WITH two or three other trinkets, small in themselves, but of great
regard, which poor _Tom_, the corporal’s unfortunate brother, had sent
him over, with the account of his marriage with the _Jew_’s
widow——there was
A _Montero_-cap and two _Turkish_ tobacco-pipes.
The _Montero_-cap I shall describe by and bye.—The _Turkish_
tobacco-pipes had nothing particular in them, they were fitted up and
ornamented as usual, with flexible tubes of _Morocco_ leather and gold
wire, and mounted at their ends, the one of them with ivory,—the other
with black ebony, tipp’d with silver.
My father, who saw all things in lights different from the rest of the
world, would say to the corporal, that he ought to look upon these two
presents more as tokens of his brother’s nicety, than his
affection.——Tom did not care, _Trim_, he would say, to put on the cap,
or to smoke in the tobacco-pipe of a _Jew._——God bless your honour, the
corporal would say (giving a strong reason to the contrary)—how can
that be?
The Montero-cap was scarlet, of a superfine _Spanish_ cloth, dyed in
grain, and mounted all round with fur, except about four inches in the
front, which was faced with a light blue, slightly embroidered,—and
seemed to have been the property of a _Portuguese_ quarter-master, not
of foot, but of horse, as the word denotes.
The corporal was not a little proud of it, as well for its own sake, as
the sake of the giver, so seldom or never put it on but upon GALA-days;
and yet never was a Montero-cap put to so many uses; for in all
controverted points, whether military or culinary, provided the
corporal was sure he was in the right,—it was either his _oath_,—his
_wager_,—or his _gift._
——’Twas his gift in the present case.
I’ll be bound, said the corporal, speaking to himself, to give away my
Montero-cap to the first beggar who comes to the door, if I do not
manage this matter to his honour’s satisfaction.
The completion was no further off, than the very next morning; which
was that of the storm of the counterscarp betwixt the _Lower Deule_, to
the right, and the gate St. _Andrew_,—and on the left, between St.
_Magdalen_’s and the river.
As this was the most memorable attack in the whole war,—the most
gallant and obstinate on both sides,—and I must add the most bloody
too, for it cost the allies themselves that morning above eleven
hundred men,—my uncle _Toby_ prepared himself for it with a more than
ordinary solemnity.
The eve which preceded, as my uncle _Toby_ went to bed, he ordered his
ramallie wig, which had laid inside out for many years in the corner of
an old campaigning trunk, which stood by his bedside, to be taken out
and laid upon the lid of it, ready for the morning;—and the very first
thing he did in his shirt, when he had stepped out of bed, my uncle
_Toby_, after he had turned the rough side outwards,—put it on:——This
done, he proceeded next to his breeches, and having buttoned the
waist-band, he forthwith buckled on his sword-belt, and had got his
sword half way in,—when he considered he should want shaving, and that
it would be very inconvenient doing it with his sword on,—so took it
off:——In essaying to put on his regimental coat and waistcoat, my uncle
_Toby_ found the same objection in his wig,—so that went off too:—So
that what with one thing and what with another, as always falls out
when a man is in the most haste,—’twas ten o’clock, which was half an
hour later than his usual time, before my uncle _Toby_ sallied out.