The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-08-03

were proposing to accomplish our orig
inal design, and to pursue the path to
the right, when the arrival of brother
officer out of breath and in great haste,
deferred u.s. He had ventured along
that road, and having penetrated about
a couple of miles, arrived at farm
house Of some size. Taking it for
granted that this, like the houses in
St. Benedict's must be deserted, he had
rashly entered, and escaped being m
prisoner by three or four stout Yam
KEGS, only through their apprehension
that he was not alone. He purchased
fowl from these worthless, and, being
permitted to retire, lost no time, as
soon as the trees hid him from obser-
vation, in hurrying to the camp. With
the account which he gave Of mat
ters, we were, at least for the pres
ent, perfectly satisfied; so, returning
to our place Of abode under the tree,
we passed the rest of the day in quiet.
AS the evening closed in, all the ar
rangemcnts, customary in bivouacs-
were effected. The troops, assembling
near the1 arms, trimmed and enlarged
their fires, and set down by companies
and sections on the ground beside them
| Their great coats were all put on, and
| their accoutrements bucklcd over them.
| The knapsacks, likewise, packed and
strapped up, were so arranged rs that
each might be slung across its owners
| shoulders at moments warming; Or,
should no alarm occur, supply him with
comfortable pillow for the night
| Arrangements not dissimilar were also
gone into by the officers. Charlton and
myself. for example, having suspended
our sabres from branch, laid our hav-
ersacks and pistols within reach, and (,
wrapping our cloaks round US seated
ourselves, with our feet towards the
fire, and addressed ourselves, con omore,
to the fragments which remained from
our MONDAY repast. We were neith-
er of us much disposed to sleep: nor.
should we have found it an easy mat
ter to drop at once into a state of for
| getfulness. The sun had hardly set,
when every leaf of our tree became
alive with insects, which sent forth q
ceaseless chattering, not perhaps loud
enough to break the repose of a sound
sleeper, but sufficiently audible to drive
sleep from the eyes of persons totally
unaccustomed to it, and neither infirm
or weary. 1t was, however, upon the
whole, an extremely pleasant sound,
and it was not the only sound which
gave us pleasure. Stores continued to
be carried from the ships to the shore
long after nightfall, and the cry of the
seamen on the decks, the splash OF oars
in the water, and the heavy noise oi
casks and carriages, as they were roll
ed into the bivouac, all had an effect
in keeping alive the excitement, which
men never experience on first taking
the field, after long interval OF quiet.
Then there was the hum of converse.
tion from the bivouac itself; song. or
part of a song, heard from time to time;
and rs these died away, the murmur OF
The 'lrer rolling its large and sluggish
body of water towards the sea, and
breaking as we'll upon its own
banks as upon the bows of the ships,
now at anchor in it's tide. Each and
all of these made a music to the ear,
which the ear could not refuse to take
in; whilst, for the sense Of sight, the
fire-flies furnished ample occupation,
as in numerous clusters they pitched
upon the boughs overhead, and shed a
soft light through the foliage, such as
legends tell once Illuminated the hall
of Oberon, or Titania's bower TO be
grave and serious, these sights and
sounds, some of them perfectly novel,
and all so different from those to which
we had of late been accustomed, long
hindered us from making so much rs
an effort to close our eyes. But the
enthusiasm even of soldiers will not re-
sist the encroachments of drowsiness
for ever. The sounds of human labor
and human voices gradually died away
Those produced by insects and the
stream became confused and blended
together,-the splendor of the FREELY
became more and more indistinct, and
was at last seen no more Above all
our grog was all drunk out, and on,
cigars expended; so, laying ourselves
at length upon the grass, we were soon
fast asleep.
(TO BE CoNTINUED.)
Mrs. A. (before the full-length por.
trait of girD oh, il only knew the
painter of this!
Artist (stepping forward joyfuliy