after the first step, to make a second, and the more I stormed, the more Behbein laughed, till at length, taking small side-steps, as children do when going down stairs, and, by dint of a little slipping and sliding, I happily reached the bottom, and walked, with a beating heart, into the street. My expectations were not disappointed: all eyes were fastened upon me; those of the young men from envy or admiration, of the young women from curiosity, while the elder people half smiled, which pleased me so little, that I only forgot it in the flattering sympathy of those of my own age. The General, meantime, praised my equipment, and said, "Oh, you will soon grow accustomed to it ;" and several officers came, in a friendly manner, to meet the new-comer, to the great joy of old Behbein, who was partial to me from the beginning of our acquaintance.

About

The first period after my entering the service was filled up by learning to ride; then followed instructions in the use of the sabre and carbine. After the course of fourteen days, I was declared сараble, for the first time, to mount guard, and, according to the regulations of that time, as a private. I held the first number for guardthat is to say, from eleven till one; and since it was known in the town that the Cornet was to be upon his first guard, there was a general muster of the inhabitants, that they might hear him call the "turn out." When guard was relieved, their intention was to make game of my shrill, unformed voice, in relieving the guard; but I had foreseen this, and contrived accordingly to be myself among the laughers; for as soon as it struck one o'clock, out issued from behind the sentry-box a loud, thundering "Turn out!" which was not paid too dearly for at eight groschen, all it cost me to gain over the powerful voice of one of our dragoons, who had kept guard with me. three o'clock appeared, according to established custom, several sergeants, then called carbineers, who came to offer their congratulations upon my first guard, and consequently to be treated by me to beer and tobacco, which they smoked out of long clay pipes. I next mounted guard as lance-sergeant at the outposts, where I then received the visits of several non-commissioned officers; and the third time, finally, as non-commissioned officer myself; upon which occasion, after being congratulated by the five sergeant-majors of the regiment, I begged leave to offer them a glass of wine and some tobacco, handsomely set forth upon a pewter dish. The friendly deportment of these veterans towards one who, in their opinion, was of good promise, made me not a little proud; for it must be considered, that these men had served from thirty to forty years-many had fought in America, and later, in Flanders; and their stately figures, their entire subordination to their superiors, and the eventful histories they could recount, necessarily made a profound impression upon my youth and inexperience.

Aided by the friendly adjutant of the regiment, my military education advanced rapidly; the instructions given me in riding, in handling my arms, which at first only threatened destruction to my next neighbour, bore their fruit, and in four months after entering the service, I had the honour of bearing the standard of my regiment. The moment I dared to take possession of this consecrated palladium, my joy was so intoxicating, that I certainly would not have exchanged my lot with any staff-officer of infantry.

Thus I lived on, as is usual during peace, in my small garrison,

kept my guards, and I remember still with pleasant emotion my old Behbein, who shortened by his visits their tedious uniformity, which I was careful to repay in kind when his turn of duty came. This veteran had also fought in America, Flanders, &c.; and from half words and hints thrown out by the others, I discovered that in the latter country he had once been sentenced to run the gauntlet.

I should very willingly have heard something more about it from himself, but it was long before I could venture to touch upon the subject, until once, when his glass and pipe had made him particularly communicative, I hazarded the inquiry, saying, "Tell me, Behbein," (making a short pause, for I was in doubt as to the rejoinder,) "I hear that you once made a little excursion in Flanders-" accompanying my question with a suitable gesture. As I expected, the old man was powerfully excited; with a face redder than scarlet, he arose from his seat, stood in a military attitude, crying out with stentorian voice, "Who told you that, young gentleman ?" I pacified him as well as I could, assuring him that I meant no harm, nor intended to cause him any annoyance, but only sought to discover in what manner so exemplary a soldier could have drawn upon himself such a severe punish

ment.

"Oh! as to that," replied he, "I have not much to complain of in regard to the pain it gave me, for my boots and obtained more

stripes than my back; the punishment was, in fact, only pro formá: however, since the principal fact is known through these rascally talebearers, I will relate the rest to you, Cornet; nevertheless, with respect be it said, I would not counsel any other person to remind me of the occurrence. And so," continued he, drawing himself up into a perpendicular height, "I was upon duty, and visited the public-houses to see whether everything was in order. Scarcely had I entered when I heard those Flemish swine abuse and deride the Hessians, and especially our most gracious Landgrave, in a downright awful manner. I reproached them for it, and might have been a little warm; whereupon the clowns attempted to collar me: however, before they knew where they were, I drew my sabre, and made just a little slap at him who was trying to lay hold of me, when off goes his hand. I was thoroughly frightened, though in my time I had seen many a limb chopped off: however, I made an honourable retreat and thought the matter would be hushed up; it proved otherwise though, for satisfaction was demanded,”—and here he drew himself up even more perpendicularly-" and I was doomed to the fate you mentioned. The townspeople, however, saw nothing of what was going on; the General ordered a close ring to be formed, and the dragoons, as I have already told you, struck so lightly, although they made a show to the contrary, that I indeed felt nothing except the shame, which was for that reason the more burning." My old friend was greatly affected by this recital; I became as silent as himself, and resolved never to recur to the subject.

I soon began to pass my time very agreeably in the hours of relaxation from duty; the Adjutant had introduced me to the Ressource, and as I had learned to play at ombre when a boy at home, I became a very welcome locum tenens when one or other of the party was prevented from taking his place. In time I had more than I liked of this honour; for, since I did not play upon my own account, but for the absentee, one of the parties was sure to be displeased with me, whether I lost or won. Piquet amused me much more; I played that game when on

guard with my good old Behbein, who made it a point of honour to repique me, although we never played for money.

Another amusement interested me in a far greater degree-namely, visiting a spinning-parlour, the place of réunion for many of the prettiest maidens in the town, who met to hear and relate, by the hum of the spinning-wheel, various histories, and in particular those of ghosts and goblins. The young Cornet was very successful in such narrations; and if it sometimes happened that the thread on the reel snapped suddenly by some sly management of his, the merriment did but increase, and the sole punishment inflicted upon the offender was, that he should relate a new terrific story. I did not come off so well upon another occasion, where my petulance brought upon me a severe rebuke from my superior officers.

There lived in the town a man, a broker by trade, who often relieved us poor fellows when in need, with the loan of a few crowns. This man, whose acquaintance I soon made, had enticed me into the purchase of a pair of leathers, as of something remarkable, and so they proved-remarkably bad, and as yet they had not been paid for: he came one day and asked for his money, when I endeavoured to make him take off something from the price of his bad merchandize; this he refused to do, and I was obliged to pay his whole demand. Out of revenge, I contrived to pin upon the back of his coat a rabbit's tail which I chanced to possess, and then let him go his way. I ran to the window in order to watch the result of my revenge; and presently saw my man arrive in the market-place, and walk across it with rather a swinging gait, which kept the appendage to his back in a perpendicular position. All the passers-by laughed; but nothing was said until he came opposite the guard-house, when a dragoon called out, "Hey-day, shepherd!"-no unsuitable name, on account of the fleecy addition to his coat-" what the deuce is that which you wear upon your back?" The broker quickly laid hold of the insulted part, jerked off the rabbit's tail with an imprecation, and stared about him for awhile; then, suddenly a light seemed to break in upon him, and turning towards my dwelling he made a threatening gesture with his hand, and called out, "It's the Cornet who has played me this trick, but he shall pay for it." I had withdrawn from the window previously to his menaces, and heard them first from my superior officers.

Quite unexpectedly we received orders to take up cantonments near Cassel; the cause of this soon became known to us. Marshal Bernadotte, Prince of Ponte Corvo, now King of Sweden, quitted the electorate of Hanover, and marched with his corps d'armée by Cassel and Bamberg, into Austria, for the campaign of 1805. At Sangershausen, on the frontier, our regiment, with the hussars, was drawn up, and there I surveyed the passage of the nobly equipped and disciplined French troops, (equipped, no doubt, out of Hanoverian contributions,) who, for their bearing and the brilliancy which surrounded them, were absolutely dazzling. The next day the Marshal showed himself also, but his horse unluckily fell with him as he bowed his head to enter the electoral château.

This Marshal impressed me with so much the more respect as I knew already how he had fought on the Rhine and in Italy, and that he was as remarkable for his talents as for his bravery. We were then appointed to observe the marching through of the French troops, to prevent disorder, &c., and thus we stood over them like sentinels; but the next

year brought about changes which we little dreamt of. I, for my part, had severe duty, from two in the morning, when we rode out on horseback, until ten at night, besides the frequently occurring salute with the heavy flag, which was, for my young strength, a small foretaste of the toilsome days awaiting me.

When the passage of the French was at an end, we returned back to our old garrison and our old idleness, which I heartily longed to change for a freer, more active life, as is the case too at present with our young officers. I therefore heard, with lively joy, that our regiment was to march into Hanan to levy contributions.

Here was at least a change of scene; the march pleased me wondrously, as well as the exchange of our everyday life for what appeared to me so new and busy. Our place of abode, too, offered many pleasures; it was in the so-named free jurisdiction of Hanan, and was invested by the Elector with a force for levying contribution, because the youth of the district had refused entering the service of the sovereign under whose government this jurisdiction had only lately been placed. Our treatment was excellent; every non-commissioned officer received tenpence a day, and every private fivepence; the officers were on free quarters, and allowed considerable table-money besides. These reprisals soon overcame all opposition; so that after the expiration of some weeks we left the neighbourhood, not for our garrison, but, conformably to the circumstances of the times, through Hanan for Gellenhausen. Here extraordinarily good quarters were allotted to me in a water-mill, adjacent to the town, whose zealous catholic owners had for a long time afforded hospitality to a French emigrant priest, as to a highly honoured guest. This gentleman was very glad that I could converse with him in his mother-tongue, and the partiality which he on that account evinced for me, imparted itself in such a degree to his hosts, that they let me want for nothing.

The comfortable bed, however, which I obtained through this attention, held me prisoner sometimes beyond my appointed time, and I omitted oftener than was right to go my rounds. Notwithstanding I made my report each time to the Adjutant at the accustomed hour, that "nothing new had occurred in my quarters." For a time all went on well, but the Adjutant-I know not how-became aware of my negligence; and when I again, with a bold forehead, came to bear witness to the health and good behaviour of my subordinates, he observed, shaking his head, "That surprises me; you certainly have not properly visited them: Sergeant Richter is lying sick in his quarters" -they were in a distant part of the town;-" make haste to the surgeon, and send him off to the invalid."

Conscience-stricken, I ventured not the smallest observation, but thought only to repair my fault by making the greatest possible haste, resting not until I had found the surgeon and seen him on his road to the sick man; whereupon I returned to my quarters. Here, seated in my great arm-chair, I was complacently surveying a row of little pictures of angels which I had strung upon a pack-thread, exactly over the stove, and which danced about with the motion of the mill machinery, when all at once in rushed the surgeon, who, red with choler and a hot walk, threw himself upon a chair opposite, and thus in a rage addressed me, "I would you were in heaven, young sir, with your sergeants, to send me in this boiling heat to the other end of the suburbs ; and when I reach the quarter there sits the fellow in heart's content

over a portion of brandy and sausage enough to make even as healthy a man as himself sick. What the deuce put such thing into your head?" I soon perceived that the Adjutant had set a trap for me, into which I had blindly fallen; but to have dragged the poor surgeon in with me gave me great concern. I ruefully stated my case to him, and prepared myself to be well reprimanded-as fell out in the sequel-by the Adjutant, as well as by the captain of my company. In future I

was more careful.

THE CONSUMPTIVE.

MOTHER! Sweet mother! my poor heart is breaking,
To see thee thus mourning so sadly for me,
And sooner I shall my last slumber be taking,—
I fain would delay, to be longer with thee.

Thy greeting is now in the language of sorrow,

That once would delight me with accents of love;
And the smiles that at times thy worn features will borrow,
But the pain of awaking them bitterly prove!

Oh, why art thou changed? Is thy child less endearing,
That thus she is chiding the tears from thine eyes?
Or canst thou mistrust the fond looks she is wearing,
To tell thee what thoughts in her bosom arise?

Forgive me, sweet mother, I would not distress thee,
Or doubt an affection so true as thine own;

And long may the spirit in yonder land bless thee,

When the bird thou hast cherish'd hath thitherward flown.

I know that my days on this fair earth are closing,
That the glow on my cheek but betokens decay,
Like the flower that seemingly fair is reposing,
Though slowly within it is wearing away.

I feel my strength fail me; but light is the burden
That Fate could impose, were it only on me;
But, mother, though glory itself is the guerdon,
I turn from the thought, and cling closer to thee!

My dreams are of heaven,-its beauties unveiling,
Invite me to wander and taste of their bliss ;
But sudden I see thee, and love then assailing,
O'ershadows yon region while thou art in this!

I hear the glad hymns from the side of still waters,
That angels are tuning to welcome the blest;
And, though I would join God's worshipping daughters,
While thou wert all lonely, could I be at rest?

Ah, mother! how happy 'twould be, if together
We journey'd away from this valley of tears,
And blending our hearts in communion for ever,
We knew not a grief, with no cause for our fears!

But should it be will'd that I enter before thee
The portals of darkness that leads us on high,
My spirit, unfetter'd, will then hover o'er thee,
And thou wilt be conscious thy child is still nigh!

VOL. XVII.

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