he is a pattern of promptitude and obedience, so they
respect him. Moreover, he is a kindly and jovial man, therefore they
are fond of him.

The battlefield of which we write was in the East. The fight had been
between the British and Russians. The British had been victorious, and
slept on the field.

When the bugles sounded the next morning they stopped the nasal trumpets
everywhere, and Corporal Robert Thorogood was the first man of all the
host to "fall in"--which he did by himself. But he was not long alone;
others quickly joined him.

The companies were soon numbered, proved, formed into column, and
marched off. Then there was a short halt for breakfast.

"Why, you're not half a soldier, Bob," said a hearty young comrade,
while hastily eating his rations. "I saw you spare a Russian officer
yesterday after he had cut off the little finger of your left hand."

"What good would it have done to have killed him?" asked Bob, with a
smile, as he looked at the bloody stump, which had just been dressed by
the surgeon; "the poor fellow's leg was broken by a bullet the moment
after he had done it, so he could do us no more harm in this campaign.
Then, his death would not make my little finger grow on again. Besides,
I don't like killing men."

"Why did you join the army, then, if you did not do so for the honour
and glory of fighting, (which means killing), our enemies?"

"Ah, you may ask that indeed! I mistook my profession, I suppose.
However, I'll do my duty while I remain in the service."

As he spoke, firing was heard in the distance, and the men were ordered
to fall in hastily before breakfast had been quite finished.

The firing increased, and soon the advance guard was seen falling back
in good order over the brow of a small hill or slope. Rifle balls began
to fly overhead, and a few to drop unpleasantly near the troops.
Suddenly our Corporal was startled by an appalling cry behind him. He
turned quickly, and saw the young soldier with whom he had been so
recently conversing lying on his back stone dead, with the blood oozing
from a hole between his eyes.

There was no time to think, however. His battalion was ordered to the
front to defend a narrow rocky pass which the enemy were attempting to
carry by storm. Twice already they had made the assault, and had almost
succeeded on the second attempt. A third assault was being made when
Thorogood's company came up. They rushed forward just as the