e that they had at no very
distant period been French property. In the centre of the circle a
large wood fire was blazing and crackling, with an immense cauldron
hanging suspended over it, gipsy fashion, from a tripod.

A man in white cap and apron--he turned out to be a French prisoner--was
standing over this pot, armed with a long iron ladle with which he kept
diligently stirring up its contents, the savoury steam from which was
greeted with ejaculations of approval from my hungry captors. Outside
the doors of some of the tents the muskets of its occupants were piled,
the owners of the weapons, for the most part, being scattered about the
sward in picturesque groups; some laughing, talking, and smoking
together, while others were deeply interested in games of cards--played
with packs so greasy, worn, and thumb-marked, that those who had used
them a few times would as readily recognise a particular card on seeing
its back as they would by looking at its face--while a few, more
industriously disposed, were diligently cleaning and polishing their
weapons. There must have been quite a hundred men in the camp
altogether, counting the detachment which had brought me in, all wearing
the garb of Corsican mountaineers; and a fine, stalwart set of men they
were, almost without exception. Their countenances, however, wore an
expression of reckless, relentless ferocity, which augured ill for any
unfortunate against whom they might fancy they had a grievance, should
he chance to fall into their clutches.

My captors were dismissed immediately on our arrival in camp, with the
exception of two who mounted guard over me, while their leader entered a
tent somewhat larger than the rest. We were quickly surrounded by a
group of curious and eager questioners, anxious apparently to learn the
result of the expedition, and to "take stock" of the prisoner--my
unlucky self.

The information supplied by my custodians evidently afforded them great
gratification, and though they spoke a patois which was quite
unintelligible to me, the gesticulations which accompanied the closing
portion of the narrative, and the shouts of laughter and applause with
which it was received, showed me that the exploit of the amiable
Guiseppe was duly receiving honourable mention.

After an absence of about twenty minutes, the individual whom I have
designated as the leader of the party which brought me in, issued from
the tent, and, coming up to where I sto