198 STATE OF MY MEN. 



just about pretty pastime afore breakfast for the boys, a- 

 shooting at him till they done him to death." 



What sort of an appetite, I wondered, had the cruel 

 rascals for their breakfast ; and, thinking over the atrocity 

 of speaking of pastime so connected with the misery 

 even of a savage, I dismissed Mr Canterall to his duty. 

 I had now been associated with my men long enough to 

 make some observations on their characters, and of course 

 I liked some much better than others. Among those that 

 best pleased me were Martin, to whom I have before 

 referred ; also the man who drove my ambulance, Frank 

 Tomkins, Philip Smith and Wallace. There are one or 

 two more of whom I shall have to speak as my narrative 

 proceeds ; but up to this time my estimation of character 

 went no farther. The men were miserably armed, their 

 guns generally in wretched repair, and I believe there 

 were not two revolvers among them, if any. Mr Canter- 

 all himself brought nothing but a huge old lumbering 

 rifle, as heavy and unmanageable as a small cannon, with 

 which he shot very ill ; his shooting was as bad as any 

 thing I ever saw, so that, had my camp been attacked, as 

 far as my men went, the fire on the enemy could not have 

 been very effective. Although, in the first instance, I endea 

 voured to dispel the innate suspicions I had of the worth 

 less qualities of Mr Canterall as a guide and trustworthy 

 man, and even wrote to some of my friends at St Louis 

 to say I was satisfied with him, still every hour my dislike 

 to the fellow increased. Though I could detect him at 

 the time in no more than shirking all personal trouble, 

 neglect of strict surveillance over the nocturnal picketing 

 of horses and mules, and ignorance of the situation of 

 creeks for camping at, still I set down in my own mind 

 that I had been saddled with a fellow much less fit for his 



