THE HISTORY OF A FOUNDLING. 325 



The officer of the day not having heard him, marked him 

 as absent at parade. 



The captain commanded, u in fours, march!" and the 

 trumpets sounding to deploy, Hubert, regardless of propriety 

 leaped down into the court before all the troops. 



By reason of this active desire to do his duty, the mark 

 against his name was erased, and he was entered as being 

 present. 



loth May, 184G — Sous cavalier Hubert having strangled 

 his goat, who was acting in the capacity of a wet nurse, is 

 named cavalier of the first class. 



8th September, 1846 — Hubert made a sortie upon the 

 market-place during market hours, and caused a complete 

 rout, and was left master of the field. He upset the gens 

 d'armes, killed several sheep and a donkey, and surrendered 

 himself only to his friends, Lehman, Bibart and Rostain, who 

 ran to coax him home again. 



For this feat Hubert was raised to the rank of Corporal, he 

 was decked with a chain of honor around the neck, and was 

 appointed to the post of guardian of the stables. 



10th January, 1847 — A Bedouin having come wandering 

 about the horses belonging to the stables, Hubert suspecting 

 him to be a marauder, broke his chain, seized him, and 

 carried him into his sentry box until the officer of the watch 

 made his round, when he delivered up his prisoner in a 

 rather dilapidated state. This achievement gained for him 

 the grade of quarter-master, with the decoration of an 

 additional chain. 



April, 1847 — Hubert having strangled a horse, and torn 

 in pieces two soldiers of the line, receives the grade of officer, 

 and has apartments assigned to him in a cage. 



Poor Hubert ! The government that had been so good 

 and indulgent over so many peccadilloes, and had even pardon- 

 ed some misdeeds of a higher grade, on account of his gentle 



