BOH-HOYS AT HORSES. 183 



when, giving an alarm, they all jumped up together, and 

 rushed out of their tent. A light being procured, they 

 then searched the tent, taking up their blankets; but 

 either the snake had fled, or never had been among them, 

 and the camp was again very soon hushed in the arms of 

 sleep. 



My men awoke me next morning, as they prepared the 

 fire for cooking breakfasts, led the horses and mules to 

 water, and busied themselves in their listless, idle way 

 about other matters, when, on looking out, I saw that the 

 morning was a lovely one, all things spangled with the 

 glittering drops of the night's shower, and ere I again re 

 tired, dear old Brutus put his paws up on the fore wheel 

 to assure himself that all was right, and then, with a 

 shake, scratched for himself a bed in the long wet grass 

 outside the wall of the tent, to bask in the first rays of the 

 rising sun. Having had my bath of cold water in the 

 midst of the wet grass, dressed myself, and done justice to 

 some coffee, bread, butter, and eggs, I called out to my 

 men to " look alive," a thing they never did unless they 

 were eating or swearing, and to " bring up the mules and 

 harness them for a start." I then turned my attention 

 to the rolling up of my own blankets, and setting the 

 inside of my ambulance in order. While occupied in 

 this, I had full opportunity of seeing the brutal way in 

 which all these Boh-hoys used the animals intrusted to 

 their charge, with the exception of Martin, who was cer 

 tainly one of the best-conducted and most steady men I 

 had. He was not only a quiet, well-mannered man, but 

 I am sure he was a good rifle-shot, for when in the woods, 

 and he could be spared, he used to kill squirrels and 

 bring them into camp, always hit by his bullet in the 

 right place. In the whole course of my journey through 



