ber was soon
to be added to the sum total. A comrade of my own company went in
search of sticks to liven up our fire: I told him to be careful and
not get in sight of the enemy's picket, or they might have a pop at
him, and he replied never fear, he would be careful; but the foolish
fellow had been gone but a few minutes, when he was shot through the
neck. Instead of keeping his own side of the hill, he had diverged on
to the other close enough to be observed by one of the enemy's
riflemen, who shot him as I have described. I happened to hear the
shot, and found that it had been at him, so I went and dragged him
back, pretty quickly as may be supposed, for I was fearful lest I
should be shot likewise myself. The poor fellow was not dead, but
exclaimed, "O corporal, I am a dead man!" When I had got him out of
the enemy's reach and near our own lines, I took his stock from off
his neck and he expired directly; so I had to leave him and rejoin our
company with the news that another of us was gone, making seventy-five
in all.

On the following morning I happened to observe an officer of the
French army moving at some distance in front of our lines, having
hanging from his pocket a fine watch-guard, which particularly took my
attention and which I thought at the time would look very well on me;
and being more daring than wise, I crawled towards him with my musket
loaded, and when near enough as I thought to him, I fired; but it did
him no mischief and only made him take himself off at once. I nearly
got into a scrape through it, however, for I was fired at myself in
return, the bullet fortunately only taking the butt end off my musket.
I turned to run off, and another shot hit the knapsack on my back, but
I soon got out of reach of their shot again, luckily, as it happened,
without any injury; but it must have been a near thing, for when I
next opened my knapsack, I found the ball had gone through the leather
and my thickly-folded blanket and had at last been stopped by the sole
of a shoe, and was lying there as flat as a halfpenny and about the
same size.

The same day we were joined by the Fifty-third regiment Lord
Wellington having sent it on to relieve us in case of another attack
from the enemy. They offered to occupy our heights, so that we might
fall back to the rear, but our captain would not consent to that;
"For," as he said, "my men have fought well to defend their position,
and I think they will be strong enou