, I am delighted.'

"'You are very good. I ought to have said something about the travelling
in these wild countries, which is anything but pleasant. The soil is a
species of clay, hard as a flint when the weather is dry, but running
into a slippery paste as soon as moistened. It is, therefore, very
fatiguing, especially in wet weather, when the soldiers slip about, in a
very laughable manner to look at, but very distressing to themselves. I
travelled either on horseback or in one of the waggons, as it happened.
I was too well known, and I hope I may add, too well liked, not to be as
well provided for as possible. It is remarkable how soon a Frenchman
will make himself comfortable, wherever he may chance to be. The camp of
Mzez Ammar was as busy and as lively as if it was pitched in the heart
of France. The followers had built up little cabins out of the branches
of trees, with their leaves on, interwoven together, all in straight
lines, forming streets, very commodious, and perfectly impervious to the
withering sun. There were _restaurants_, _cafes_, _debits de vin et
eau-de-vie_, sausage-sellers, butchers, grocers--in fact, there was
every trade almost, and everything you required; not very cheap
certainly, but you must recollect that this little town had sprung up,
as if by magic, in the heart of the desert.

"'It was in the month of September that Damremont ordered a
_reconnaissance_ in the direction of Constantine, and a battalion of my
husband's regiment, the 47th, was ordered to form a part of it. I have
said nothing about my husband. He was a good little man, and a brave
officer, full of honour, but very obstinate. He never would take advice,
and it was nothing but "_Tais-toi, Coralie_," all day long--but no one
is perfect. He wished me to remain in the camp, but I made it a rule
never to be left behind. We set off, and I rode in one of the little
carriages called _cacolets_, which had been provided for the wounded. It
was terrible travelling, I was jolted to atoms in the ascent of the
steep mountain called the Rass-el-akba; but we gained the summit without
a shot being fired. When we arrived there, and looked down beneath us,
the sight was very picturesque. There were about four or five thousand
of the Arab cavalry awaiting our descent; their white bournous, as they
term the long dresses in which they enfold themselves, waving in the
wind as they galloped at full speed in every direction; while the
glitter of