previous
year. I was at once supplied with a meal. My brother was asked to send
them newspapers after his return. He never sought for mysteries and
despised dramatic effects, but his life was full of them. Once, when in
Naples, he was accustomed to meet by chance every day, in some retired
walk, a young lady. They spoke, and met and met again, till they became
like friends. One day he saw her in a court procession, and learned for
the first time that she was a younger daughter of the King. But he never
met her again.

There were two or three boys of good family, none above sixteen, who had
sworn themselves in as of age--recruiting officers were not
particular--and who soon developed brilliant talents for "foraging,"
looting, guerilla warfare, horse-stealing, pot-hunting rebels, and all
those little accomplishments which appear so naturally and pleasingly in
youth when in the field. For bringing out the art of taking care of
yourself, a camp in time of war is superior even to "sleeping about in
the markets," as recommended by Mr. Weller. Other talents may be
limited, but the amount of "devil" which can be developed out of a
"smart" boy as a soldier is absolutely infinite. College is a Sunday-
school to it. One of these youths had "obtained" a horse somewhere,
which he contrived to carry along. Many of our infantry regiments
gradually converted themselves into cavalry by this process of
"obtaining" steeds; and as the officers found that their men could walk
better on horses' legs, they permitted it. This promising youngster was
one day seated on a caisson or ammunition waggon full of shells, &c.,
when it blew up. By a miracle he rose in the air, fell on the ground
unhurt, and marching immediately up to the lieutenant and touching his
hat, exclaimed, "Please, sir, caisson No. Two is blown to hell; please
appoint me to another!" That oath was not recorded. Poor boy! he died
in the war.

There was one man in our corps, a good-natured, agreeable person, a
professional politician, who astonished me by the fact that however
starved we might be, he had always a flask of whisky wherewith to treat
his friends! Where or how he always got it I never could divine. But in
America every politician always has whisky or small change wherewith to
treat. _Always_. Money was generally of little use, for there was
rarely anything to buy anywhere. I soon developed here and there an
Indian-like instinct in many things, a