l
in as trim and decent as if they were going to church. One or two
even tried to shave at the last moment. The Major wore his medals.
One of the seamen, seeing I had hard work to keep the drum steady--
the sling being a bit loose for me and the wind what you remember--
lashed it tight with a piece of rope; and that saved my life
afterwards, a drum being as good as a cork until 'tis stove. I kept
beating away until every man was on deck; and then the Major formed
them up and told them to die like British soldiers, and the chaplain
read a prayer or two--the boys standin' all the while like rocks,
each man's courage keeping up the others'. The chaplain was in the
middle of a prayer when she struck. In ten minutes she was gone.
That was how they died, cavalryman.'

"'And that was very well done, drummer of the Marines. What's your
name?'

"'John Christian.'

"'Mine is William George Tallifer, trumpeter, of the 7th Light
Dragoons--the Queen's Own. I played "_God Save the King_" while our
men were drowning. Captain Duncanfield told me to sound a call or
two, to put them in heart; but that matter of "_God Save the King_"
was a notion of my own. I won't say anything to hurt the feelings of
a Marine, even if he's not much over five-foot tall; but the Queen's
Own Hussars is a tearin' fine regiment. As between horse and foot,
'tis a question o' which gets the chance. All the way from Sahagun
to Corunna 'twas we that took and gave the knocks--at Mayorga and
Rueda, and Bennyventy.' (The reason, sir, I can speak the names so
pat is that my father learnt 'em by heart afterwards from the
trumpeter, who was always talking about Mayorga and Rueda and
Bennyventy.) 'We made the rear-guard, under General Paget, and drove
the French every time; and all the infantry did was to sit about in
wine-shops till we whipped 'em out, an' steal an' straggle an' play
the tom-fool in general. And when it came to a stand-up fight at
Corunna, 'twas the horse, or the best part of it, that had to stay
sea-sick aboard the transports, an' watch the infantry in the thick
o' the caper. Very well they behaved, too; 'specially the 4th
Regiment, an' the 42nd Highlanders an' the Dirty Half-Hundred.
Oh, ay; they're decent regiments, all three. But the Queen's Own
Hussars is a tearin' fine regiment. So you played on your drum when
the ship was goin' down? Drummer John Christian, I'll have to get
you a new pair o' drum-sticks for that.'

"Well,