s.

"Sometimes? Nearly always."

"But what have you got here--tiger?"

"Never saw one. Plenty of bear."

"All! that will do."

"Chamois-like deer, goats, and splendid mountain sheep. Pheasants too.
Ah! I can give you some glorious pheasant shooting. Here they come.
Oh, I say, what a pity for the old man to march our poor ragged Jacks
out to see you! They'll look--"

"Glorious," cried Bracy. "I should be proud of being one of your
regiment. By George; what shrimps our lads seem beside them!"

"Your lads look perfection," cried the subaltern enthusiastically.
"Don't you run them down. If you'd been looking despairingly for help
for a whole month you'd feel as I do. Here, I must trot back to my
chiefs. Just fancy; my captain and lieutenant are both down, _non com_,
and I'm in command of my company. Isn't it disgusting for the poor
fellows? But they behave very well. So glad to have met you, dear
boys. Ta-ta for the present. We've got a splendid feed ready for you
all, and we shall meet then.--Don't forget about the boots, old chap.
You shall have these to present to the British Museum. Label 'em
`Officer's Foot-gear. End of Nineteenth Century. Rare.'"

The subaltern trotted off, and with the regiment going half-mad and
cheering wildly in response to the cries of welcome which greeted them,
the boyish ranks marched on, solid and stiff, for a time, their rifles
sloped regularly, and step kept in a way which made even Sergeant Gee
smile with satisfaction. But directly after, as caps and helmets,
mingled with women's handkerchiefs, began to wave from the walls, the
strong discipline of the corps was quite forgotten, helmets came out of
their proper places and were mounted on the ends of rifles, to be
carried steadily at the slope, to be held up on high at arm's-length,
and even danced up and down, in the wild joy felt by the whole body,
from the Colonel down to the meanest bugle-boy, that they had arrived in
time to succour the brave and devoted men, marched out of the dark
gateway and formed up in two lines for their friends to pass in between
them. Hardly a dark face, lined, stern, and careworn, was without
something to show in the shape of injury; while nearer the gate there
was a body of about two-score badly wounded and bandaged men who had
hobbled or been carried out, ready to add their faint share of cheering
to that of their comrades.

As Roberts and Bracy led their company towards the g