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ophicleide; the trombone grunted, snorted, and cut and slashed in all directions, high and low. sending forth volley after volley of minims and semibreves worthy of the pedal pipes of a large organ; while the other instruments brayed. roured, howled, and made such discords as would have sent a professor mad. But it was not in vain, for this second discharge had the effect of sending the last tail flying round the corner, and then the place seemed once more to swim round me, and I fainted.

When I recovered it was to find that my men had carried me by some means over the rums, and that a company of another regiment

the wind instruments. Blow, me boys, blow! Give 'em the big notes, corporal: let out at 'em Tom, with the thrombone. Hurray, then Don't be afraid. Let go with the clarinet, Tim: that'll give 'em the toothache. Let out at 'em again. Arrah, if only Micky Blane was here wid the pipes!"

I have heard men when they have been learn ing to play, and I have heard the practice in the band-room; but never before, I am confident, did such a roaring bray issue from the mouths of instruments of brass as was now sent after the retreating and terrified Braves.

"Fire again, me boys!" shouted Dennis, as he saw in the distance some half-dozen men pause, as if to see how many had been slain by the fearful weapon that put them to flight. "A big one this time, corporal!"

Phump!-phump!-phump!-phump! went the

"Better, Grey?" said the captain, kindly. "They tell me you've had a narrow escape. I suppose there are hundreds of the enemy about yet. I say, there, where are you going, my man? It's not safe for you to get back there. Come down at once!"

"Iv you plase, sor, he's lift the great gun on the other side," said a voice; and as I saw the grinning face of Dennis, I recalled the whole

scene.

"Back directly, sir. I've left my instrument on the other side," said Corporal Smith, with a smile.

The captain nodded, and after a minute's climbing, Smith returned in triumph with the great brass piece, which became from that day a trophy in the regiment; and, as I said at the beginning, you may laugh, but it is perfectly true; and that was how it happened.

UCH was our life in Cork: dining, drinking, dancing, riding, steeplechasing, pigeon-shooting, and tandemdriving filling up any little interval that was found to exist between a late breakfast and the time to dress for dinner. And here I hope I shall not be accused of a tendency to boasting, while I add that among all ranks and degrees of men, and women too, there never was a regiment more highly in estimation than the 4-th. We felt the full value of all the attentions we were receiving, and we endeavoured, as best we might, to repay them. We got up Garrison Balls and Garrison Plays, and usually performed once or twice a week during the winter. Here I shone conspicuously. In the morning I was employed painting scenery and arranging the properties; as it grew later, I regulated the lamps and looked after the footlights, mediating occasionally between angry litigants,' whose jealousies abound to the full as much in private theatricals as in the regular corps dramatique. Then, I was also leader in the orchestra, and had scarcely given the last scrape in the overture before I was obliged to appear to speak the prologue. Such are the cares of greatness. To do myself justice, I did not dislike them; though, to be sure, my taste for the drama did cost me a little dear, as will be seen in the sequel.

We were then in the full career of popularityour balls pronounced the very pleasantest, our plays far superior to any regular corps that had ever honoured Cork with their talents-when an event occurred which threw a gloom over all our proceedings, and finally put a stop to every project

for amusement we had so completely given ourselves up to. This was no less than the removal of our Lieutenant-Colonel. His successor came under circumstances of no common difficulty amongst us; but when I tell you that our new LieutenantColonel was in every respect his opposite, it may be believed how little cordiality he met with.

Lieutenant-Colonel Carden for so I shall call him, although not his real name-had not been a month at quarters when he proved himself a regular martinet; and we, who had fought our way from Albuera to Waterloo, under some of the severest generals of division, were pronounced a most disorderly and ill-disciplined regiment by a Colonel who had never seen a shot fired but at a review at Hounslow, or at a sham-battle in the Fifteen Acres. The winter was now drawing to a close-already some little touch of spring was appearing-as our last play for the season was announced, and every effort to close with some little additional éclat was made; and each performer in the expected piece was nerving himself for an effort beyond his wont. The Colonel had most unequivocally condemned these plays; but that mattered not-they came not within his jurisdiction—and we took no notice of his displeasure further than sending him tickets, which were as immediately returned as received. From being the chief offender, I had become particularly obnoxious; and he had upon more than one occasion expressed his desire for an opportunity to visit me with his vengeance; but being aware of his kind intentions towards me, I took particular care to let no such opportunity occur.

On the morning in question, then, I had scarcely