A HAPPY FAMILY. 241 



SO as to be ready for service at a moment's notice. 

 One side of my tent was dug out to a depth of 

 nearly three feet, and this part was occupied by my 

 favourite charger. The nights were often bitterly 

 cold ; we were not overburdened with clothes ; 

 fuel was scarce, and not to be had without much 

 trouble, so I found keeping my horse in the tent 

 answered a double purpose — it preserved him from 

 the weather, and served to keep me warm. We 

 had other companions who shared our tent, my 

 greyhounds, and a brace of Russian pointers that I 

 found chained up and nearly famished in a deserted 

 villa on the Balbec. These all used to sleep coiled 

 up round me, and served as an extra blanket. We 

 were a happy family. Often in the morning when 

 I awoke I have found my horse with his head 

 stretched as far as he could reach over the heap of 

 dry leaves that formed my bed, and his beautiful 

 gazelle-like eyes fixed on my face ; and sometimes 

 in the night I would feel him " mouthing " my 

 hand in the most gentle manner, as if to make 

 sure that I was near him. He was my constant 

 companion during several months' active service 



R 



