The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-08-17

al, had it accorded with the military
policy of the United States to make
them: and as no man thought of un-
dressing, Or even laying aside his ac-
coutrements,wen needed only to be warn
ed of the approach of an enemy, in Or
der to be in readiness to meet and repel
him.
In the short course Of this narrative,
| have more than once had occasion to
mention the name of my brother sui
altern, Williams. There are circum-
stances connected with his destiny
which induce me here to let my reader
a little more into the history of his mil.
itary life than l might have perhaps
have been otherwise disposed to do.
Williams was the son Of an officer; of
a veteran officer, who, by dint of long
and arduous service, rose to the rank
of a major. He was not, | believe, his
fathers only son; but if it were fair to
draw an inference from the boys con-
versation, he was at all events the ia
vorite. Williams was gazetted into
the - regiment of foot; when he bad
barely completed his sixteenth year;
and he Joined US in the south of France,
too late to take part in the war, before
he had attained to his seventeenth. He
was fine, spirited, generous-hearted
youth, ignorant, of course, of what a
soldiers duty in the field really is, but
anxious, if ever young man was anx-
ious, to become practically acquainted
with his profession. Being appointed
to our company, he chose to attach
himself very warmly to me; and seeing
a great deal in the lad worthy of a
mans affections, readily and willing
ly met his advances. We were togeth-
er during the morning, and his gallant
and cool bearing throughout the trihing
affair in which we had been engaged,
certainly tended to strengthen the tie
of personal regard by which l already
felt myself bound to him. Tonight he
appeared to be in peculiarly high
spirits; indeed l have never seen lad
exhibit more striking symptoms Of hap
piness than when | mentioned his con-
duct, in the terms which | felt it to
merit, to our common friend Charlton.
So gratitied was the youth by my
praise, that he actually shed tears,
though, as he himself assured us, they
were the sweetest tears that ever wet
his cheeks. "Oh, my poor father
said he to me, as we were arranging
our cloaks, and preparing to lie down,
"'how delighted would he be TO have
heard you say what you said tonight. ,"
l could not answer the boy; his little
speech affected me so deeply; but l
loved him from my heart for his fine
feelings, and | determined to he his
friend during the remainder Of his mil
itary life.
The night could not he farther adj
vanced than eight or nine clock, when
a consciousness of bodily languor over
coming every other sensation, we made
ready to resign ourselves to sleep. AS
the smell of the tobacco was not offen-
sive, and the plant itself was made mp
into large sheaves. we unrolled few
of these, and scattered them upon the
floor of the barn for our bed Upon
the mattress thus formed, We spread
one of our cloaks, and reserving the
other two to supply the place of blank
cts, we lay down, all three together.
A little more of the tobacco, raised in
to heap, served us for pillow. Our
sabres were within reach, our haver-
sacks and pistols at our heads; the on
ly articles of dress which we laid aside
were our boots, and our sashes we un-
tied. Then directing the servants to
heap up the fire, so that it should
continue to blaze till the morning, we
bade each other good night, and slept,
as men generally sleep, whose minds
and bodies have been in full exercise
fos four-and-twenty hours on stretch.
ITO BE CONTINUED