36 REMINISCENCES OF 



CHAPTER IV. 



QTH LANCERS. 



ON the 3Oth of July I went to report myself at Piers- 

 hill. Lord Loughborough was then the Lieutenant- 

 Colonel. I borrowed a horse from Matthew Baird 

 in Dublin Street, and rode down to barracks. I 

 wore a long green bombazine coat (made in Ger- 

 many), white duck regimental trousers, a high top- 

 hat with a very narrow brim. Being rather ashamed 

 of it I rammed it under my chair, but Tom Whalley 

 immediately discovered it, and said, " Twig his hat ! " 

 Arthur Williams, who had known my sisters at Eaton 

 Mascott, took me under his protection, and gave me 

 good advice, and made me buy a green account-book. 

 I was appointed to " C " Troop Captain, Percy 

 Williams ; Tom Whalley was the Lieutenant. 



" PIERSHILL BARRACKS, 



" Monday, August, 1836. 



" MY DEAR MOTHER, 



" I will give you an account of what I have 

 done since I left you. On arriving in Edinburgh I 

 got a horse from Baird and trotted to the barracks 

 with my credentials, but as neither Loughborough 

 nor Colonel Campbell were there I went to the 

 Adjutant, a jolly old Irishman named Cooke, and he 



