Strengthening fare and a welcoming glance,
More than rich dainties and pleasures entrance;
When to droop we begin,
Mine host joins in,
Health to the soldier, and health to our land.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some strange things occur during a soldier's time of service, many
incidents and occurrences which are thought nothing of by the men
themselves, but are nevertheless interesting to civilians. To these
little incidents, such as I can remember, I shall confine my story, in
the hope that the narration of them will prove more interesting to the
general reader than the dry detail of a soldier's duty and his manner of
performing it.
A comrade of mine was on sentry in Hounslow barracks from eleven to one
o'clock one dark and very wet night in the depth of winter, at a post
where the orders were that _no person_ was to pass after nightfall.
Willie Sherlock was his name, an Irish lad, and, if I remember right, he
was from Galway. He had been at sea as a mere boy, and enlisted in our
regiment when about nineteen. From his general smartness at drill and
exceedingly good-tempered disposition he was a universal favourite. The
post where Willie was placed on sentry commanded the approach to a path
that led to some small cabins in the rear of the barracks, but out of
its boundaries. These were inhabited by the "hangers-on" of the
regiment (the locality is well known to those of my military readers who
have ever been so unfortunate as to be stationed at Hounslow). The
commanding-officer determined to put a stop to the egress and ingress of
certain very fast non-commissioned officers, who, avoiding the front
gate, stole out after watch-setting to these cabins for the purpose of
playing cards and indulging in various other objectionable practices.
We had at that time an uncommonly strict regimental sergeant-major, a
regular "tickler," who would confine a man in the guard-room for a mere
twist of the eye in the wrong direction when on parade.
This man was one of the most frequent visitors to the "huts," and on the
night Willie Sherlock was on duty he was making his way stealthily past
the sentry-box, that stood between the riding-school and the end of one
wing of the barracks. "Who comes there?" sang out Willie; no answer was
returned. "Who comes there?" again he challenged without receiving a
reply. "Who comes there?" again repeated Willie, but still he received
no answer.
"Be the mortial frost, I'll fire," said Willie as he rammed a
ball-cartridge home into his carbine. "Who comes there? answer, or be
the piper that played before Moses, I'll sind a ball into ye."
All this time the figure was stealthily gliding past under the shadow of
the riding-school. Quick as thought Willie dropped on one knee, by
which he brought the outline of the figure between his sight and the
sky. Bang went the carbine, and simultaneously a loud yell, succeeded
by another and another, rang through the barracks with a strange
unearthly sound at that hour of the night.
"Number 2, corporal of the guard," sung out Willie from his post. (All
the sentries are numbered, so that if Anything occurs on their post, as
in this instance, it is known in which direction to send assistance,
should any be required.)
I happened to be in the guard-room at the time, waiting for my turn of
duty on another post, and, with the rest of the guard-relief and the
corporal, we proceeded in double-quick time to the scene of alarm. The
yells and groans continued as we tramped across the barrack-yard. By
the time we had reached the post we were joined by the orderly officer
and sergeant of the guard.
"Who comes there?" shouted Willie, in a loud defiant challenge, as we
neared his sentry-box, where he stood at attention.
"Rounds!" was the reply.
"What rounds?" said Willie, according to custom.
"Visiting rounds!"
"Advance, visiting rounds. All's _not_ well," said Willie, and then
briefly reported the cause of alarm.
The victim of his vigilance had by this time staggered to the
sentry-box.
"Take me to the hospital. I am badly wounded. The scoundrel has shot
me."
"Halloo! sergeant-major. How is this?" inquired the orderly officer.
"Pray let me be taken to hospital, sir, and then I will explain," said
he; and thither he was escorted.
The assistant-surgeon examined him, when it was found that the ball had
passed through the fleshy part of his leg. He soon got round, however,
but was tried by court-martial, and reduced to the ranks for leaving
barracks at an unseasonable hour of the night by a forbidden way.
Willie, of course, only did his duty.
"Be the piper," said he, "I thought I had kilt him intirely by the roar
he med."
Not long after this occurrence, Willie volunteered with about twenty
mere of ours for service in India, and joined the 9th Lancers in the
spring of 1843, that regiment having embarked in the early part of 1842.
At this period, the regiment was constantly being drained of many
effective men, who volunteered for service in regiments under orders for
or already in India; consequently, we had several recruiting parties
out, among whom were a sergeant and a corporal at Liverpool; but they
both deserted, and, it was supposed, sailed for America.
About nine or ten months subsequent to this, I was on guard at the front
gate--which is always closed at nine o'clock, and all who pass in or out
after that time do so through a small wicket door. One of the men had
just struck twelve o'clock on a gong that hung in front of the
guard-room of the barracks where we were then stationed.
Some one rapped gently at the wicket.
"Who comes there?" said I.
"A friend!"
The door was opened, and in stepped a tall individual, wearing a curious
conical-shaped cap, apparently made of raccoon skins.
"Don't you know me?" said he, shaking hands with the corporal of the
guard, who was eyeing him over from head to foot; "I am Corporal L--,
who deserted with Sergeant B--from Liverpool," said he, laughing
heartily.
He was immediately placed under arrest; and afterwards informed us that
he had relatives in the United States, to whom he made his way on his
arrival in New York. He was a medical student at the time he enlisted,
and had wealthy connexions in London. Corresponding with these, he was
informed that an old uncle had died and left him a princely fortune, and
was advised by the family solicitor to come back to England without
delay, give himself up to his regiment, and when he had undergone the
punishment consequent on his indiscretion, arrangements would be made to
purchase his discharge.
The most noteworthy portion of his examination before the colonel on the
following morning was, that notwithstanding the hints thrown out that he
would probably be flogged if he did not render some account of the
sergeant who had deserted with him, he steadily refused to give any
information.
"I know where he is," said he; "but you may cut me to pieces before I
will tell you anything concerning him."
He was tried by court-martial, and, notwithstanding the intercession of
his friends and the powerful interest employed in his favour, was
sentenced to three months' imprisonment; at the expiration of which he
returned, very much broken down and emaciated, and was put to his duty,
pending the necessary preliminaries for his discharge, which he gained
in the course of a month; and in about three weeks after he left the
regiment he entered the barrack-yard, seated by the side of a lovely
girl--his wife--in a splendid barouche, drawn by a pair of high-stepping
Cleveland bays, coachman and footman in spanking new livery. He had
brought his wife down from London to show her a specimen of barrack
life.
We were at dinner. He laughed and chatted with all those with whom he
had been on intimate terms, and left us a five-pound note. We gave him
three cheers as he left the barracks; and, although once only a common
soldier, he is now a gentleman, residing with his wife and a numerous
family in the suburbs of the West End of London.
We had a youth in the regiment who came from the neighbourhood of
Clonmel, Ireland. He also had a great sum of money bequeathed to him,
while a private, by a relative who had resided and amassed his wealth in
Liverpool or Manchester--I forget which. The amount was said to be
upwards of 30,000 pounds, on the receipt of which he purchased his
discharge and married the daughter of a farrier in the regiment. She
and her relatives indulged in the most extravagant finery and excesses;
the women connected with the regiment had all silk dresses presented to
them; and the keeper of the canteen would have made his fortune, had not
the colonel put a stop to the proceedings by issuing orders that neither
one nor the other of the newly-married couple should be admitted in
barracks. But the scenes in the public-houses in the vicinity of the
barracks were something extraordinary while the money lasted. A drag
was purchased, to which was attached a team of four horses, unbroken to
work together, and unmatched in every shape. The drag being loaded with
a motley lot of his companions, the madcap mounted the box and essayed
the task of driving through the crowded streets; but the leaders turned
completely round, and, facing their driver, commenced to plunge and
kick, finally capsizing the coach, and more or less injuring all the
passengers. The result of this foolish extravagance was utter ruin, and
not having a shilling with which to bless himself, he was at last
obliged to enlist again.
While the troop to which I belonged was stationed at Hampton Court, the
chief duty at which place is to guard the various approaches to and
about the palace, an incident occurred to one of our men worth relating.
The palace, as many of my readers are aware, is within an easy distance
of London, and is visited by vast numbers of pleasure-seekers of all
grades during the summer months; and at that period there were
frequently families of distinction staying for some time at the Mitre
Hotel, situate within a stone's throw of the front entrance to the
palace. The soldiers stationed here always mount guard in full dress,
and many a sly leer of the eye is bestowed upon them by the hundreds of
pretty girls that pass in and out during a day. The front gates of the
palace are always open for visitors to pass without restriction until
nightfall. The splendid picture-galleries and other works of art and
curiosities are guarded by policemen; but the approaches to the
staircases, corridors, etc, are never without an efficient guard of
soldiers. One of these posts is termed the "Garden-gate," situate in
rear of the main building, and the entrance to the palace from the
magnificent pleasure-grounds, bounded on one side by the river Thames.
There is a broad flagway, or promenade, along the side of the palace,
where seats are placed, upon which the visitors can lounge, with their
backs to the palace and their faces towards the gardens. The sentry has
to pace from one end to the other of this promenade, in front of the
company that may be on the seats. I well remember, one sultry night in
July, it was my turn to relieve a sentry on this post. It was eleven
o'clock, and all the visitors were supposed to have been cleared out of
the gardens at nine, or soon afterwards. The guard-relief tramped
through the long and lofty passages from front to rear of the palace in
silence, as far as speech was concerned; but the sound of their
footsteps and the jingle of their appointments was quite sufficient to
awaken a man, had he been sleeping soundly on his post. We approached
and passed the point where it was usual for the sentry to challenge; but
all was still. On reaching the promenade, we turned about to look for
the sentry. There he sat on one of the seats, unbelted and unarmed,
and, as if to keep up the proverbial gallantry of his race, he had his
arm around the waist of as pretty a girl as ever the sun or moon shone
upon.
Lynch--Pat Lynch--I need not withhold his name now--was the gallant
sentinel. The object that had won him from his duty spoke not a word,
she held down her head, but we could easily perceive that she moved in
superior society. In this Pat was her equal, for his father was an
extensive landowner in the county of Waterford.
"Boys," said Pat, "this is a bad job, to be caught loitering on my post,
but this young lady is my sweetheart, and how could I help but sit
beside her?"
Pat was marched to the guard-room, and the fair lady tenderly escorted
outside the boundaries of the palace, and she was seen to enter the
"Mitre Hotel." Poor Pat was brought before the major on the following
day, and sentenced to twenty-one days' "kit drill," namely, carrying all
his "kit," strapped on his back with the surcingle, for four hours each
day, to and fro a prescribed distance marked out in the barrack-yard.
Shortly after he had completed his term of punishment, the young lady,
who had money of her own, purchased his discharge. They were married,
and for some years, to my knowledge, lived happily together at the
pretty little bathing place, Tramore, in the county of Waterford.