sium to
the delightful music of the Royal Artillery band. On these nights ladies
were not allowed to attend, so the cadets had to supply the ladies
amongst themselves. But the continual practice naturally made them good
dancers. Personally I took great delight in the art of dancing. I was
built just for it, tall, light, thin and long-legged. I was able to
pirouette and high-kick fairly well.

I was very keen on private theatricals, so that, amongst my other
important duties of those days, I was appointed stage manager and
producer for a week's performance which was to take place at the Garrison
Theatre. The play was the old farce, _Box and Cox_, which was converted
into a musical comedy. Some people say to this day that this particular
production was the origin of the musical comedies which have since then
so amused the public. Mrs. Bouncer was most excellently performed by
Lieutenant Bingham, while Lieutenants Jocelyn and Fritz, if I remember
rightly, were Box and Cox. Mrs. Bouncer, assisted in the musical part of
the piece by a chorus of lusty sergeants and gunners, who revelled in
dances and choruses, was a great success, while a specially selected
chorus of ballet-girls highly distinguished themselves. The production
was quite good, and the financial results on behalf of the regimental
charities were most satisfactory. In after years the theatrical
experiences thus gained gave me considerable enjoyment. But of this,
later on.

The end of the six months' training at Woolwich being completed, I was
appointed to a Garrison company, with its headquarters at Limerick--good
old Limerick--which was then known as the paradise of hard-up subalterns.
Limerick is a quaint town. There is Old Limerick and Modern Limerick. The
old town is situated round the castle, which is on the banks of the
Shannon, and where--across the river--stands the old Treaty Stone. It is
difficult to describe Old Limerick. One must really see it and live in it
to appreciate its dirty houses, poor tenements, its smells and other
unhealthy attributes. Yet it is a characteristic little piece of old
Ireland. This part of the old town reached down to the cathedral, past
which the main street--George Street--runs through the modern town,
practically parallel with the River Shannon. With the exception of the
old castle, Limerick does not possess any buildings of very particular
interest. The best residential part was across the river, Circular Row.
Limerick