ch
like. These were usually followed by a flourish of the pen, or sometimes
by the word 'Bom.,' which singular monosyllable always occurred at the
foot of the pages.

'Well, have you caught the key to the cipher?' said he, after a pause.

'Not quite, sir,' said I, pondering; 'I can perceive that the chief
facts stand prominently forward, in a fair round hand; I can also guess
that the flourishes may be spaces left for detail; but this word "Bom."
puzzles me completely.'

'Quite correct, as to the first part,' said he approvingly; 'and as to
the mysterious monosyllable, it is nothing more than an abbreviation for
"Bombaste," which is always to be done to the taste of each particular
commanding officer.'

'I perceive, sir,' said I quickly; 'like the wadding of a gun, which may
increase the loudness, but never affect the strength of the shot.'

'Precisely, Tiernay; you have hit it exactly. Now I hope that, with a
little practice, you may be able to acquit yourself respectably in this
walk; and now to begin our skeleton. Turn over to a fresh page, and
write as I dictate to you.'

So saying, he filled his pipe and lighted it, and disposing his limbs in
an attitude of perfect ease, he began:--

'"8th Thermidor, midnight--twelve battalions, and two batteries
of field--boats and rafts--Eslar Island--stockades--eight
guns--Swabian infantry--sharp firing, and a flourish--strong
current--flourish--detachment of the 28th carried down--'Bom.

'"Let me see it now--all right--nothing could be better--proceed. "The
10th, 45th, and 48th landing together--more firing--flourish--first gun
captured--Bom.--bayonet charges--Bom. Bom.--three guns taken--Bom. Bom.
Bom.--Swabs in retreat--flourish. The bridge eighty toises in length--
flanking fire--heavy loss--flourish."'

'You go a little too fast, _mon capitaine_,' said I, for a sudden bright
thought just flashed across me.

'Very well,' said he, shaking the ashes of his pipe out upon the rock,
'I'll take my doze, and you may awaken me when you've filled in those
details--it will be a very fair exercise for you'; and with this he
threw his handkerchief over his face, and without any other preparation
was soon fast asleep.

I own that, if I had not been a spectator of the action, it would have
been very difficult, if not impossible, for me to draw up anything like
a narrative of it from the meagre details of the captain's note-book.
My personal observations, however, assisted by