shelter behind Susannah,--but to give it; and with this
resolution upon his mind, he marched upright into the parlour, to lay
the whole manoeuvre before my uncle Toby.

My uncle Toby had just then been giving Yorick an account of the Battle
of Steenkirk, and of the strange conduct of count Solmes in ordering the
foot to halt, and the horse to march where it could not act; which was
directly contrary to the king's commands, and proved the loss of the
day.

There are incidents in some families so pat to the purpose of what
is going to follow,--they are scarce exceeded by the invention of a
dramatic writer;--I mean of ancient days.--

Trim, by the help of his fore-finger, laid flat upon the table, and the
edge of his hand striking across it at right angles, made a shift to
tell his story so, that priests and virgins might have listened to
it;--and the story being told,--the dialogue went on as follows.

Chapter 3.XXI.

--I would be picquetted to death, cried the corporal, as he concluded
Susannah's story, before I would suffer the woman to come to any
harm,--'twas my fault, an' please your honour,--not her's.

Corporal Trim, replied my uncle Toby, putting on his hat which lay upon
the table,--if any thing can be said to be a fault, when the service
absolutely requires it should be done,--'tis I certainly who deserve the
blame,--you obeyed your orders.

Had count Solmes, Trim, done the same at the battle of Steenkirk, said
Yorick, drolling a little upon the corporal, who had been run over by
a dragoon in the retreat,--he had saved thee;--Saved! cried Trim,
interrupting Yorick, and finishing the sentence for him after his own
fashion,--he had saved five battalions, an' please your reverence, every
soul of them:--there was Cutt's,--continued the corporal, clapping the
forefinger of his right hand upon the thumb of his left, and counting
round his hand,--there was Cutt's,--Mackay's,--Angus's,--Graham's,--and
Leven's, all cut to pieces;--and so had the English life-guards too, had
it not been for some regiments upon the right, who marched up boldly to
their relief, and received the enemy's fire in their faces, before any
one of their own platoons discharged a musket,--they'll go to heaven
for it,--added Trim.--Trim is right, said my uncle Toby, nodding to
Yorick,--he's perfectly right. What signified his marching the horse,
continued the corporal, where the ground was so strait, that the French
had such a nation of