r haversacks before leaving their quarters on
the previous evening, and a party sent down the road obtained a
sufficient supply of bread for the rest from a commissariat wagon.
While the fires were being lighted the light company were ordered to
aid in the work of collecting the wounded. The other regiments had
also sent out parties, and for hours the work went on. Owing to the
frequent movements of the troops, and the darkness of the night, it
was difficult to discover the wounded, and there were no materials at
hand from which torches could be made.

No distinction was made between friend and foe. The bodies found to be
cold and stiff were left where they lay; the rest were lifted and
carried to one or other of the spots where the surgeons of the force
were hard at work giving a first dressing to the wounds, or, where
absolutely necessary, performing amputations. After an hour's work the
light company was relieved by the grenadiers, and these in turn by the
other companies, so that all might have a chance of obtaining as much
sleep as possible.

The troops were indeed terribly fatigued, for they had had a thirty
miles' march, and nearly six hours continuous fighting; but they were
in high spirits at their success, although suffering severely from
want of water. They had started in the morning with full canteens, but
the dusty march had produced such thirst that most of these were
emptied long before they reached the field of battle; and no water was
to be found near the spot where the Twenty-eighth were bivouacked, and
indeed with the exception of the regiments in the village, who
obtained water from the wells, the whole army lay down without a
drink. Water had, however, been fetched for the wounded, whose first
cry as their comrades reached them had always been for it; and even
when the search had ceased for the night, there were numbers still
lying in agony scattered over the field. Ralph had before starting
filled a canteen with brandy and water at the suggestion of Captain
O'Connor.

"The less you drink, lad, while on the march the better; but the
chances are you will find by night that every drop is worth its weight
in gold. If you have the bad luck to be wounded yourself, the contents
of the canteen may save your life; and if you don't want it yourself,
you may be sure that there will be scores of poor fellows to whom a
mouthful will be a blessing indeed."

So Ralph had found it. He had drunk very sparingly