encamped the flower of England's warriors; but, alas! Jack, as he rode
through the camp, was struck by the pallid countenances and feeble gait
of many of those he met, while from the canvas walls of a large tent
came the cries of strong men in mortal agony. He inquired of a soldier
near the cause of the cries.

"Some more fellows down with the cholera," was the answer; "they've got
the cramps, and they are precious hard to bear, I know; had them myself
last night, but they passed off." As the man spoke, his countenance was
overspread by a deadly pallor; he sank on the ground, shrieking out.
His cries attracted several of his comrades, who, lifting him up,
carried him into the nearest hospital tent. A little farther on Jack
came upon an open space, where groups were collected round a person
acting as an auctioneer, who was disposing of uniforms, clothes, camp
equipage, and even horses and various other articles which had belonged
to officers and men just carried off by cholera. It could not fail to
have a depressing effect; he almost dreaded to ask about his brother
Sidney. Regaining his composure, he inquired the direction of his tent,
and was relieved to hear that he had been seen a short time before alive
and well.

In a few minutes he found him, seated in front of his tent, in a
washing-tub, which served as an arm-chair, with a book on his knee, and
a cigar in his mouth. "What! Jack! Tom!" he exclaimed in a more
animated tone than was his wont in England; "I am very glad to see you,
for I little expected that you would be able to make your way out here.
I can't give you a very hospitable reception; but here's a camp-stool
for you, Jack; and bring yourself to an anchor on the top of my hat-box,
Tom. Things don't look as bright as we should wish, but we can keep up
our spirits with the hopes of a change for the better. The Turks are
tremendously hard pressed in Silistria, and we are expecting every hour
to hear of the fall of the place; when we shall have the Russians down
upon us. I turn out every morning in the belief that before the day is
over we shall be ordered to march and meet the enemy; when the wind's
from the north we can hear their guns and those of the fortress
thundering away at each other; and any day we can hear the sounds of
mines exploding, and other music of glorious war," and he smiled
faintly; "I painted the pleasures of fighting in a very different light,
and cannot say that the real