The Press.
London, England, 1854-09-30 00:00:00

capable of containing three pints. Any man, therefore,
that got a blow from it must go down if he
got it on the head. I went to one village, and, after looking
about for the most comfortable home or cabin, went to one
that had recently been whitewashed, and found a venerable
Turk outside, smoking of course. I asked him for some
sckmeck (bread), at the same time showing him three
piastres ; he told me to go to the door, and called to his
wives to serve me. I saluted them very politely, and as
one of bis wives had got about four or five words of English,
and I had about a dozen of Turkish, we got on very well.
I bought some bread, and filled my calabash with milk for
two piastres ; as for eggs they were, according to our money,
four a penny. I was coming away, yingratulating myself
upon my good fortune, when, in passing the old Turk, and
giving him a nod with the usual salute, ` Bono Tnrco,' I
was stopped by him, saluted by a ship on the shoulder, and
' Bono Jenny,' and signs were made to me to go back into
the house. I went ; the Turk motioned me to sit down,
which I did crosslegged like himself. He then spoke to
his wives, who brought out a leg of lamb, with some vege-
table marrows, cheese, cucumbers, and vinegar. I fell to
with no little gusto, for we had had a long march, with
nothing before It but cold coffee (without sugar), and
'biscuit. After I had done he gave me a chibouque, and as
the tobacco was mild I smoked with the Turk. But what
surprised me most of all was his bringing out a bottle of
English porter. I began to question him as 0 where he
got it from as well as I could, but there was no difficulty :
the word Varna settled the matter. The Turk's kindness
did not end here, for, telling him that I wanted some wood,
he put four or five logs upon his araba or bullock waggon,
and sent a boy with me to bring it back. I must here
mention a circumstance that occurred while I was dining
and smoking. A girl, of about 18 or 10 years of age, came
into the room for some domestic purpose, and stared very
hard at me. No wonder ; she had probably seldom seen
an English soldier in full uniform, with the exception of
the shako, sitting dining and smoking on the best terms
with her grave father. Well, when they all went out to
put the wood upon the aniba, I went for my haversack, &c.,
and found her intently and curiously gazing upon the
number and name inscribed upon it. She was so absorbed
in this task that she did not at first notice me, nor, indeed,
till I was close upon her. She started up, for she was kneeling,
and burst into tears, perhaps, as a Turkish girl, thinking
herself guilty of some forwardness or impropriety, for they
have od I notions on such points. At this moment her father
entered, and, seeing his daughter in tears, no doubt ima-
gining that 1 had in some way offended, perhaps insulted,
her, he directly drew his knife. I started at him and seized
his arm, while his daughter spoke to him, and I imagined
assured him I was not to blame. He, however, ordered her
out of the room ; but it was all right, and I was bono
Jonny and he was bono Turco as before. I thanked him
for his kindness as well as I could, and went back to the
camp, thinking over the fortunes of war. At the next place
we went to I was still in office as cook, and had to cook the
men's rations.
" In a very dark night I had to go forth about midnight
to look for wood. T stumbled upon an old farmhouse, with
a dry wooden stake fence around it, and, as there was a
scarcity of fuel, I was pulling up three or four of the stakes,
when a whole legion of dogs were let loose upon me : it was
a good job for me that they were not English dogs, or my
campaign would have ended on that spot; but the Turkish
dogs are the greatest cowards of their species that I have
ever met with. As they advanced I put my back against
the fence, and Ea they came at me I knocked the leaders
down, seven in number, and the remainder then barked at
a distance, or went howling about the village. I must ad-
mit that I was very considerably frightened ; in the dead
.of the night, no aid near, and full twenty hungry dogs with
their infernal wolf-like heads about you : but, after all, I
got the wood, and the rations were cooked about two in the
morning."

Two Sou:4am, named Amat and Magnien, of the 4th
French Light Dragoons, in garrison at Joigny, were lately
tried by a conrt•martial for robbery. A woman named
Vyon, of the village of St. Aubyn, near Joigny, gave the
following evidence :—" On the 9th August last these two
soldiers came to my house and took breakfast. 'the bill
amounted to sf. lii sous, and they paid it like gentlemen.
They were very polite, and I was greatly pleased with them.
I put their money in my till, which was pretty full, and
pushed the till to, but did not lock it. They then turned
away as it' to leave, but one of them said,' Suppose we take
a bottle of beer?' and the other accepted. ' But,' said the
first speaker, 'it must he quite fresh from the cellar!' On
this I went into the cellar, without the slightest suspicion,
and brought np the beer. They drank it quickly, threw
down 10 sons to pay for it, and hurried away. liut,
gentlemen,' 1 cried, I have four sons to give you back ! '
Oh ! never mind the four sons!' answered they, give
them to your servant, or keep them for yourself. '
' Thanks, gentlemen—my best thanks.' And I said to
myself, these are real gentlemen. And if ever they come
here again I will treat them well. Then I opened my
till to put into it the ten-sous piece ; but oh, horror ! my
money bad disappeared. The brigands had robbed me
whilst I was in the cellar. Well might they give me four
sous, the wretches. Considering what they had taken
from me, the scoundrels, it was little enough. But without
loss of time I ran after them, and saw them running in
different directions. I screamed ' Murder—fire—thieves!'
and the peasants who were working in the fields went in
pursuit of them. After a long and difficult chase over
fields, hedges, and ditches they were both captured; and
were conveyed in the custody of gendarmes, and under the
escort of the villagers armed with reaping-hooks and scythes,
spades, and clubs, to Joigny. And now I demand that
the brigands shall be severely punished—the guillotine or
the bagne—nothing less." The soldiers were called on for
their defence. Amat confessed that it was he who had
taken the woman's money. Magnien denied that he had
participated in the robbery. The court aecinitted Magnien,
and sentencEd Ain't t 6 a year'S