ed to win by a neck for the honor of the
old school. He is a lazy scatter-brained creature, utterly
indifferent to fact, and I am obliged to keep the brandy flask
under lock and key; but the humour and absolute good-temper of
the animal impose upon me, and I really think he is attached to
me. So I keep him on, grumbling horribly at the change from that
orderly, punctual, clean, accurate convict. Depend upon it, that
fellow will do. He makes his way everywhere, with officers and
men. He is a gentleman at heart, and, by the way, you would be
surprised at the improvement in his manners and speech. There is
hardly a taste of Berkshire left in his _deealect_. He has read
all the books I could lend him or borrow for him and is fast
picking up Hindustanee. So you see, after all, I am come round to
your opinion that we did a good afternoon's work on that precious
stormy common when we carried off the convict from the
authorities of his native land, and was first under fire. As you
are a performer in that line, couldn't you carry off his
sweetheart and send her out here? After the sea voyage there
isn't much above 1,000 miles to come by dauk; and tell her, with
my compliments, he is well worth coming twice the distance for.
Poor fellow! It is a bad lookout for him, I'm afraid, as he may
not get home this ten years; and, though he isn't a kind to be
easily lolled, there are serious odds against him, even if he
keeps all right. I almost wish you had never told me his story.

"We are going into cantonments as soon as this expedition is
over, in a splendid pig district, and I look forward to some real
sport. All the men who have had any tell me it beats the best fox
hunt all to fits for excitement. I have got my eye on a famous
native horse, who is to be had cheap. The brute is in the habit
of kneeling on his masters, and tearing them with his teeth when
he gets them off, but nothing can touch him while you keep on his
back. 'Howsumdever,' as your countrymen say, I shall have a shy
at him, if I can get him at my price.

"I've nothing more to say. There's nobody you knew here, except
the convict sergeant, and it is awfully hard to fill a letter
home unless you have somebody to talk about. Yes, by the way,
there is one little fellow, an ensign, just joined, who says he
remembers us at school. He can't be more than eighteen or
nineteen, and was an urchin in the lower school, I suppose, when
we were leaving. I don't remember his fac