comes
there?" Bang! bang! went both their muskets, and, in an instant, my
whole piquet were on the spot; and the whole line were ferreted out of
their beds of dried leaves--guns loaded--matches lit; all was ready for
the conflict: when it was found that the alarm was occasioned by a bear
or tiger lurking close upon our post, and which, in all probability, if
not timely disturbed, would have walked off with one of our men. The
circumstance was explained to an aid-de-camp who had arrived, and all
was again quiet; and the two sentinels got finely roasted by their
comrades, who had been obliged to turn out from their hiding-places.
Naught now was heard, save some pathetic execrations on the disturbers
of the night, by some poor fellow who had lost his warm berth. Thus
passed the night. This was in the month of January, and a bitter night
it was.

The following morning it was truly laughable to see the men crawling
from a huge heap of dried leaves, like pigs out of their straw. Thus
enveloped, they had managed to keep themselves warm during the night.
Some companies' liquor and biscuit had arrived; and, a short time after
daylight, my men and myself had something to eat, in the delights of
which meal we forgot the cares of a soldier, smiled on the hardships
that were passed, and thought little of those to come. I had some tea,
which revived me much. I must confess I do love to be on duty on any
kind of service with the Irish. There is a promptness to obey, a
hilarity, a cheerful obedience, and willingness to act, which I have
rarely met with in any other body of men; but whether, in this
particular case, those qualifications had been instilled into them by
the rigid discipline of their corps, I know not, or whether these are
characteristics of the Irish nation; but I have also observed in that
corps (I mean the 87th regiment, or Prince's Own Irish) a degree of
liberality amongst the men I have never seen in any other corps--a
willingness to share their crust and drop on service with their
comrades, an indescribable cheerfulness in obliging and accommodating
each other, and an anxiety to serve each other, and to hide each other's
faults. In that corps there was a unity I have never seen in any other;
and as for fighting, they were very devils. During the Peninsular war,
some general officer observed to the Duke of Wellington, how unsteadily
that corps marched. The noble duke replied, "Yes, general, they do
indeed; but they f