The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1848-09-26
from the N. Y. Spirit of the Times.l
ann Life-Captain Tobin Obeying Orders

Camp Iife-Captain Tobin Obeying Orders.
A CAapter from forthcoming Work entitled The Sailor
in Camp.-.4 Historical Romance of the MeTicdR Var
6B Jack Brace an Dch appear some of Captain IObn
numerous FRANKS
have said as vet but little of my camp life. In
| fact there was a good deal Of sameness, though
cannot say of dizziness, during the five or six weeks
| we lay opposite Matamoras. The hours however
did not lag heavily, except in view OF the much de-
| sired advance of the army. have never yet been
able to comprehend the policy of our government
| in permitting General Taylor, at the outset of
campaign gloriously opened, to lie idle so long on
the field of his victories for the want OF means to
| push up his advantages Had he been properly fur
nished with these, Ampudia's army would have
been destroyed, and Monterey taken without bat
| tie A discussion this subject however is for
| egn to the purpose of my narrative.
MY friend Captain Tobin, who was the life and
soul of the camp, soon taught me what killing
| slow venison y meant. One morning he came
round to my tent, and informed me that there was
a charge against some of the for killing cattle.
The mischief, you say George wonder if my
boys had anything to do with it. One of them sent
me fine beef steak this morning." said |, pointing
to piping hot one just placed on the board for
breakfast
"Ah!" replied he, "we must see into that
am on duty to day and received orders to look out
for that" So drawing seat to the table, Beef,
did you say!" he asked.
Certainly" ''Why my dear fellow you've lost
| George, you're ahumbug."
| sc Fact upon honor. Venison; new kind they
| have in Mexico. Slow venison. Smooth horned,
| long-tailed large Mexican deer. If you don't be-
lieve it, call the man that killed it, and I'll prove
| it."
Never mind George, you may teach him more
| than he knows; III overhaul HIM myself"
swell, don't be too sharp; the flavor of dish
like this is be scOrned for the sake of name
| 'But, by the way," continued he, I" | am also
| tbaft ba infO
| the camp As that may be more familiar than slow
venison,' lend me hand to catch some of the ras-
Gals to-day
| promised to do so, and he took his departure,
| promising to report no sign of fresh beef in my
quarters, which was pretty much the fact, by the
| time he had finished. r........
During the morning called up the orderly SER
| jeant of my company who had been an old marine,
and gave him charge to look out for the liquor ven
ders, for had been annoyed myself by the facility
| with which my men got drunk. An hour or two
| after, he came and reported that one of the
greasers " was under the bank of the river deal
| ing out the rations." | soon bounced down upon
him and made him prisoner, capturing at the same
time several bottles of brandy. These, together
with the prisoner, turned over to CAPTAIN Iobln,
officer of the day. About midday, feeling that
| little today would not go amiss, | went over TO
| Tobin's tent where | was always sure of finding
the material. George was seated on the arm chest,
with large mug in his hand, which he immedi-
@UOiy PoooOu W AO' S"Jhi5' 1AJ 'A'''' OAO ASAO"
| it's capital"
| followed his recommendation and found it so.
| "But where did you get it George From suit
Ter of the regulars guess, for neither Dan Clarke
or Sewell have anything like that"
"Where did | get it That's pretty question
| for the man who gave it me. That 'greaser' is
fellow of taste, and shall release him from arrest
and take him as mess boy think"
"You do not mean to say this is what we took
| from the Mexican this morning!'
| But do, though"
"That's wrong, old fellow; in such case, you
| ought always to destroy it at once''
| Faith you are helping me to do that same as
fast as you can, my boy"
"No, but George, am serious; you'll get into
a scrape if you do not take care. Besides, it is
bad example to set to your men, very bad exam
| pie, by using the liquor you take away from them"
cob! botheration to your scrapes. And if one
of the boys wants drink, I'll give it him without
paying bit for thimbe full. 1t is no use talking
so, Brace, I'm not going to throw away so much
| good stuff
1t was truly no use to give such advice directly,
for though in the performance of his duty, he had
taken the intoxicating fluid from the men, he was
more likely to pay the Mexican slyly for it himself
| and give it back to them all in the regular way
really feared, however, that he would get in some
difficulty about it, and so meeting our Colonel
! short while after, who was really Whole-sOued,
noble fellow, spoke to him, and begged him to give
TObn hint, but not to notice the matter farther.
| was present when he spoke to Tobin.
Well, captain" said he, you caught the
greasers' smuggling liquor in camp, this morning,
ay ~
eyes, SIR, replied he, made a prize of the
whole lott
"And destroyed it all, of course %
"Devil a bit, Colonel though my friend Brace,
there, has been doing his best at it. There's still
drop left, however, if you'll take pull"
You do not mean to say you used the spirit thus
| taken!' ..
Al 1. = u II 19,,
The example to your men, sir. Military disci-
pline. Go right away and smash every bottle of it
| in front of their tents.'
But, Colonel, that would be dangerous. The
men mould be sure 10 cut their feet oUer the broken
glass
We'll, smash the whole oft, at any rate replied
Colonel W, turning off to conceal smile.
Aye! aye, sir, said George. "Pl obey, and
smash it instantly
Not long after this, passed Captain Tobin's
tent, which was mysteFiously closed. | had not
been long in my quarters before his factotum Jack
Davis, came with message that George wanted to
see me. l went out, and met him in front of his
tent.
Come, Brace, my boy" said he, " 1 am going
for the Colonel, to let him see how have oheyed
| his orders.
We found COL W, and Tobin invited him
down to the tent On the way he picked up five or
six of our best fellows and when arrived at his
tent which was still closed, he called out
''Now, Jack, open Sesame !"
The scene which revealed itself was too much
for even the gravity of our commander. Ranged
on the table which he had set out, were about
dozen tin cups from each of which stuck sprg of
| mint while the contents thereof were evident to
! our olfactories
'There Colonel! Eve obeyed orders, and made
as good smash as you ever drank-try one.'
There was no resisting it, and the Colonel, like
good fellow he was, passed the matter as an Irish
Joke though he did not remain to enjoy the Captains
. srnash''-which we did.
90 Zenocrates, the old philosopher, being pres
ent at the conversation Of some abusive persons