ACROSS COUNTRY WITH A CAVALRY COLUMN. 107 



enced and soldierly adjutant, and when the last notes of " re- 

 treat " die away the various officers come forward from their 

 places in front of their commands, and, hands raised to hat 

 in salute, give the short official report of, " Such and such a 

 company present or accounted for." Turning to the com- 

 manding officer, who with the rest of us has been enjoying 

 his cigar in front of his quarters, the old and new officer of 

 the day respectively makes his report and receives his in- 

 structions, the guard is marched off, the adjutant unbuckles 

 his heavy sabre, and, lighting his pipe, joins our little group, 

 and the camp settles down to the quiet repose so well 

 earned by the day's work. 



The sun has disappeared long ago now, but the soft twi- 

 light of the far north-western summer lingers yet. The snow 

 on the distant peaks glows with a faint rosy flush, gradually 

 dying away ; in the clear, transparent atmosphere the giant 

 mountains stand out in strongly marked black masses against 

 the sky, from which bright stars are already shining down 

 upon us. Fresh and sweet the fragrance of the wild roses 

 floats in the air, and the little stream seems to sjather new 

 life as the shades of evening fall about us, and it ripples 

 musically along over its sandy bed. Slowly, almost imper- 

 ceptibly, the gloom of night approaches, the air grows de- 

 cidedly cooler, and we are glad to wrap our great -coats about 

 us, and to draw up to the generous blaze of the roaring cot- 

 ton-wood fire in front of the general's quarters. In the other 

 tents the lanterns have been lighted, and we can see the 

 forms of the occupants outlined in sharply cut shadows 

 against the luminous canvas, and hear the subdued murmur 

 of their voices, with now and then a laugh. In one tent 

 down the line there, there seems to be a merry party gath- 

 ered together, to judge from the squeaky notes of an accord- 



