etween the soldiers and the police. It came
about in this way. One of the soldiers while strolling on the banks of
the Clyde one Saturday night appeared to have insulted a lady. She gave
information to the police, who next (Sunday) morning, accompanied by the
informant, came in full force to the barracks. We had just fallen in for
church parade. The ranks were opened, and the lady passed among us to see
if she could identify the guilty man. Eventually, she pitched upon a man
whom all of us knew could not have been at the place mentioned at the
time given by the lady. However, despite his protestations of innocence,
he was handcuffed, and was about to be marched away by a sergeant of the
police when one of the prisoner's comrades interfered. He did so to a
nicety, for he knocked the policeman down. Then another policeman went to
the ground, and another, until the whole parade was one scene of
commotion. The police were badly worsted, many of them being more or less
seriously injured in the _melee_. Reinforcements were summoned, and many
arrests were made by the representatives of the civil power. The
barracks' officers had no control over their men, and two companies of
Highlanders were sent for to take the place of our regiment at Hamilton
and to escort to Edinburgh Castle those of us who had taken part in
disturbance. At the Castle the men were confined to barracks for a
fortnight to give the police time to work up their "case" for the
court-martial, and in order to see how the wounded policemen, who were
being treated in the hospital progressed.

I WAS OUT OF THE FRAY

I happened to be escorting two men from the hospital to the parade when
the outbreak occurred. I was conversing with the regimental doctor, and
took advantage of that circumstance to get that gentleman to make me a
certificate testifying that I was not "in at the death." However, I was
sent for examination with the lot, but I passed through the ordeal
successfully, the doctor's certificate undoubtedly freeing me. I may here
mention that I have not been a believer in physiognomy since then; for if
a man had a rough-looking or repulsive countenance he was as surely
ordered to "fall out," and many men were so taken prisoners whom I knew
were innocent. In all about fifty were placed under arrest, and taken
before the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, who sentenced them to gaol for
terms varying from one to eighteen months.

CHAPTER XI

IN THE LAN