elves wives during their residence in Scotland. This they had done
in an illegitimate or unsanctioned way, not having sought the sanction of
the Colonel of the regiment; so that there was some difficulty in
smuggling the Scotch lasses with the regiment. As we were leaving Ayr
there was, I remember, a young fellow--a wild, uncouth youth who came to
me and begged me to get him over to England with the regiment. I told him
that if he would get his hair cut and tidy himself I would provide him
with a soldier's uniform; if he donned himself in that there would be a
possibility of getting him over. He accordingly got his hair cut, and
when he had put himself into a spare uniform which I had got out, he
looked quite a different individual. We all went to the station, and the
train started. At Carlisle we were allowed a "hot dinner;" this is
usually provided for soldiers when travelling at the end of every hundred
miles. But instead of a hot dinner, it turned out this time to be a cold
one--sandwiches, &c. In the compartment in which I was riding there were
several petticoat followers, and, of course, the commissariat did not
provide for their wants. Therefore we set ourselves planning and scheming
in order to obtain some dinner for them. When we got to the refreshment
room, a few of us went in at the usual entrance, obtained our regular
allowance, and retired through the back door. We then went round to the
front again, and succeeded in getting a second allowance, thus providing
for the wives of the soldiers. One of the women was the Scotch lassie I
mentioned previously, and who inquired so anxiously about me as I was
showing a policeman the way to the Ayr Town Hall one evening. The journey
was resumed, and Pontefract safely reached early next morning. After a
few days waiting the remainder of the regiment, who had come over by
boat, arrived. They had had a very rough time of it on the sea, and
several of them told me they never expected to reach England. The sea was
very rough, and during one part of the passage Captain Selborne (of No. 7
Company) was heard shouting to the soldiers to kneel down and pray as the
vessel was going to be wrecked. The regiment spent a few days in
Pontefract and was then disbanded. I had begun to be rather homesick, and
as a favour Captain Clifford Lloyd allowed me to have my pay (which
amounted to a nice sum, as, having lived with Captain Lloyd, I had been
able to save practically the whole of my all