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CHAPTER II.

"How merrily we live who soldiers be."

OLD SONG.

"How happy's the soldier who lives on his pay, Who spends half-a-crown out of sixpence a day.”

EARLY the following morning, I was awoke by John Hargreaves, who told me the Colonel was to be in the orderly room at ten o'clock, and that I was to be in readiness to attend him there, or in the mess-room; I accordingly got up, and after a somewhat elaborate toilet, descended to breakfast. Before I had finished that meal, my commanding officer crossed the grass, and for some moments stood near the door, conversing with his ally, Dickson.

"Please, Sir," said a most obsequious waiter, Higginson by name, "Colonel Thorpely wishes to see you in his room, and I shall be happy to show you to it."

Following my guide, I entered the portion of the building devoted to the field officers, and was soon in presence of the Colonel, my Captain, and Adjutant Moulsey.

"Happy to see you, Pembroke," said the former, extending his hand, "you were quite right in coming down last evening, I did not expect you until this morning; now you are with us, I think the sooner you get over your drill the better-you will then be able to get away for a day or two."

"A prisoner until then," thought 1, as the remembrance of Mary and my child crossed my mind. Whether my countenance bespoke my feelings, I know not, but the good-humoured Colonel continued:

"If you pay attention, and devote yourself to your duties, you can occasionally go to town on a Saturday, when your family are there; in the meantime, if you are not better engaged, Mrs.

Thorpely and myself will be happy to see you at dinner to-morrow, at a quarter past six, military time. Dickson and a few others, are coming, so you can join them in a conveyance."

After thanking my commanding officer for his kind invitation, which I gladly accepted, the Adjutant requested I would follow him into the riding-house, where I was to take my first lesson in military equitation. As Mr. Brunder was engaged passing some young horses in the barrack field, and among them, a splendid dark chesnut, almost black, or rather walnut colour charger, which Harris had sent me up, I was placed under the hands of Corporal Hall, a rough, or, as he would now be called, assistant rider.

Bring out C. 15," said he to a trooper, who shortly afterwards returned with a fine, black, long-tailed horse, nearly sixteen two hands high, and to judge of his actions, not very easy in his paces. Moulsey took his leave, and I was left alone with my instructor and his attendant.

Despite of my awkwardness in mounting

without stirrups, rolling about on a large saddle, tumbling from my exalted position into the saw-dust, recovering my position again to lose it, I went through a very satisfactory first lesson, being, as the rough-rider afterwards remarked in my hearing, "extremely active, and hard as nails, not caring for a fall."

At two o'clock, I was ordered to attend the corporal-major for foot drill, which, I am bound to confess, was much more onerous and disagreeable than the mounted one; to stand for some seconds like a goose upon a common, with a leg in the air, to have your feet pointed outwards, to be told to hold yourself up, chest forward, shoulders back, to learn step by step, marching in slow and quick time, is certainly a very tedious process, without any of the excitement attendant upon managing the fiery steed: so, heartily glad was I when my infantry education was completed.

Not so respecting the manège, for after a time, when my first charger, who from his pedigree by Patriot,' I called 'Hampden,' was passed as being thoroughly broke, and I was

VOL. III.

D

allowed to mount him, nothing could exceed my delight. During lesson hours, and out of hours, I was on his back, either in the school, or barrack-field, much to the satisfaction of the captain of my troop, who, although fond of generous living, was a soldier at heart, and as unlike what are called Her Majesty's hard bargains, as a Newfoundland dog is to a turnspit.

I now return to the Colonel's dinner, which consisted of the host, hostess, Dickson, Buckingham, Severn, and myself of "ours," with the addition of some country neighbours, Mr. Mrs. and Miss Brampton, Mrs. Castleton and her two daughters, the three latter being on a visit to Brampton Park, an old ancestral mansion within an hour's drive of the Cedars, as Thorpely's house was called. Before, however, we sit down to table, I must recount an adventure I met with on my way to the Colonel's.

My Captain having made a prior promise to drive Severn in his gig, I was left to share the expense of a post-chaise with Captain Buckingham, a man against whom I had taken a prejudice.

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