f my civilian's clothing--you see they were frightened I
should desert. I was told that there was a Jew in the bottom corridor of
the castle who bought second-hand clothing.

"JEWED" BY A JEW

I accordingly paid a visit to my friend Isaac, and asked him, "What will
give me for this suit o' clothes? They cost me 3 pounds 10s in Bradford
only three weeks ago, and, besides, these boots are nearly new." "Well,
my frent," said the old _Jew_ "tem poots vill be sixpence, an' tees cloas
vill pe von shillin'; an' (speaking with warmth) I vill not gif you von
penny more for tem--not von penny." "I'll be blessed if I'll take that"
said I, also speaking with some fervour; "You vile dog of a Jew! No
wonder that your race is hated in every clime, for you would rob a saint
of his shoe strings!" But the Jew had been tempered to these oft repeated
"blessings," as was proved by the coolness with which he said: "Howefer,
dat is vhat I vill gif you, an' not anoder farding." Seeing that
parleying was useless with this worldly extortionizer, and seeing, also,
what a fix I was in, I eventually parted with my clothes and shoes.

BEFORE THE DRILL-SERGEANT

After that I was at liberty to leave the barracks; which I did, and made
my way down into the city--into Canongate. On my return to barracks it
was time for recruits' drill. The drill-sergeant had a voice like unto a
growling buffalo. He said: "Now, then, ye recruits, Ye're not at home
now--a lot of sucking pigs with your mothers. Ye've got good pay and
rations, and by the bokey ye'll have to drill." This was the order of the
day for two months, and at the end of that time I had made pretty fast
progress with my drill, and I was shortly placed in the ranks as a
full-blown soldier.

A PROMOTION

One morning, soon after this, I was called to the orderly-room. I was
told that it had pleased my superiors to promote me to the rank of a
lance-corporal. I made some objection to this, saying I did not yet know
private's duty, as I had only been a private for two months. But the
colonel told me that I could well learn the duties of both private and
lance-corporal at the same time. Therefore, I accepted the promotion,
though I was quite content to stay as I was, and I got a stripe to put on
my tunic and "shell" jacket; also on my great coat. My first duty as a
lance "Jack" was as escort of a coal fatigue in the castle. I had under
me a squad of old soldiers, whose duty it was to