paid. No, I had unfortunately " no change"
at the time, and I have never been lucky enough
to meet him since! As soon as I was dressed
I tapped at the colour-sergeant's door and told
him I was dressed, and received one pound.
What a magnificent sum! He warned me
gently to mind getting intoxicated, and after
this I signed iny name as a receipt. The
colour-sergeant is decidedly the nicest-looking
man I have yet found—so kind and so agreeable,
I think it a real pleasure to obey that
man's orders; he is quite a gentleman.

Having got my bounty, Slatie suggested that
I should air my clothes, and that he should show
me about. We accordingly went out. I shall not
forget how tightly around me my clothes fit,
and how the stock round my neck cut my chin.
I cut the latter article down, though, next day,
full half an inch, and have since enjoyed freedom
about the neck. The gloves I wore (I have
rather small hands) dingled-dangled about as if
I had a pair of stockings on. You are obliged
to have chin-strap down, and gloves on in the
streets, or else you stand a chance of being
taken before the colonel for not being dressed.
I have occasionally, when going out, forgotten
to have the leather over the face, but the
corporal at the gate immediately reminded me of
it, by " Shin-strap down, you!" Cannontown
contains a great many public-houses, and while
we were sitting in one of these, Slatie, with the
greatest confidence, told me how much he was
liked in the depot, and that not a more honourable
man than himself could be found—in fact,
he paid everything that he borrowed—everything,
and would I be kind enough to lend him,
as he had something to pay that evening, the sum
of three-and-sixpence? I lent it him, thinking,
of course, that such an honourable man as he
would be sure to pay his debts, but I am obliged
to confess that Slatie has forgotten to pay it,
and I believe his memory will be always bad
about money affairs.

The next morning I went on parade for the
first time. The colour-sergeant examined us to
see if we were perfectly clean, and I was
pronounced dirty; that is, I had a little speck of
dirt on my coat, which would have passed
unobserved by nineteen out of twenty persons.
The least spot of dirt on a coat or trousers is
sufficient to give you two or three days' extra
drill, but, as I was a young recruit, I was simply
cautioned, and then sent away to the squad
which I should be learnt the drill in. A corporal
with several medals, who had once been a
sergeant, but had got reduced through drunkenness,
was our instructor, and learnt us the
"stand at ease" first. He was a little short-
tempered, but after I had seen him some time,
I began to like him after all. I had an awkward
way of protruding my stomach out, thinking
that was the best way to look the soldier, but a
few admonitory smacks with a small stick made
me keep it out of sight more.

"Keep that stomach in, and turn the palms
of your hands out, Forester," were the constant
words. " Now," said the corporal, " at the last
sound of the word ' Ease,' you turn your hands
so, and when I give the word 'Two,' you bring
them down smartly, the right hand sliding over
the back of the left, like this. Look up, man—
look up. This ground has been searched many's
the time, and I don't think you'll find anything
now." Then, after a short pause: "Now look
—look at that dashed fool of a man there,
actually putting his leg to the front!"

Of course some immediately did look round,
when the corporal got on to them.

"Now, Jones, will you look to your front,
and not be spitting and grinning in the ranks
like a baboon? and if you don't shut that mouth,
I'll shove this stick down your throat."

And so the corporal went on until we got a
little sharper. The third morning after I had
got my clothes, I notified my intention to " go
sick." I had, from wearing a bad pair of boots,
got a sore on my large toe, and this pained
me more than I could bear. I therefore
determined to be off drill until I got better and could
walk well. The hospital is situated in an
enclosed piece of ground opposite the north
side of the barracks. We waited, as usual, a
long time for the doctor, and was at last set
down to go into the hospital by the fat doctor.
I also had a dose of medicine, which made me
feel much worse than I was before. A bath,
and dressed in the hospital dress, I went
upstairs and contemplated myself in the looking-
glass. I was dressed in a blue over-coat, a blue
waistcoat, and blue trousers, and had on an
immense white nightcap, apparently knit in wool.
If I was not ill before, I looked so now. I was
put upon spoon diet, which means soup and tea,
but alter a time I got " roast chop" diet, which
is much better, consisting of chops for dinner,
and a liberal allowance for breakfast and tea.
There is a reading-room attached to the hospital,
in which you can read a few old numbers of
Cornhill, &c. Very few people in the hospital
(which will accommodate one hundred) were
really ill. Ninety per cent were there through
their own fault. An old clergyman used to come
nearly every day and speak to us in the most
kind manner, as if he had never seen us before
that very day; he made inquiries what complaint
we were labouring under, and when we came in.
Each ward contains from eight to ten patients,
and has an orderly attached to it. The orderly
man is expected to attend to the patients, but
the orderly with us seldom did that. He was a
most sullen fellow, and nearly always drunk.
The doctor comes round every morning and
examines each patient. When one is ready to
be discharged from the hospital, he signs a
paper, and the man forthwith goes out. The
second morning I was in, and when I very
imperfectly understood the regulations, the sergeant
of the hospital came into the ward and asked if
any one of us had got a pipe. I immediately
said I had, and gave him it. He told me I
must expect to be made a prisoner for having
one in my possession, and I was taken to the
guard-room afterwards; but this I will explain.
The patients in my room were all very quiet,