ed two
days till he was duly installed as "dog-robber" for Lieutenant John
Buestom, the most handsome, soldierly-looking, and intensely despised
officer in the --th "Foot." Buestom--or "Bues," his enemies called
him--must have had liver complaint, for his temper was always riled
like stagnant water full of crawfish; and when Captain Bobson left
the company for a few weeks to go on a hunt up the St. Joe River, the
"non-coms" resigned in a body, every man of them, so hot did he make it
for them during that brief period. As for the batch of recruits, fresh
from the drill-sergeants and bulldozing of the recruiting rendezvous,
they deserted by platoons and sets of fours, for the life with them
was unbearable. Had the "Old Man" Bobson remained away a few days
longer, he would have had no one of his company--the one pride of his
life--to greet him upon his return, with the possible exception of
Private McCoy, who had been in the service since George Washington
was a "lance jack," and who swore that all the damned "shave-tails"
in the Army could not drive him out.

Many hard things were said of Buestom, but not half that could
have been told and yet save one's reputation for veracity and
secretiveness. Among the things he could not keep were his word and
servants. Not even would a Chinaman attend his many wants. His last
effort was a big Manchu from northern China; and he had no more than
been installed and began his work with the usual celestial energy, till
in rushed "Bues," as savage as a bear, and gave him more instructions
in a minute than the frightened menial could have executed in a
month. To cap the climax, he taught poor "Chino" to stand at attention,
and ordered him to ever thus stand when in his august presence.

This was more than the faithful fellow of the pigtail locks could
stand, so he made it known in his own English: "Me squit jlob. Me no
dalmn sloder." And he slipped into his pajamas and was gone.

Then came a long series of soldier servants--"dog-robbers"--but
none could endure him for more than a day or two, and seldom got
their pay for that. The complaints were all similar: "He asked me to
bathe his mangy dog;" or, "He ordered me to stand at attention when
rocking the damned cradle, so precious are his 'brick-top brats';"
or, "She," for Mrs. B. was not angelic, "wanted me to fan the flies
off her ring-tailed cat while that animal chose to nap;" and so they
ran. Thus they growled and quit their places,