he rage for the moment, and what may be
called "Absent-minded Beggarism" was rampant. Unfortunately, this
enthusiasm found a vent too often in silly and thoughtless squandering
of money on the soldiers. They were banqueted before they started; their
friends used to ply them with drink; mayors were waiting upon them at
every turn with pipes and tobacco, and total strangers showered money
on them quite recklessly. For example, while I was on the _Assaye's_
bridge I saw a civilian, standing quite apart from the crowd, with his
hat full of copper and small silver coins. No one seemed to be watching
him. He could have no thought of making an impression. But in an ecstasy
of enthusiasm he kept throwing showers of money to the troops on deck.
It is an excellent thing that the people at home should be touched with
such gratitude to the men who fight for them, but, like all great public
movements which have more heart than head in them, this kind of thing
was sometimes overdone, and failed in its object. One saw the men
sometimes arriving drunken, grumbling, and impudent; criticising the
quality or quantity of the refreshments which the steamship company had
thoughtfully provided for them, and generally behaving in a way most
unlike what one would expect. No one seemed to lack money, although so
much was spent in drink. Several times that day I heard men at the
canteen calling for whisky and soda or brandy and potash, and grumbling
heartily when they were not supplied.

With regard to the way in which men got drink one or two things fall to
be said. Every effort was made by the authorities to prevent
drunkenness. One of the naval embarkation officers told me that drink
was not supplied to the men at the canteen, that they were forbidden to
bring any on board, and that they were forbidden to buy or receive any
from civilians; yet it had been found that certain tradesmen at
Southampton had deliberately smuggled whisky on board by heavily bribing
some of the crew. In the face of this kind of thing the officers could
do little. They spoke very bitterly of the cruelty to the men involved
in such practices, for the soldiers are necessarily packed pretty close
together when hammocks are slung, and when the effects of drunkenness
are added to the horrors of sea-sickness the result is awful, and almost
unendurable by a man who cherishes any self-respect. I mention this at
some length because, although it was not prominent on the day of wh