418 REMINISCENCES OF 



" It may perhaps interest Jack to hear the rest of the 

 story of the torn jacket, as the jacket would not now be in 

 my possession, nor should I now be writing to you, if it 

 were not for a horse. 



" The horse I was riding in the charge was in the stud- 

 book under the name of ' Cantharides,' and I bought him 

 of Dick Bernard (whom Jack will remember), who had 

 ridden him regularly with the Dublin Garrison Staghounds. 

 When selling him to me Bernard said, ' It's a good thing to 

 know, that if ever you want him to jump " big," you've only 

 got to give him a little holloa the last stride before he takes 

 off, and he'll understand you '. 



"When we got to the guns the leading line (the I7th 

 Lancers and ourselves) was terribly cut up, and the mere 

 fact of passing through the guns and cutting down the men 

 left with them broke us up still more. When we were 

 fairly through them I found myself practically alone, but 

 with some half-dozen of our men near me, all very busy 

 with their swords on the drivers of the Russian artillery. I 

 walked quietly on, singing out 'Rally I3th,' and thinking 

 more about getting some men together than anything else, 

 when I suddenly found myself opposite to three Russian 

 lancers coming towards me at a walk. Neither of us 

 stopped till we were within a few yards of each other, and 

 I then saw that turning was out of the question, as one 

 lancer was right in front of me and the other two were 

 closing in on each flank. Fortunately for me, the man on 

 my right wasn't quite in earnest, and only held out his 

 lance instead of really using it. The man on my left 

 meant business, and gave point savagely at my side, but I 

 jerked my bridle-arm forward and turned the point of his 

 lance clear of my body, the lance going through the sleeve 

 of my jacket and shirt and making a red line across my 

 arm, but doing no further damage. At the same moment 

 the man in front attacked, and I saw that I couldn't 



