308 BRUTUS AND THE HAM. 



We were all intensely amused by my dear old dog 

 Brutus, who had accompanied me to the Fort. So many 

 were the joints and so hospitable the cheer, that the 

 very excellent and handy black servant who waited 

 had not convenience sufficient whereon to place all the 

 good things, so, on a chair behind me for a time he put 

 a hitherto uncut and immensely hot and excellent ham. 

 Brutus, who is beautifully behaved, was standing by my 

 chair in the anxious hope that he should be told to fetch 

 something. The telling he desired, however, not com 

 ing, he thought he would at least make himself of some 

 service ; so he walked up to the ham with the full inten 

 tion of bringing it to me. A heavy bump on the floor 

 made us all look round, and then we saw the dear thing 

 licking his lips over the savoury viand in an endeavour 

 to cool them, the ham which he had directed a few steps 

 towards me having been too hot for him to hold any 

 longer. With the funniest face looking towards me, 

 he seemed to explain what had been his intention, 

 and to regret that he had found it too hot to be 

 accomplished. 



Sunday, the 16th, proved to be a drenching wet day. 

 At church, a mere room in the barracks set apart for that 

 purpose, my reverend countryman from Bristol, who 

 officiated, gave us an excellent discourse ; but, to my sur 

 prise, the congregation did not consist of above ten or 

 eleven persons, and those were chiefly officers and their 

 ladies. Of course this created some notice on my part, 

 and I learned that the soldiers generally, being Irish, were 

 Roman Catholics ; and that was the excuse or otherwise 

 for their non-attendance at church. Well, then, if the 

 United States in their boasted desire to maintain freedom 

 (I suppose in the boast they include freedom of conscience, 



