etables--after that devil took up
his quarters at Monk's corner--began to give out then, our meat; and,
finally, we had nothing left but rice, which I consider neither fish,
flesh, nor good salt herring"----

"You had good spirits, though, sergeant."

"If you mean rum or brandy, major, we hadn't much of that;--but if you
mean jokes and laughs, it must be hard times that will stop them in
camp.--I'll tell you one of them, that made a great hurra on both sides,
where we got the better of a Scotch regiment that was plaguing us from
outside the town. They thought they would make themselves merry with our
starvation--so, they throwed a bomb shell into our lines, that, as it
came along through the air, we saw had some devilment in it, from the
streak it made in daylight; and, sure enough, when we come to look at it
on the ground, we found it filled with rice and molasses--just to show
that these Scotchmen were laughing at us for having nothing to eat.
Well, what do we do but fill another shell with brimstone and hogslard,
and just drop it handsomely amongst the lads from the land o'cakes? Gad,
sir, it soon got to the hearing of the English regiment, and such a
shouting as they sot up from their lines against the Scotchmen! That's
what I call giving as good as they saunt, major--ha ha ha!"

"It wasn't a bad repartee, Galbraith," said Butler, joining in the
laugh. "But go on with your siege."

"We got taken, at last," proceeded Horse Shoe, "and surrendered on the
12th of May. Do you know that they condescended to let us go through the
motions of marching outside the lines? Still it was a sorry day to see
our colors tied as fast to their sticks as if a stocking had been drawn
over them. After that, we were marched to the barracks and put into
close confinement."

"Yes, I have heard that; and with heavy hearts--and a dreary prospect
before you, sergeant."

"I shouldn't have minded it much, Major Butler, it was the fortune of
war. But they insulted us as soon as they got our arms from us. It was a
blasted cowardly trick in them to endeavor to wean us from our cause,
which they tried every day; it was seduction, I may say. First, they
told us that Colonel Pinckney and some other officers had gone over; but
that was too onprobable a piece of rascality,--we didn't believe one
word on't. So, one morning Colonel Pinckney axed that we mought be
drawed up in a line in front of the barracks; and there he made us a
speech. We were a