of his report, I certainly think I should have bolted, and
renounced the yeomanry for ever. But a courageous example does wonders.
I persevered, and in a few days really made wonderful progress. I felt,
however, considerably sore and stiff--straddled as I walked along the
street, and was compelled to have recourse to diachylon. What with
riding and the foot-drill I had hard work of it, and earnestly longed
for the time when the regiment should go into quarters. I almost forgot
to mention that Masaniello turned out to be an immense black brute,
rather aged, but apparently sound, and, so far as I could judge, quiet.
There was, however, an occasional gleam about his eye which I did not
exactly like.

"He'll carry you, sir, famously--no doubt of it," said Kickshaw, who
inspected him; "and, mind my words, he'll go it at the charge!"

CHAPTER III.

It was a brilliant July morning when I first donned my regimentals for
actual service. Dugald M'Tavish, a caddy from the corner of the street,
had been parading Masaniello, fully caparisoned for action, before the
door at least half an hour before I was ready, to the no small
delectation of two servant hizzies who were sweeping out the stairs, and
a diminutive baker's boy.

"Tak' a cup o' coffee afore ye get up on that muckle funking beast,
Maister George," said Nelly; "and mind ye, that if ye are brocht hame
this day wi' yer feet foremost, it's no me that has the wyte o't."

"Confound you, Nelly! what do you keep croaking for in that way?"

"It's a' ane to me; but, O man, ye're unco like Rehoboam! Atweel ye
needna flounce at that gate. Gang yer wa's sodgerin', and see what'll
come o't. It's ae special mercy that there's a hantle o' lint in the
hoose, and the auld imbrocation for broken banes; and, in case o' the
warst, I'll ha'e the lass ready to rin for Doctor Scouther."

This was rather too much; so, with the reverse of a benediction on my
gouvernante, I rushed from the house, and, with the assistance of
Dugald, succeeded in mounting Masaniello, a task of no small difficulty,
as that warlike quadruped persisted in effecting a series of
peripherical evolutions.

"And whan wull ye be back, and what wall ye ha'e for denner?" were the
last words shouted after me as I trotted off to the rendezvous.

It was still early, and there were not many people abroad. A few faces,
decorated with the picturesque mutch, occasionally appeared at the
windows, and one or two young rasca