and all other still
tolerable Regiments, marched out of Metz, to southward towns and
villages; to rural Cantonments as at Vic, Marsal and thereabout, by
the still waters; where is plenty of horse-forage, sequestered
parade-ground, and the soldier's speculative faculty can be stilled
by drilling. Salm, as we said, received only half payment of arrears;
naturally not without grumbling. Nevertheless that scene of the drawn
sword may, after all, have raised Bouille in the mind of Salm; for men
and soldiers love intrepidity and swift inflexible decision, even when
they suffer by it. As indeed is not this fundamentally the quality of
qualities for a man? A quality which by itself is next to nothing,
since inferior animals, asses, dogs, even mules have it; yet, in due
combination, it is the indispensable basis of all.

Of Nanci and its heats, Bouille, commander of the whole, knows nothing
special; understands generally that the troops in that City are perhaps
the worst. (Bouille, i. c. 9.) The Officers there have it all, as they
have long had it, to themselves; and unhappily seem to manage it ill.
'Fifty yellow furloughs,' given out in one batch, do surely betoken
difficulties. But what was Patriotism to think of certain light-fencing
Fusileers 'set on,' or supposed to be set on, 'to insult the
Grenadier-club,' considerate speculative Grenadiers, and that
reading-room of theirs? With shoutings, with hootings; till the
speculative Grenadier drew his side-arms too; and there ensued battery
and duels! Nay more, are not swashbucklers of the same stamp 'sent out'
visibly, or sent out presumably, now in the dress of Soldiers to pick
quarrels with the Citizens; now, disguised as Citizens, to pick quarrels
with the Soldiers? For a certain Roussiere, expert in fence, was taken
in the very fact; four Officers (presumably of tender years) hounding
him on, who thereupon fled precipitately! Fence-master Roussiere, haled
to the guardhouse, had sentence of three months' imprisonment: but
his comrades demanded 'yellow furlough' for him of all persons; nay,
thereafter they produced him on parade; capped him in paper-helmet
inscribed, Iscariot; marched him to the gate of City; and there sternly
commanded him to vanish for evermore.

On all which suspicions, accusations and noisy procedure, and on enough
of the like continually accumulating, the Officer could not but look
with disdainful indignation; perhaps disdainfully express the same in
wo