iers; the light between the trees
into flags; and the midnight _ignis fatuus_, on its nocturnal rambles,
into torches and lights of the enemy. The rustling leaves, falling down
the wintry glen, were construed into the coming foe; and, had one of our
captains been the commander-in-chief, the hill would have been treeless
and leafless, for he would have blown them all up instead of the enemy.
The glass was never from this gentleman's eye. Could his thoughts and
speculations by day and night have been committed to paper, his words
would have shone forth in all the radiance of a military vocabulary.
What shells would he not have expended upon the poor _ignis fatuus_! All
we could do or say, he would not believe us. If he had been our general,
we should have been in Khatmandoo, the capital of Nepaul, in half the
time. His system was new and wonderful; for, when arguing on the best
plan to be adopted, he had always the most happy knack of catching the
enemy asleep. But in these notions he happened to have mistaken his men.
The Nepaulese soldiers never sleep, or rather, such is their
watchfulness, that you can never surprise them. This misconception of
their character would have led him wrong as often as the _ignis fatuus_.
It is quite preposterous to hear some men boasting of what they would do
if they had the command. Soldiers are not to judge of the actions of
their superiors, but implicitly to obey any orders that may be
communicated to them. It is certain, at least, we have no right to
promulgate our opinions to the prejudice of others. I longed for an
opportunity of seeing this kill-devil of a captain well tried as a
soldier; for, if he killed people as fast by the sword as he did by the
tongue, two companies of such men would clear the universe, asleep or
awake. However, I never had my wish gratified in this respect, though I
do not despair that I may hear of some of his brilliant exploits when he
is general; for his merits surely cannot be long before it reach the
throne.

While we were parading the company in the evening, the captain observed
a man looking extremely ill, and asked him what was the matter with him.
"Nothing at all, your honour, only a little scratch one of them
spalpeens gave me on the hill yesterday; but, sure, it's nothing worth
while talking about." As the surgeon was standing near the parade, he
was sent for, and the man went into a tent to show his scratch, as he
called it, when it was found that