Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1920-08-05

HSs
heart into us most was to think that
we were under the Duke, for his name
was like a bugle call. He was at Brus-
sells with the bulk Of the army, but we
knew that we should see him quick
enough If he were needed.
I had never seen so many English
together. and indeed I had q kind Of
contempt for them, as folk always
have If they live near a border. But
the two regiments that were with us
now were as good comrades as could
be wished. The Fifty-second had a
thousand men in the ranks, and there
were many old soldiers of the PENN
sula among them. They zane from
Oxfordshire for the most part. The
Ninety-fifth were a rifle regiment, and
had dark-green coats instead Of red.
1t was strange to see them loading, for
they would put the ball in a greasy
rag and then hammer it down with a
mallet, but they could fire both farther
and s%traighter than we. All that part
of Belgium was covered with British
troops at that time, for the Guards
were over nea Enghien. and there
were cavalry regiments on the farther
side of us. You see, it was very nee
essary that Wellington should spread
out all his force, for Boney was be-
hind the screen of his fortresses. and
of course we had no ean Of saying
on what side he might pop out, except
that he was pretty sur to come the
way that we least expected him. On
the n side he might get between us
and the sea, and so cut us off from
England; and on the other he might
shove in between the Prussians and
ourselves. But the Duke was as clever
as he. for he had his horse and his
light troops all around him, like a
great spiders web, so that the moment
a French foot stepped across the Dor
der he could close up oil his men at
the right place.
~ 'nyself. was very happy at
~ found the folk very kindly
~. There was q farmer OF
to 3oney's pest.
"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'll
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
a 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 If it 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
Hngton was in the Low Countries, and
h a 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 u marching orders also,
and on the same day we took ship
from Leith, reaching Ostend the night
after. From there we went on to q
place called Bruges. and from there to
Client, where we picked up with the
Fifty-second and the Ninety-ffth,
which were the two regiments that we
were %brfgaded with. It's q wonderful
place for churches and stonework, is
Client; and, indeed, Of all the towns
we were in there was scarce one but
had a finer kirk than any in Glasgow.
From there we pushed on tt Ath,
which is a little village on a river. or
q 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 it's drill from morning till evening,
General Adams was our chief and Rey-
nell was our colonel. and they were
the name OF Bots, in whose fields we
were quartered, who was a real good
friend to many of us. We built him
q wooden barn among us in our spare
time, and many a time I and Jeb Sea-
ton, my rear-rank man, have hung out
his washing. for the smell of the wet
linen seemed to take us both straight
home as nothing else could do. I have
often wondered whether that good
man and his wife are still living,
though I think it hardly likely, for
they were Of a hale middle age at the
time. Jim would come with us too
sometimes, and would sit with us
smoking in the big Flemish kitchen,
but he was a different Jim now to the
old one. He had always had a hard
touch in him, but now his trouble
seemed to have turned him to flint,
and I eve saw a smile upon his face,
and seldom heard a word from his lips.
His whole mind was set on revenging
himself upon De Lissac for having
taken Edie from him, and he would
sit for hours, with his chin upon his
hands, glazing and frowning, all