30 REMINISCENCES OF A HUNTSMAN. 



night, and the eyes of the bearer cease to look before 

 him, it is not likely that any stumbling-1)lock should 

 be avoided, and all in a moment I missed the drunnner 

 from before me, lost his light, and heard a splashing 

 of water. At first I thought we must have wandered 

 to the Serpentine, but my next act was to feel the 

 way with my foot, and to ask " Where the devil are 

 you?" My foot told me I stood on the brink of 

 something, and a voice answered, " In the pool, sir ! " 

 The but of the sergeant's halbert soon l)rought the 

 drummer to dr}^ land, and I suppose lie must have 

 fallen into some place either to hold gold and silver 

 fish, or to water iho. gardens from. I never saw " the 

 pool," so can't tell. The noise round the garden, ac- 

 companied now by the occasional crushing of a shrub, 

 still continued, when all at once we heard the bleat 

 of a sheep. The fact was, one of those odd dogs who 

 attach themselves to the diiferent guards, and always 

 attend the mounting and relief witliout showing a 

 predilection for either regiment, had entered the 

 guard-room with the men, and accon:ipanied us in the 

 rounds at night, and took a slight turn at some 

 sheep, penned in hurdles to improve the turf on the 

 lawn. In writing my report in the morning, I de- 

 scribed the temporary loss of a drummer in a cesspool 

 or something like it, but as the report was rather 

 droll, the " C. 0." would not have it, and told me to 

 be serious, an.d write another. 



