Year: 1861

tion into my hands l am little afraid of it
in fact good deal afraid of it-and hold if
at nearly arms length as my limited strength
will permit me drill man not satisfied saws
"Hold it up!' then throw it so far back as to
hit the rear man over the head; rear man prods
me with bayonet; then drop my musket on
the toes of the next man to me, and vigorously
rub the prodded portion of me with both hands
man next to me with the toes, says the word
that rhymes with flam-drilman SAYS the word
that rhymes with jam-and make remark.
the principal syllables of which would rhyme
with Sam; pick up my musket, and do things
with it / see the drill man do-as nearly as
can; point it up; l stick it down. jam the
butt on the floor; ram the bayonet into the
ceiling; throw it -santingIy across my left
shoulder; pitch it obliquely across my right
shoulder; pretend to load it and tear my pam
falcons, and make a remark similar to the
otheri shoulder arms and tear my pantaloons,
continuing my former observations; l order
arms and tear my pataloons, with another of
instalment of the Sam remarks; unship bay
onet, and tear my pantaloons, favoring the
company with some arguments that rhyme
with fam; charge bayonets and tear my pam
falcons, declaiming vigorously an exciting por-
tion of the narrative respecting Samuel. l
sling my musket, tearing my pantaloons in a
ch fba IL
of fiam shoulder arms, rending my neither
garment in three-cornered pumpkin-pie shap-
ed angle, discoursiDg all the while about Sam,
or words that rhyme herewith | present
arms, fraeturing my unwhisperables iii grace
full curve, and am tempted against my usual
habit, to speak hasty word that rhymes with
jam; l fix bayonets, and devastate my leg en-
velopes in a serpentine fssure returning to
the original subject of Sam shoulder arms
and dilapldate my trowsers in a many -cornered
rent, with one and the same motion, and ac-
company the act with an exclamation that
would give listener the impression that l was
calling for jam; l order arms and latter my
breeehes in a long screw-shaped tear, letting
fall from my excited lips syllable that an eat
ing house keeper would doubtless construe into
an order for ham or lamb; charge bayonets
and scuttle my inexpressibles in terrific
charm, making parting remark with word
in the middle of it that must have sounded like
sham, or fam, though, in reality, it was only q
mild desire that, as soon as it could be made
convenient to rest, should like dram
which couldn't get.


They let me rest, though they informed me
that full-blown Zouaves never rsst to which |
responded that as yet was not fully blossom
ed out, being only Zouave bud-a lovely bud
it is true, and promising, but still only bud.


Otterly being near by, | asked him to bor-
row me whole pair OF pantaloons, that I
might not look quite so much as if had been
blown up in a steamboat explosion, and come
down in thorn-bush but Otterly said, g Not
yet"


Otterly was right; they wanted me to try
some Zouave gymnastics, and | hud. After l
had practiced for half an hour, had need more
than ever Of trowsers; and then | got pair,
and my work for the evening was done, so l
sat down to rest and watch the mauoeuvres OF
the Others who were further advanced in Zou-
ave tactics than | was


They were practising gymnastics. You all
know that the performance of circus tricks is
an important portion of the art Of war the
Chicago company showed us that.


In our company, the man who is furthest ad-
vanced is Blibbs. Blibbs' method of fighting
three enemies at ence is little the neatest
thing going. He has a long dagger fastened
in the heel of each boot like spur-then he
has red hot knife in his hand when the three
fellows come at him he turns somerset over
the crowd, and stabs two 10 the back of the
neck as he turns in the air; then he jumps
down the throat of the other bewildered stran-
ger, and cuts his bowels out with the red hot
knife. personally object to the last item of
the programme When l have attained the
ability to perform this feat, | shall never have
my knife red hot. | may warm it little so
as to give my foe his dose of death with the
chill taken off but I object to the knife bust
ness Oh the score of humanity. l don't think
he'd want to be hurt | wouldn't like to have
hiil cut my bowels out-especially with red
hot knife-and SO / shant do so to him |
don't think it would be gentlemanly. l shall
warm my knife to one hundred and ten degrees,
apd cut him comfortably. However, Bibbs
has no scruples of conscience.


Spinkey and his brother can do great things;
they have ways Of firing so as to bother the
euemy's aim. They get on each others shoul-
ders, and fire /; then they get on each Others
feet, and FIRE then they hold each other out
at arms length, and fire; then they toss each
other over each others heads, and fire as they
fall.


The Revolutionary Squad is a peculiar one
they Go everything while they are turning
somersets; they load and fire in the air, but
they have TO take quick aim /; they revolee
every minute, so as 10 confuse the enemy /; they
have bayonet practice in the air--any blow
struck Oh the ground is foul Any one of them
can shave himself in one somerset; he holds a