138 Ifcfnas of tbe 1Rofc, IRifle, ant> 6un 



the officers, indeed, had been among his contemporaries, 

 but there were veteran troopers who had served under 

 him. "Brown the bandmaster," writes the Colonel in 

 his Diary, " Healby the trumpet-major (a piccolo boy in 

 the band in my time), and Fitzhenry, an old mungo and 

 pupil of mine on the tambourin, soon proclaimed me as 

 the officer whose squadron won the trophy of the Douro 

 (which they were wearing), and the respect shown to me 

 by ' all hands ' was such as I could not but feel." A still 

 further honour was paid him when the Colonel of the 

 regiment proposed his health in a stirring speech, re- 

 capitulating the gallant deeds of their distinguished guest. 



At the fierce battle of Talavera, fought on July 2/th 

 and 28th, 1809, Hawker was very badly wounded, 

 and was left for hours in agony in the street where he 

 had fallen. When he was at last picked up he did not 

 fare much better. " The hip-bone," he writes, " which a 

 rifle-ball had gone through and shattered, and the 

 muscles of my back, where it was then lodged, were 

 bumped with the greatest violence against the hard sides 

 of the carriage." The consequence was that inflammation 

 set in and he narrowly escaped death. He was invalided 

 home, but as soon as he thought himself well enough for 

 service he set out to rejoin his regiment. Three times 

 he sailed, and three times, either from stress of weather 

 or other mishap, the ship which carried him put back to 

 England. Thus, after travelling a thousand miles, and 

 spending upwards of 200 in outfit and passage money, 

 he was after all baulked of taking any further part in the 

 perils and glories of the campaign. 



In 1813 Captain Hawker retired from active service 



