THE PLEASURES OF MILITARY SOCIETY. 261 



oaths and curses, mixed with the crash of glasses, and oversetting of 

 furniture. I had already seized the other ruffian, and thrown him a 

 severe fall on the stone floor, when I beheld some 18 or 20 dragoons, 

 with their sabres drawn, rushing up the flight of steps which led to 

 the hall, closely followed by the peasantry. I snatched up my fowl- 

 ing-piece, and in another moment havoc would have been let slip 

 amongst (t the dogs of war," when the door leading into the hall 

 swung open, and in stalked the captain. 



" Sacre tonnerre !" cried he, as he glanced at the scene, " what, 

 in the devil's name, is all this about ?" 



His appearance seemed to check the mele about to commence. He 

 was a tall, gaunt soldier; his countenance brown as a mulatto; 

 moustaches long and grisly ; the very type of a French adventurer of 

 the Napoleon school. " Ye cursed canaille !" he continued, in a 

 voice of thunder, " can't a gentleman take a glass of beggarly wine 

 in peace, but you must fire at him through the wainscot ? Who is 

 this man ?" pointing to me with his sabre. 



" The master of the house," growled one of my late antagonists ; 

 " a dog of an Englishman !" 



" Monsieur," said the captain, civilly dropping the point, " if you 

 are an Englishman, I have had the honour to cross blades with 

 gentlemen of your country; and I must say, I've always found them 

 braves soldats; and that's more than I can say for the canaille Cos- 

 saque, or the chiens Prusses; but I do consider you have been guilty 

 of putting upon me a personal affront, by allowing me to drink this 

 cursed Rhenish wine." 



I, who had apprehended nothing less than an order to be shot on 

 my own threshold, or, in consequence of the exordium in favour of 

 my countrymen, that my sentence might be mitigated to an hour or 

 two's picketing, felt the full force of the latter part of the captain's 

 harangue ; and was about to offer my cellar at once, but he continued, 

 " Sir, it is not commonly decent : when an officer takes his quarters 

 at the house of a gentleman, the least thing is, to give him good 

 wine ; but to offer such infernal stuff sir, I take it as a personal 

 affront." 



" Captain, I was absent from home when you arrived, or you should 

 have had a better reception." 



" When military gentlemen, sir, traverse your country, 'tis the 

 duty of every housekeeper to leave the key of his cellar ; and then 

 'tis no matter whether he is at home or not." 



" My good sir, if I had left the key of the cellar with my servant, 

 'tis a great doubt whether I should have had the pleasure of offering 

 you now a good glass of Burgundy which, if you " 



t( Burgundy! ah! matin a la bonne heure," shouted the captain, 

 smacking his lips ; " that's a brave wine. I have always respected 

 Englishmen, though I've cut some score of their throats. Allons, 

 mon cher! I shall be glad to see you ; walk in." For this invi- 

 tation to my own room, I was duly grateful. " And you fellows !" 

 shouted he to the dragoons, who had been all attention, and evidently 

 had not expected such a finale, " get you to your stables, and don't 

 annoy my English friend here or look out for consequences. What 



