and a respect due to his rank. I was invited to
breakfast with him; after which, as we were standing looking at the
hill, we were not a little surprised to find that the strong piquet of
the enemy, which was posted there the night before, was not to be seen.
Two of our men were brought before the commanding-officer for having
gone beyond the outlying piquet. The fact was, that these imprudent
fellows had been upon the hill, where the piquet had been, unarmed.
After admonishing them for their imprudence and disobedience of orders,
the commanding-officer asked one of them what he saw; he replied,
"Nothing at all, your honour, but a great big piquet; and sure they were
not there, but all gone." He added, that "all their fires were alight,
because he saw them burning."

"And what did you see on the other side of this first hill?" asked the
colonel, trying to smother a laugh.

"Nothing at all, your honour."

"Are there hills or valleys on the other side?"

"Neither, your honour; only a mighty big mountain, as big as the Hill of
Howth."

"Did you see any men?"

"Divel a one, your honour, except one poor old woman in one of the huts,
and she was after going when she saw me and Pat Logan coming near her."

"What took you there?"

"Fait! we both went to take a big walk, for we were quite tired doing
nothing--that's all, your honour; so I hope no offence."

"Fall in, the light company!"--"Light company, fall in!" was bellowed
through the whole line of encampment. The colonel flew to the right--the
adjutant to the left; I ran one way, and the two men jumped another, for
they both belonged to the light company. Scarcely had I reached the
parade, when three parts of the company were under arms, with our noble
general at the head, getting men together. It was five minutes only from
the first order when we marched off, not a man absent. We soon found, by
the direction we took, that the taking of the hill was to be our object.
We moved on slowly, for it was a good half mile up the hill, and the
ascent winding and steep. Our lads seemed as merry as crickets. In five
minutes after, we heard firing on the top of the hill to our right. This
proceeded from a small reconnoitring party that had a short period
before gone up, under Lieutenant Lee, of the 87th regiment, and
Lieutenant Turrell, of the 20th native infantry, a brave young
volunteer, who fell an early victim to his zeal. The design with which
this reconnoitring party ha