certed everything for my marriage as
soon as I should be settled with my regiment. I reached the station
where my corps was quartered, in five days--a distance of four hundred
miles.

On the morning of the 5th day I landed, for the purpose of reporting my
arrival to my commanding officer. After wandering about the station a
considerable time, without seeing a single European soldier, at last I
met a woman, and I asked her if she would have the goodness to inform me
where I could find the commanding officer of the 87th regiment. I found
by her manners (I mean ill manners) that she had early paid her devoirs
to the shrine of rum. I repeated, "Will you, my good woman, have the
goodness to inform me where I can find the 87th regiment?"

"What! the old Fogs?"[14] said she.

"Fogs!" said I, "no: the 87th regiment, I mean."

"Is it making fun of me you are?"

I replied, "No, my good woman: I really want to find where the 87th
regiment are."

"Sure they are just after laving this place, becase they are gone away
these three big days."

"Gone!" I repeated, "where?"

"Fait, to fight against Paul."

"Paul!" said I, "who the devil is he?"

"Arrah! bad luck to you, is it after mocking Judy Flanagan you are, you
tafe?" I again assured the woman that I was in earnest (for she had put
herself in a boxing attitude), and informed her that I was an officer of
that corps. Here she burst into a loud horse-laugh, slapping her legs
with both her hands, "You an officer of the old Fogs! ha, ha, ha! Arrah,
none of your blarney, honey."

"However you may laugh," said I, "I am an officer of the old Fogs, as
you call them, and I am come to join them."

"Then," replied she, "you might have saved yourself the trouble, joy;
for the divel a one is here, except the quarter-master, and I could not
find him this morning; but does your honour really belong to the old
Fogaboloughs?" I pledged the honour of an ensign, upon which she
stretched forth her brawny paw, and grasped my hand, saying, "Give us
your daddle, your honour; sure I am always glad to see any of the old
corps here." She gave me positive proof of her attachment to the
regiment, by nearly squeezing my hand off, and she was about to confirm
the whole with a kiss, but I parried her in this kind intention. She
then entered on a eulogium of the regiment. "The divel a better corps
within a whole day's march. The regiment is a credit to your honour.
Och, thase are the boys for fighti