Middletown transcript., 1920-09-11
CHAPTER xI.
The Catherine Of the Nations.

The Gathering Of the Nations.
And now come to bit Of my story
that clean makes me wish that I had
never taken the Job Of telling it in
hand. But you can find the cause and
reason Of everything in the books
about history, and so l shall just leave
that alone and talk about what saw
with my own eyes and heard with my
own ears.
The regiment to which our friend
had been appointed was the Seventy
first Highland Light Infantry, which
wore the red coat and the trews, and
had it's depot in Glasgow town. There
we went, all three, by coach, the ma
jor in great spirits and full Of stories
about the Duke and the Peninsula,
while Jim sat in the corner, with his
lips set and his arms folded, and I
knew that he killed De Lissac three
times an hour in his heart. I could
tell it by the sudden CLINT Of his eyes
and grip Of his hand.
We were in Glasgow next day, and
lOOA uS uOWu " TIC uCROl,
where a soldier with three stripes on
his arm and a fistful Of ribbons from
his cap showed every tooth he had in
his head at the sight of Jim, and
walked three times round him, to have
the view Of him as If he had been Car
Isle castle. Then he came over to me
and felt my muscle, and was well nigh
as pleased as with Jim.
"These are the sort, major; these
are the sort" he kept saying. with a
to Boney's best"
'How do they run?" asked the ma
jor.
"A poor show" said he, but they
may lick into shape. The best men
have been drafted to America, and we
are full Of militiamen and recruities."
"Tut, TUT" said the major. "We'l
have old soldiers and good ones against
US. Come to me If you need any help.
you two" And so, with a nod, he left
us, and we began to understand that
q major who is your officer Is a very
different person from a major who
happens to be your neighbor in the
country.
Soon came the news that the folk
at Vienna. who had been cutting up
Europe as IL 1t had been a jigget Of
mutton, had flown back, each to his
own country, and that every man and
horse in their armies had their faces
toward France.
We heard Of great reviews and mus
terings In Paris too, and then that Wei
lington was in the Low Countries, and
that on us and on the Prussians would
fall the first blow. The government
was shipping men to him as fast as
they could, and every port along the
east coast was choked with guns and
horses and stores. On the third Of
June we had our marching orders also.
and on the same day we took ship
from Leith, reaching Ostend the night
after. From there we went on to a
place called Bruges. and from there to
Ghent. where we picked m with the
Fifty-second and the N1nety-fifth,
which We're the two regiments that we
were brigaded with. It's wonderful
place for churches and stonework. is
Ghent: and, indeed. of all the towns
we were in there was scarce one but
had finer kirk than any in Glasgow.
From there we pushed on to Ath.
which Is little village on a river, or
burn rather, called the Bender.
There we were quartered-in tents
mostly. for it was fine, sunny weather
and the whole brigade set to work
at Its drill from morning till evening
General Adams was our chief and Rey-
nell was our colonel, and they were
both fine old soldiers; but what put
heart into us most was to think that
we were under the Duke, for his name
was like bugle call. He was at Brus-
sells with the bulk of the army. but we
knew that we should see him quick
enough IL he were needed.
had never seen so many English