harassing the men with perpetual flank patroles, blistering -their feet over the loose stones with shoes full of sand, and -expending their valuable wind, which is so much wanted towards the end -of the day, in scrambling over uneven ground, let me recommend the -advanced guard to confine itself to the high road until patrolling -becomes necessary, which, in a forest, will be from the time they -enter until they leave it, unless they can trust to the information -that the enemy are otherwise engaged. And in the open country every -officer commanding a regiment, troop, or company, who has got half a -military eye in his head, will readily see when it is advisable to -send a patrole to examine any particular ground; and in so doing his -best guide is to remember the amount of the force which he covers; -for while he knows that the numbers necessary to surprize an army of -fifty thousand men cannot be conveniently crammed within the compass -of a nutshell, he must, on the other hand, remember that there are -few countries which do not afford an ambuscade for five or ten -thousand--_ergo_, if there be any truth in Cocker, the man covering -five thousand men must look exactly ten times sharper than the man who -covers fifty thousand. - -With an army of rough and ready materials such as ours had now become, -the usual precautions were scarcely necessary, except in the immediate -vicinity of the foe, for they had by this time discovered that it was -more easy to find than to get rid of us; but they ought, nevertheless, -to be strictly observed at all times, unless there are good and -sufficient reasons why they need not. - -In an open country a few squadrons of dragoons shoved well to the front -will procure every necessary information; but, in a close country, I -hold the following to be the best advanced guard. - -1st. A subaltern with twelve hussars, throwing two of them a hundred -yards in front, and four at fifty. - -2d. A section of riflemen or light infantry at fifty yards. - -3d. The other three sections of the company at fifty yards. - -4th. Four companies of light infantry at a hundred yards, with -communicating files, and followed closely by two pieces of horse -artillery, and a squadron of dragoons. - -On falling in with the enemy, the advanced videttes will fire off their -carabines to announce it, and if their opponents fall back they will -continue their onward movement. If they do not, the intermediate four -will join them, and try the result of a shot each; when, if the enemy -still remain, it shews that they decline taking a civil hint, which, -if they are infantry, they assuredly will; and dispositions must be -made accordingly. While the remaining hussars are therefore dispatched -to watch the flanks, the leading section of infantry will advance in -skirmishing order, and take possession of the most favourable ground -near the advanced videttes. The other three sections will close up to -within fifty yards, one of them, if necessary, to join the advanced -one, but a subdivision must remain in reserve. The guns will remain -on the road, and the dragoons and infantry composing the main body of -the advanced guard will be formed on the flanks, in such manner as the -ground will admit, so as to be best ready for either attack or defence; -and in that disposition they will wait further orders, presuming that -the officer commanding the division will not be a hundred miles off. - -The foregoing applies more particularly to the following of an enemy -whom you have not lately thrashed, whereas, if following a beaten one, -he ought never to be allowed a moment's respite so long as you have -force enough of any kind up to shove him along. He ought to be bullied -every inch of the way with dragoons and horse artillery, and the -infantry brought to bear as often as possible. - -However much additional celerity of movement on the part of the latter -force may be desirable, I must impress upon the minds of all future -comptrollers of knapsacks, that on no consideration should an infantry -man ever be parted from his pack. He will not move a bit faster without -than he does with it, nor do I think he can do a yard further in a -day's walking; they become so accustomed to the pace, and so inured -to the load, that it makes little difference to them whether it is on -or off,[H] while the leaving of them behind leads, at all times, to -serious loss, and to still more serious inconvenience. - - [H] Lightly however as they felt the load at the time, it - was one that told fearfully on the constitution, and I - have seen many men discharged in consequence, as being - worn out, at thirty-five years of age. - -The rifles during the war were frequently, as an indulgence, made to -fight without them, but on every occasion it proved a sacrifice, and -a great one. For although they were carried for us by the dragoons, -who followed after, yet as our skirmishing service took us off the -road, the kit of every man who got wounded was sure to be lost, for -while he was lying kicking on his back in the middle of a field, or -behind a stone wall, impatiently waiting for assistance, his knapsack -had passed on to the front, and was never heard of more, (for every -one has quite enough to do to take care of his own affairs on those -occasions,) and the poor fellow was thus deprived of his comforts at a -time when they were most needed. A dragoon, too, carrying several of -them would sometimes get hit, and he of course pitched them all to the -devil, while he took care of himself, and the unfortunate owners after -their hard day's fighting were compelled to sleep in the open air for -that and many succeeding nights, without the use of their blankets or -necessaries. On one occasion I remember that they were left on the -ground, and the battle rolled four miles beyond them, so that when it -was over, and every one had already done enough, the soldiers were -either obliged to go without, or to add eight or ten miles walk to a -harassing day's work. - -The secretary at war eventually came in for his share of the trouble -attendant on those movements, for many were the claims for compensation -which poured in upon the War-Office in after years, by the poor fellows -who had bled and lost their all upon those occasions, nor do I know -whether they have ever yet been set at rest. - -So much for advanced guards and people in a hurry, and as I happen to -have a little leisure time and a vacant leaf or two to fill up, I shall -employ it in taking a shot at field fortification; and in so doing, be -it remarked, that I leave science in those matters to the scientific, -for I am but a practical soldier. - -The French shewed themselves regular moles at field work, for they had -no sooner taken post on a fresh position, than they were to be seen -stirring up the ground in all directions. With us it was different. -I have always understood that Lord Wellington had a dislike to them, -and would rather receive his enemy in the open field than from behind -a bank of mud. How far it was so I know not; but the report seemed to -be verified by circumstances, for he rarely ever put us to the trouble -of throwing up either redoubts or breast works, except at particular -outposts, where they were likely to be useful. At Fuentes indeed he -caused some holes to be dug on the right of the line, in which the -enemy's cavalry might have comfortably broken their necks without -hurting themselves much; but I do not recollect our ever disturbing the -ground any where else--leaving the lines of Torres Vedras out of the -question, as containing works of a different order. - -If time and circumstances permitted common field works to be so -constructed as to prevent an enemy from scrambling up the walls, they -would indeed be a set of valuable pictures in the face of a position; -but as with mud alone they never can, I, for one, hold them to be worse -than nothing, and would rather go against one of them, than against the -same number of men in the open field. - -It is true that in such a place they will suffer less in the first -instance, but if they do not repulse their assailants or make a speedy -retreat, they are sure to be all netted in the long run, and the -consequence is, that one rarely sees a work of that kind well defended, -for while its garrison is always prepared for a start, its fire is not -so destructive as from the same number of men in the field, for in the -field they will do their duty, but in the redoubt they will not, and -half of their heads will be well sheltered under the ramparts, while -they send the shot off at random. I know the fellows well, and it is -only to swarm a body of light troops against the nearest angle, to get -into the ditch as quickly as possible, to unkennel any garrison of -that kind very cleverly, unless there be other obstacles than their -bayonets to contend against. - -From field works I return to our work in the field, to state that after -several days march under a broiling hot sun, and on roads of scorching -dust, which makes good stiff broth in winter, we found ourselves on the -banks of the Tormes, near the end of the bridge of Salamanca; but as -the gatekeeper there required change for twenty-four pound shot, and -we had none at the moment to give him, we were obliged to take to the -stream. - -I know not what sort of toes the Pope keeps for his friends to kiss, -but I know that after a week's marching in summer I would not kiss -those of the army for a trifle; however, I suppose that walking feet -and kissing ones wear quite different pairs of shoes. The fording of -the clear broad waters of the Tormes at all events proved a luxury in -various ways, and considerably refreshed by that part of the ceremony, -we found ourselves shortly after in the heart of that classical -city, where the first classics which we were called upon to study, -were those of three forts, of a class of their own, which was well -calculated to keep their neighbours in a constant supply of hot water. -They were not field works such as I have been treating of in the last -few pages, but town ones, with walls steep enough and ditches deep -enough to hold the army, if packed like herrings. For ourselves we -passed on to the front, leaving the seventh division to deal with them; -and a hard bargain they drove for a time, though they finally brought -them to terms. - -I rode in from the outposts several times to visit them during the -siege, and on one occasion finding an officer, stationed in a tower, -overlooking the works and acting under rather particular orders, it -reminded me of an anecdote that occurred with us in the early part -of the war. One of our majors had posted a subaltern with a party of -riflemen in the tower of a church, and as the place was an important -one, he ordered the officer, in the event of an attack, never to quit -the place alive! In the course of the evening the commanding officer -went to visit the picquet, and after satisfying himself on different -points, he demanded of Lieut. ---- what dispositions he had made for -retreat in the event of his post being forced?--To which the other -replied, "None." "None, Sir," said the commanding officer, "then let -me tell you that you have neglected an important part of your duty." -"I beg your pardon," returned the officer, "but my orders are never to -quit this spot alive, and therefore no arrangements for retreat can be -necessary!" It may be needless to add that a discretionary power was -then extended to him. - -In a midnight visit which I paid to the same place in company with -a staff friend, while the batteries were in full operation, we were -admiring the splendour of the scene, the crash of the artillery, and -the effect of the light and shade on the ruins around, caused by the -perpetual flashes from the guns and fire-balls, when it recalled to -his remembrance the siege of Copenhagen, where he described a similar -scene which was enacted, but in a position so much more interesting. - -The burying-grounds in the neighbourhood of that capital, were -generally very tastefully laid out like shrubberies with beds -of flowers, appropriate trees, &c., and intersected by winding -gravel-walks, neatly bordered with box. One of the prettiest of -these cemeteries was that at the Lecton suburb, in which there was -a profusion of white marble statues of men and women--many of them -in loose flowing drapery, and also of various quadrupeds, erected in -commemoration or in illustration of the habits and virtues of the -dead. These statues were generally overshadowed by cypress and other -_lugubrious_ trees. - -Closely adjoining this beautiful cemetery, two heavy batteries were -erected, one of ten-inch mortars, and the other of twenty-four pound -battering guns. - -In passing alone through this receptacle of the dead, about the hour of -midnight, the rapid flashes of the artillery seemed to call all these -statues, men, women, and beasts, with all their dismal accompaniments, -into a momentary and ghastly existence--and the immediate succession -of the deep gloom of midnight produced an effect which, had it been -visible to a congregation of Scotch nurses, would in their hands have -thrown all the goblin tales of their ancestors into the shade, and -generations of bairns yet unborn would have had to shudder at the -midnight view of a church-yard. - -Even among the stern hearts to whose view alone it was open, the -spectacle was calculated to excite very interesting reflections. The -crash of the artillery on both sides was enough to have awakened the -dead, then came the round shot with its wholesale sweep, tearing up the -ornamental trees and dashing statues into a thousand pieces,--next came -the bursting shell sending its fragments chattering among the tombs and -defacing every-thing it came in contact with. These, all these came -from the Danes themselves, and who knew but the hand that levelled the -gun which destroyed that statue was not the same which had erected it -to the memory of a beloved wife? Who knew but that the evergreens which -had just been torn by a shot from a new-made grave, were planted there -over the remains of an angelic daughter, and watered by the tears of -the man who fired it? and who knew but that that exquisitely chiseled -marble figure, which had its nose and eye defaced by a bursting shell, -was not placed there to commemorate the decease of a beauteous and -adored sweetheart, and valued more than existence by him who had caused -its destruction! - -Ah me! war, war! that - - "Snatching from the hand - Of Time, the scythe of ruin, sits aloft, - Or stalks in dreadful majesty abroad." - -I know not what sort of place Salamanca was on ordinary occasions, -but at that time it was remarkably stupid. The inhabitants were yet -too much at the mercy of circumstances to manifest any favourable -disposition towards us, even if they felt so inclined, for it was far -from decided whether the French, or we, were to have the supremacy, and -therefore every one who had the means betook himself elsewhere. Our -position, too, in front of the town to cover the siege was anything -but a comfortable one--totally unsheltered from a burning Spanish sun -and unprovided with either wood or water, so that it was with no small -delight that we hailed the surrender of the forts already mentioned, -and the consequent retreat of the French army, for in closing up to -them, it brought us to a merry country on the banks of the Douro. - -Mirth and duty there, however, were, as they often are, very much -at variance. Our position was a ticklish one, and required half the -division to sleep in the field in front of the town each night fully -accoutred, so that while we had every alternate night to rejoice in -quarters, the next was one of penance in the field, which would have -been tolerably fair had they been measured by the same bushel, but it -could not be, for while pleasure was the order of the evening we had -only to close the window-shutters to make a summer's night as long -as a winter's one--but in affairs of duty, stern duty, it told in an -inverse ratio; for our vineyard beds on the alternate nights were not -furnished with window-shutters, and if they had been, it would have -made but little difference, for in defiance of sun, moon, or stars, we -were obliged to be on our legs an hour before day-break, which in that -climate and at that season, happened to be between one and two o'clock -in the morning. - -Our then brigadier, Sir O. Vandeleur, was rigorous on that point, -and as our sleeping, bore no proportion to our waking moments, many -officers would steal from the ranks to snatch a little repose under -cover of the vines, and it became a highly amusing scene to see the -general on horseback, threading up between the rows of bushes and -ferreting out the sleepers. He netted a good number in the first cast -or two, but they ultimately became too knowing for him, and had only -to watch his passing up one row, to slip through the bushes into it, -where they were perfectly secure for the next half hour. - -I have already mentioned that Rueda was a capital wine country. Among -many others there was a rough effervescent pure white wine, which I had -never met with any where else, and which in warm weather was a most -delicious beverage. Their wine cellars were all excavated in a sort of -common, immediately outside the town; and though I am afraid to say the -extent, they were of an amazing depth. It is to be presumed that the -natives were all strictly honest, for we found the different cellars -so indifferently provided with locks and keys, that our men, naturally -inferring that good drinkers must have been the only characters in -request, went to work most patriotically, without waiting to be -pressed, and the cause being such a popular one, it was with no little -difficulty that we kept them within bounds. - -A man of ours, of the name of Taylor, wore a head so remarkably like -Lord Wellington's, that he was dubbed "Sir Arthur" at the commencement -of the war, and retained the name until the day of his death. At -Rueda he was the servant of the good, the gallant Charley Eeles, who -afterwards fell at Waterloo. Sir Arthur, in all his movements for -twenty years, had been as regular as Shrewsbury clock; he cleaned his -master's clothes and boots, and paraded his traps in the morning, and -in the evening he got blind drunk, unless the means were wanting. - -In one so noted for regularity as he was, it is but reasonable to -expect that his absence at toilet time should be missed and wondered -at; he could not have gone over to the enemy, for he was too true-blue -for that. He could not have gone to heaven without passing through the -pains of death--he was too great a sinner for that. He could not have -gone downwards without passing through the aforesaid ceremony, for -nobody was ever known to do so but one man, to recover his wife, and -as Sir Arthur had no wife, he had surely no inducement to go there; -in short the cause of his disappearance remained clouded in mystery -for twenty-five hours, but would have been cleared up in a tenth part -of the time, had not the rifleman, who had been in the habit of -sipping out of the same favourite cask, been on guard in the interim, -but as soon as he was relieved, he went to pay his usual visit, and -in stooping in the dark over the edge of the large headless butt to -take his accustomed sip, his nose came in contact with that of poor -Sir Arthur, which, like that of his great prototype, was of no mean -dimensions, and who was floating on the surface of his favourite -liquid, into which he must have dived deeper than he intended and got -swamped. Thus perished Sir Arthur, a little beyond the prime of life, -but in what the soldiers considered, a prime death! - -Our last day at Rueda furnished an instance so characteristic of the -silence and secrecy with which the Duke of Wellington was in the habit -of conducting his military movements, that I cannot help quoting it. - -In my former volume I mentioned that when we were called to arms that -evening, our officers had assembled for one of their usual dances. -Our commanding officer, however, Colonel Cameron, had been invited -to dine that day with his lordship, and in addition to the staff, the -party consisted of several commanding officers of regiments and others. -The conversation was lively and general, and no more allusion made to -probable movements than if we were likely to be fixed there for years. -After having had a fair allowance of wine, Lord Wellington looked at -his watch, and addressing himself to one of his staff, said, "Campbell, -it is about time to be moving--order coffee." Coffee was accordingly -introduced, and the guests, as usual, immediately after made their bow -and retired. Our commandant in passing out of the house was rather -surprised to see his lordship's baggage packed, and the mules at the -door, saddled and ready to receive it, but his astonishment was still -greater when he reached his own quarter, to find that his regiment was -already under arms along with the rest of the troops, assembled on -their alarm posts, and with baggage loaded in the act of moving off, we -knew not whither! - -We marched the whole of the night, and day-light next morning found -us three or four leagues off, interposing ourselves between the enemy -and their projected line of advance. It was the commencement of the -brilliant series of movements which preceded the battle of Salamanca. -Pass we on, therefore, to that celebrated field. - -It was late in the afternoon before it was decided whether that -day's sun was to set on a battle or our further retreat. The army -all stood in position with the exception of the third division, -which lay in reserve beyond the Tormes. Its commander, Sir Edward -Packenham, along with the other generals of divisions, attended on the -commander-in-chief, who stood on an eminence which commanded a view of -the enemy's movements. - -The artillery on both sides was ploughing the ground in all directions, -and making fearful gaps in the ranks exposed--the French were fast -closing on and around our right--the different generals had received -their instructions, and waited but the final order--a few minutes must -decide whether there was to be a desperate battle or a bloody retreat; -when, at length, Lord Wellington, who had been anxiously watching -their movements with his spy-glass, called out, "Packenham, I can stand -this no longer; now is your time!" "Thank you," replied the gallant -Packenham, "give me your hand, my lord, and by G--d it shall be done!" -Shaking hands accordingly, he vaulted into his saddle, and the result -of his movement, as is well known, placed two eagles, several pieces of -artillery, and four thousand prisoners in our possession. - -Packenham afterwards told a friend of mine who was on his staff, that, -while in the execution of that movement, he saw an opportunity in -which, by a slight deviation from his original instructions, he might -have cut off twenty thousand of the enemy, without greater risk to -his own division than he was about to encounter; but he dreaded the -possibility of its compromising the safety of some other portion of the -army, and dared not to run the hazard. - -I have, in the early part of this volume, in speaking of individual -gallantry in general, given it as my opinion that if the merits of -every victory that had been hotly contested could be traced to the -proper persons, it would be found to rest with a very few--for to those -who know it not, it is inconceivable what may be effected in such -situations by any individual ascending a little above mediocrity. - -The day after the battle of Salamanca a brigade of heavy German -dragoons, under the late Baron Bock, made one of the most brilliant -charges recorded in history. - -The enemy's rear guard, consisting of, I think, three regiments of -infantry, flanked by cavalry and artillery, were formed in squares on -an abrupt eminence, the approach to which was fetlock deep in shingle. -In short, it was a sort of position in which infantry generally think -they have a right to consider themselves secure from horsemen. - -The Baron was at the head of two splendid regiments, and, as some of -the English prints, up to that period, had been very severe upon the -employment of his countrymen in the British service, he was no doubt -burning with the desire for an opportunity of removing the unjust -attack that had been made upon them, and he could not have even dreamt -of one more glorious than that alluded to. - -Lord Wellington, who was up with the advanced guard, no sooner observed -the dispositions of the enemy than he sent an order for the Baron to -charge them. They charged accordingly--broke through the squares, and -took the whole of the infantry--the enemy's cavalry and artillery -having fled. - -Colonel May, of the British artillery, not satisfied with being -the bearer of the order, gallantly headed the charge, and fell -covered with wounds, from which he eventually recovered; but Lord -Wellington, however much he must have admired the action, cut him for a -considerable time in consequence, by way of marking his disapproval of -officers thrusting themselves into danger unnecessarily. - -In an attempt so gallantly made--so gloriously executed--it would be -invidious to exalt one individual above another, and yet I have every -reason to believe that their success was in a great measure owing to -the decisive conduct of one man. - -Our battalion just rounded the hill in time to witness the end of it; -and in conversing with one of the officers immediately after, he told -me that their success was owing to the presence of mind of a captain -commanding a squadron, who was ordered to charge the cavalry which -covered a flank of the squares--that, while in full career, the enemy's -horse in his front, without awaiting the shock, gave way, but, in place -of pursuing them, he, with a decision calculated to turn the tide of -any battle, at once brought up his outward flank, and went full tilt -against a face of the square, which having until that moment been -protected, was taken by surprise, and he bore down all before him! - -My informant mentioned the name of the hero, but it was a severe German -one, which died on the spot like an empty sound--nor have I ever since -read or heard of it--so that one who ought to have filled a bright -page in our history of that brilliant field, has, in all probability, -passed-- - - "Nor of his name or race - Hath left a token or a trace," - -save what I have here related. - -The baron, presuming that he had all the merit due to a leader on that -occasion, (for I knew him only by sight,) shewed, in his own person, -what we frequently see, that to be a bold man it is not necessary to be -a big one. In stature he was under the middle size, slenderly made, and -with a hump on one shoulder. He lived through many a bloody peninsular -field to perish by shipwreck in returning to his native country. - -Throughout our many hard-fought and invariably successful Peninsular -fields, it used to be a subject of deep mortification for us to see the -breasts of our numerous captives adorned with the different badges of -the Legion of Honour, and to think that our country should never have -thought their captors deserving of some little mark of distinction, -not only to commemorate the action, but to distinguish the man who -fought, from him who did not--thereby leaving that strongest of all -corps, the _Belem Rangers_, who had never seen a shot fired, to look -as fierce and talk as big as the best. Many officers, I see, by the -periodicals, continue still to fight for such a distinction, but the -day has gone by. No correct line could now be drawn, and the seeing of -such a medal on the breast of a man who had no claim, would deprive it -of its chief value in the eyes of him who had. - -To shew the importance attached to such distinctions in our service, -I may remark that, though the Waterloo medal is intrinsically worth -two or three shillings, and a soldier will sometimes be tempted to -part with almost any thing for drink, yet, during the fifteen years in -which I remained with the rifles after Waterloo, I never knew a single -instance of a medal being sold, and only one of its being pawned. - -On that solitary occasion it was the property of a handsome, wild, -rattling young fellow, named Roger Black. He, one night, at Cambray, -when his last copper had gone, found the last glass of wine so good, -that he could not resist the temptation of one bottle more, for which -he left his medal in pledge with the _aubergiste_, for the value of ten -sous. Roger's credit was low--a review day arrived, and he could not -raise the wind to redeem the thing he gloried in, but, putting a bold -face on it, he went to the holder, and telling him that he had come for -the purpose of redemption, he got it in his hands, and politely wished -the landlord good morning, telling him, as he was marching off, that -he would call and pay the franc out of the first money he received; -but the arrangement did not suit mine host, who opposed his exit with -all the strength of his establishment, consisting of his wife, two -daughters, a well-frizzled waiter, and a club-footed hostler. Roger, -however, painted the whole family group, ladies and all, with a set of -beautiful black eyes, and then marched off triumphantly. - -Poor Roger, for that feat, was obliged to be paid in kind, very -much against the grain of his judges, for his defence was an honest -one--namely, that he had no intention of cheating the man, but he had -no money, "and, by Jove, you know gentlemen, I could never think of -going to a review without my medal!" - - -THE END. - - -MARCHANT, PRINTER, INGRAM-COURT, FENCHURCH-STREET. - - - - - PUBLISHED BY - T. AND W. BOONE, 29, NEW BOND STREET. - - - COLONEL NAPIER'S - HISTORY OF THE WAR IN THE PENINSULA, - AND IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE; - - From the Year 1807 to the Year 1814. - - With Plates. Four Volumes 8vo. price £4; or, sold separately, - 20_s._ each. - - * * * * * - - In One Volume, post 8vo. price 10_s._ 6_d._ boards, - - A NARRATIVE OF EVENTS IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE, - And of the ATTACK ON NEW ORLEANS, in 1814 & 1815. - - By CAPT. S. H. COOKE, 43d Regt. - -"This clever and fearless account of the attack on New Orleans is -penned by one of the "occupation;" whose soldier-like view and keen -observation during the period of the stirring events he so well -relates, has enabled him to bring before the public the ablest account -that has yet been given of that ill-fated and disgraceful expedition, -and also to rescue the troops who were employed on it from those -degrading reflections which have hitherto unjustly been insinuated -against them. The admirable conduct of the navy throughout this -campaign it is impossible too highly to extol."--_Gentleman's Magazine._ - -"We like this sort of thing extremely, and we say unhesitatingly, -that the work before us makes its _entrée_ in that easy off-hand -manner, which makes us friends with the author at once, and the volume -will afford more amusement infinitely, and peradventure as much real -instruction, as ten goodly tomes of the merely learned. We wish -earnestly to call the attention of military men to the campaign before -New Orleans. It is fraught with a fearful interest, and fixes upon -the mind reflections of almost every hue. Captain Cooke's relation is -vivid; every evolution is made as clear to the eye as if we had been -present, and the remarks, we think, are eminently judicious. The book -must be generally read," &c.--_Metropolitan._ - -"It is full of good feeling, and it abounds with sketches of the -service, views of other countries, and anecdotes of our own troops -and of the enemy, which are many of them striking and few of them -uninteresting. Much that he narrates is amusing, and there is a point -in many of his stories that tells effectively."--_Sunday Herald._ - - * * * * * - - AN ESSAY - ON THE - PRINCIPLES AND CONSTRUCTION - OF - MILITARY BRIDGES, - _AND THE PASSAGE OF RIVERS IN MILITARY OPERATIONS_, - - BY MAJOR-GENERAL SIR HOWARD DOUGLAS, BART. - K.S.C., D.C.L., F.R.S., &c. &c. - - The Second Edition, containing much additional Matter and Plates, - 8vo. price 20s. boards. - - * * * * * - - COLONIZATION; - - PARTICULARLY - IN SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA: - - WITH SOME REMARKS ON - SMALL FARMS AND OVER POPULATION. - - BY COLONEL CHARLES JAMES NAPIER, C.B. - - Author of "The Colonies; particularly the Ionian Islands." - In 1 vol. 8vo. price 9_s._ boards. - -"I have never persuaded, or endeavoured to persuade, any one to -quit England with the view of exchanging it for another country; -and I have always had great reluctance to do any thing having that -tendency."--_Cobbett's Guide to Emigrants, Letter_ I. _paragraph 1_. - -"I have always, hitherto, advised _Englishmen_ not to emigrate, even to -the United States of America; but to remain at home, _in the hope that -some change_ for the better would come in the course of a _few years_. -It is now eleven years since I, in my YEARS' RESIDENCE, deliberately -gave that advice. Not only has there, since 1818, when the YEAR'S -RESIDENCE was written, been no change for the better, but things have -gradually become worse and worse, in short, things have now taken that -turn, and they present such a prospect for the future, that I not only -think it advisable for many good people to emigrate, but I think it my -duty to give them all the information I can to serve them as a guide -in that very important enterprize."--_Cobbett's Guide to Emigrants, -Letter_ I. _paragraph 2_. - - * * * * * - - Just Published, in foolscap 8vo. price 1_s._ - - THE NURSERY GOVERNESS. - - BY ELIZABETH NAPIER; - - Published after her Death by her Husband, Col. Charles James Napier, - C.B. - -"Hear the instructions of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy -mother."--_Proverbs_, ch. i. v. 8. - -"This is an admirable little book."--_True Sun._ - -"The excellent instructions laid down by Mrs. Napier will, we have no -doubt, prove a 'rich legacy' not only to her own children, but to those -in many a nursery."--_Liverpool Chronicle._ - -"Not only the nursery-governess, but the mother and daughter, -especially in the higher walks of life, may read it with -advantage."--_Atlas._ - -"We are so convinced of its utility, that we would strongly recommend -it to the diligent study of every female who has the care of a family, -either as a mother or governess."--_Sun._ - - * * * * * - - Just Published, in post 8vo. price 5s. - - RECOLLECTIONS AND REFLECTIONS - - Relative of the Duties of Troops composing the advanced Corps of an - Army. - - BY LIEUTENANT COLONEL I. LEACH, C.B. - Late of the Rifle Brigade. - Author of "Rough Sketches of the Life of an Old Soldier." - - * * * * * - - In 8vo. price _2s._ - - PRUSSIA IN 1833; - ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY OF PRUSSIA, AND HER CIVIL - INSTITUTIONS. - - Translated from the French of M. de Chambray. With an Appendix by - General de Caraman. - -"We would recommend to military readers in general, and especially to -the authorities who have the destiny of the army in their hands, an -attentive perusal of this work. The public will learn from it that the -army of Prussia, hitherto supposed to be the worst paid force, is, in -fact, better dealt with than is the case '_with the best paid army in -Europe_.'"--_United Service Journal._ - - * * * * * - - THE HISTORY - OF THE - KING'S GERMAN LEGION, - - FROM THE PERIOD OF ITS ORGANIZATION IN 1803, TO THAT OF ITS - DISSOLUTION IN 1816. - - _Compiled from Manuscript Documents._ - - By N. LUDLOW BEAMISH, Esq. F.R.S. late Major unattached. - - Vol. I. 8vo. with coloured plates; price 20_s._ boards; to be - completed in two volumes. - -"Of the late war we have had histories, partial or complete, in -countless abundance; but we have not seen one, displaying more -moderation, more diligence in investigating the truth, or more -shrewdness in deciding between conflicting statements. Though -professedly merely a history of the services of the German Legion, it -is, in fact, a history of the entire war; for, from 'what glorious and -well-foughten field' can we record the absence of German chivalry? -The work is not like others we could name--a mere compilation from -newspapers and magazines. Major Beamish has left no source of -information unexplored; and the access he obtained to manuscript -journals has enabled him to intersperse his general narrative -with interesting personal anecdotes, that render this volume as -delightful for those who read for amusement, as those who read for -profit."--_Athenæum._ - - * * * * * - - A TREATISE ON THE GAME OF WHIST; - - BY THE LATE - ADMIRAL CHARLES BURNEY, - Author of Voyages and Discoveries in the Pacific, &c. - - _Second Edition._ 18mo. boards, price 2_s._ - -"The kind of play recommended in this Treatise is on the most plain, -and what the Author considers the most safe principles. I have limited -my endeavours to the most necessary instructions, classing them as -much as the subject enabled me, under separate heads, to facilitate -their being rightly comprehended and easily remembered. For the greater -encouragement of the learner, I have studied brevity; but not in a -degree to have prevented my endeavouring more to make the principles -of the game, and the rationality of them intelligible, than to furnish -a young player with a set of rules to get by rote, that he might go -blindly right." - -In 8vo. price 5_s._ - - * * * * * - - SKETCHES IN SPAIN, - - During the Years 1829-30-31 and 32; - - Containing Notices of some Districts very little known; of the - Manners of the People, Government, Recent Changes, Commerce, Fine - Arts, and Natural History. - - BY CAPTAIN S. E. COOK, R.N. K.T.S. F.G.S. - - Two vol. 8vo. price 21_s._ - -"Volumes of great value and attraction; we would say, in a word, they -afford us the most complete account of Spain in every respect which has -issued from the press."--_Literary Gazette._ - -"The value of the book is in its matter and its facts. If written upon -any country it would have been useful, but treating of one like Spain, -about which we know almost nothing, but of which it is desirable to -know so much, Captain Cook's Sketches must be considered an acquisition -to the library."--_Spectator._ - -"These volumes, the work of a gentleman of high and varied -accomplishments, whose opportunities of observation have been unusually -extensive and well-improved, will command and repay attention. They -contain by far the best account of Spain that has yet issued from the -press. - -"These volumes comprize every point worthy of notice, and the whole is -so interspersed with lively adventure and description; so imbued with a -kindly spirit of good-nature, courting and acknowledging attention, as -to render it attractive reading."--_United Service Gazette._ - -"Approbation can be the only sentiment which this well-written and -deeply-searching book must elicit. No one could either pretend to write -or converse upon this country without preparing himself by a previous -perusal of this instructive work."--_Metropolitan._ - - * * * * * - - To be completed in Four Volumes, - - THE LIFE OF THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON, - - With an Appendix; containing an Examination of Sir Walter - Scott's "Life of Napoleon Bonaparte:" and a Notice of the - principal Errors of other Writers, respecting his Character and - Conduct. - - BY H. LEE. - - Vir neque silendus, - Neque dicendus sine cura,----aliquando - Fortuna, semper animo maximus.--_Vell. Paterculus_, l. 4. c. 18. - -"Quelques parcelles de tant de gloire parviendront-elles aux -siècles à venir, ou, le mensonge, la calomnie, le crime, -prévaudront-ils?"--_Napoleon à Ste. Hélène._ - - _Vol. I. with a Portrait of Napoleon, price 18s._ - -"It is exceedingly curious and interesting. It has been much less -talked of than it deserves to be. He has produced a portion of a -singularly interesting work. As soon as another volume appears, we -propose to give our readers a fuller account of this new Life. In the -meanwhile, we recommend this one to notice."--_Tait's Magazine._ - -"The life of Bonaparte now reads like a connected story, where we -can trace each successive step. We shall be glad to see the future -volumes."--_Spectator._ - - - - -Transcribers' Notes: - - -Punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant -preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed. - -Simple typographical errors were corrected; occasional unbalanced -quotation marks retained. - -Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained. - -Text uses "Padré", "Padrè", and "Padre". - -Advertisement at front: "déjá" was printed with those accent marks. - -There are two "CHAPTER VII"'s in the Contents and in the body. - -Page 11: "remarkable" has been changed to "remarkably" as indicated in -the book's "Erratum". - -Page 89: "bill-kooks" probably should be "bill-hooks". - -Page 200: the "oe" ligature in "sacre boeuftake" may have been printed -incorrectly or transcribed incorrectly; the "t" was in the original. - -Page 247: "fiery tale" probably should be "fiery tail". - -Page 281: closing parenthesis added in "to win or to die,) thrust". - -Page 293: "to day" was printed that way, with a space, without a hyphen. - - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Random Shots From a Rifleman, by John Kincaid - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RANDOM SHOTS FROM A RIFLEMAN *** - -***** This file should be named 44965-8.txt or 44965-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/9/6/44965/ - -Produced by Brian Coe, Charlie Howard, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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