orse was following, at the length of his bridle-reins, and, while
I was engaged in conversation with the sister, the other dropped
behind, and, when I looked round, I found her mounted _astride_ on my
horse! and with such a pair of legs, too! It was rather too good; and
"Richard was himself again."

Although released, under the foregoing circumstances, from individual
attachment, that of a general nature continued strong as ever; and,
without an exception on either side, I do believe, that we parted with
mutual regret, and with the most unbounded love and good feeling
towards each other. We exchanged substantial proofs of it while
together; we continued to do so after we had parted; nor were we
forgotten when we were _no more_! It having appeared, in some of the
newspapers, a year afterwards, that every one of our officers had been
killed at Waterloo, that the regiment had been brought out of the
action by a volunteer, and the report having come to the knowledge of
our Castel-Sarazin friends, they drew up a letter, which they sent to
our commanding officer, signed by every person of respectability in
the place, lamenting our fate, expressing a hope that the report
might have been exaggerated, and entreating to be informed as to the
particular fate of each individual officer, whom they mentioned by
name. They were kind good-hearted souls, and may God bless them!

CHAP. XIX.

Commencement of the War of 1815. Embark for Rotterdam. Ship's
Stock. Ship struck. A Pilot, a Smuggler, and a Lawyer. A Boat
without Stock. Join the Regiment at Brussels.

I have endeavoured, in this book of mine, to measure out the peace and
war in due proportions, according to the spirit of the times it speaks
of; and, as there appears to me to be as much peace in the last
chapter as occurred in Europe between 1814 and 1815, I shall, with the
reader's permission, lodge my regiment, at once, on Dover-heights, and
myself in Scotland, taking a shot at the last of the woodcocks, which
happened to be our relative positions, when Bonaparte's escape from
Elba once more summoned the army to the field.

The first intimation I had of it was by a letter, informing me of the
embarkation of the battalion for the Netherlands, and desiring me to
join them there, without delay; and, finding that a brig was to sail,
the following day, from Leith to Rotterdam, I took a passage on board
of her. She was an odd one to look at, but the captain