e has great respect for his officer; the
gracefully touching his cap being no idle ceremony. At the close of a
weary day's march, he will leave his own to put up his tent; build a
fire near it, and do every favor he can, freely and willingly. Officers
will recognize this fact, and attribute the secret to the strict
non-familiarity between them.

He has three festivals during the year, when he sets a splendid table
and enjoys himself--the two wintry holidays, and the anniversary of our
national independence. There are songs and speeches in abundance, and
the oratory is genuine. If he lingers long at the table--or under
it--there is so much power in the "star spangled banner," or "Erin is my
home," that he must become a martyr to their glorious enthusiasm. On one
of these occasions, a little lady friend christened an aldermanic German
by a patriotic name which since has taken the place of his own. "He was
a man of an unbounded stomach," seemingly, with the French maxim ever
uppermost in his mind: _Quand la cornemuse est pleine on en chant mieux_
(when the belly is full, the music goes better). An escopette ball at
Molino-del-Rey struck him on the head, and the ponderous mass rolling
over and over on the ground, he was left for dead, but his time had not
yet come. It was a heavy blow, and though alive, yet his reason, at
times, is gone: predicting something novel in the history of man to
happen on the 4th of April next. Another joyful day is the visit of the
paymaster, which happens six times a year. His last supply is
gone--hence his anxiety to replenish. He is very happy to see this
financial individual--as much so as any body was with the arrival of the
first California steamer with two millions in gold. His only drawback
is, that his mortal enemy, the sutler, is then invariably ready to face
him with a small bill for sundry articles, such as cheese, whiting, and
"some drinks." He had no idea it was so large! Generally he pays to a
fraction; sometimes, like broken banks, he compromises for a certain per
centum; sometimes he repudiates _in toto_. He is often economical,
spending nothing, and transmitting his savings to destitute relations at
home or abroad. A thousand hearts were gladdened, and a thousand mouths
fed, in the poor Emerald Isle during her starving days, by five pound
drafts from "the bold soldier-boy" over the water. These substantial
tokens from the home of his adoption have a secret but visible effect.
Th