of
Delhi.

It was a burning hot day, and we were all refreshing ourselves after
the morning's march, when I, who was on the advanced piquet along
with O'Gawler of the King's Dragoons, was made aware of the enemy's
neighborhood in a very singular manner. O'Gawler and I were seated under
a little canopy of horse-cloths, which we had formed to shelter us from
the intolerable heat of the sun, and were discussing with great delight
a few Manilla cheroots, and a stone jar of the most exquisite, cool,
weak, refreshing sangaree. We had been playing cards the night before,
and O'Gawler had lost to me seven hundred rupees. I emptied the last of
the sangaree into the two pint tumblers out of which we were drinking,
and holding mine up, said, "Here's better luck to you next time,
O'Gawler!"

As I spoke the words--whish!--a cannon-ball cut the tumbler clean out
of my hand, and plumped into poor O'Gawler's stomach. It settled him
completely, and of course I never got my seven hundred rupees. Such are
the uncertainties of war!

To strap on my sabre and my accoutrements--to mount my Arab charger--to
drink off what O'Gawler had left of the sangaree--and to gallop to the
General, was the work of a moment. I found him as comfortably at tiffin
as if he were at his own house in London.

"General," said I, as soon as I got into his paijamahs (or tent), "you
must leave your lunch if you want to fight the enemy."

"The enemy--psha! Mr. Gahagan, the enemy is on the other side of the
river."

"I can only tell your Excellency that the enemy's guns will hardly carry
five miles, and that Cornet O'Gawler was this moment shot dead at my
side with a cannon-ball."

"Ha! is it so?" said his Excellency, rising, and laying down the
drumstick of a grilled chicken. "Gentlemen, remember that the eyes of
Europe are upon us, and follow me!"

Each aide-de-camp started from table and seized his cocked hat; each
British heart beat high at the thoughts of the coming melee. We mounted
our horses and galloped swiftly after the brave old General; I not the
last in the train, upon my famous black charger.

It was perfectly true, the enemy were posted in force within three miles
of our camp, and from a hillock in the advance to which we galloped, we
were enabled with our telescopes to see the whole of his imposing line.
Nothing can better describe it than this:--

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