ere very profane, and used indecent
language. There was one great, over-grown Dutchman, Gottlieb von Dunk,
who smoked nearly all the time when awake, and who snored terribly when
asleep. But he was a good-hearted fellow for all that, and had a great
many pleasant stories to tell.

It was inspiring to hear the drum and fife, the blast of the bugle, and
the playing of the band. It was glorious to look upon the star-spangled
banner, waving in the breeze; but the excitement soon wore away. There
were rainy days, comfortless and cheerless. Sometimes the rations were
not fit to be eaten, and there was grumbling in the camp. There were
days of homesickness, when the soldiers longed to break away from the
restraints of camp life, and be free once more.

The regiment in which Paul enlisted was ordered to Cairo, in Illinois,
where it joined several others. When the men were enlisted, they
expected to march at once upon the Rebels, but week after week passed
by, spring became summer, and summer lengthened into autumn, and there
was no movement of the troops. The ardor of their patriotism died out.
It was a monotonous life, waking early in the morning to answer
roll-call, to eat breakfast of salt pork and hard-tack, drilling by
squads, by companies, by battalion, marching and countermarching, going
through the same manoeuvres every day, shouldering, ordering, and
presenting arms, making believe load and fire, standing on guard,
putting out their lights at nine o'clock at night,--doing all this, week
after week, with the Rebels at Columbus, only twenty miles down the
river. It was very irksome. Sometimes Paul's heart went back to New
Hope, as the dear old times came crowding upon him; but he had learned
to be patient. He knew that it was necessary for soldiers to become
disciplined. He had enlisted for the war, he gave his whole attention to
doing his duty, and received his reward by being made a sergeant. He
kept his gun clean, his equipments in good order, and he was always in
his place. So prompt was he, that his commander nicknamed him Sergeant
Ready. He was as ready to play a game of football, or to run a race, as
he was to appear in the ranks at drill. When off duty, instead of idling
away his time, he was studying the tactics, learning not only his duty
as a sergeant, but what it would be if he were a lieutenant or a
captain.

The camp of his regiment was near the town, on the bank of the
Mississippi, where he saw the grea