een knocked out of them--they were
too miserable and dejected to utter a complaint. The sergeant ordered
his men to draw up some buckets of water, and told the recruits to wash
themselves and make themselves as decent as they could, and the order
was sharply enforced by the captain when he came on deck.

"I would not march through the streets of Dover with such a filthy, hang
dog crew," he said; "why, the very boys would throw mud at you. Come, do
what you can to make yourselves clean, or I will have buckets of water
thrown over you. I would rather take you on shore drenched to the skin
than in that state. You have brought it entirely on yourselves by your
obstinacy. Had you enlisted at once without further trouble you would
not have suffered as you have."

The fresh air and cold water soon revived even the most exhausted of
the new recruits, and as soon as all had been made as presentable as
circumstances would admit of, the order was given to land. The party
were formed on the quay, four abreast, the soldiers forming the outside
line, and so they marched through Dover, where but yet a few people
were up and stirring, to the camp formed just outside the walls of the
castle. The colonel of the regiment met them as they marched in.

"Well, Captain Lowther, you have had a rough time of it, I reckon. I
thought the whole camp was going to be blown away last night. These are
the recruits from Southampton, I suppose?"

"Yes, colonel, what there is left of them; they certainly had a baddish
twelve hours of it."

"Form them in line," the colonel said, "and let me have a look at them.
They are all ready and willing to serve her majesty, I hope," he added
with a grim smile.

"They are all ready, no doubt," Captain Lowther replied; "as to their
willingness I can't say so much. Some half dozen or so agreed at once to
join without giving any trouble, foremost among them that lad at the end
of the line, who, Sergeant Edwards tells me, is a fine young fellow and
likely to do credit to the regiment; the rest chose to be sulky, and
have suffered for it by being kept below during the voyage. However, I
think all their nonsense is knocked out of them now."

The colonel walked along the line and examined the men.

"A sturdy set of fellows," he said to the captain, "when they have got
over their buffeting. Now, my lads," he went on, addressing the men,
"you have all been pressed to serve her majesty in accordance with act
of parlia