DINING. 147 



dust on my coat that I must have had 

 a fall ; on my telling them how I 

 had been served, he volunteered to 

 ride the mare home, while I should 

 take his place by the side of my 

 friend; to this I readily assented, and 

 aided by a heavier weight and a 

 stronger nerve, which his confidence as 

 a rough rider gave him, he took the 

 mare safe to her owner's stables. 



He was also of a gay and convivial 

 disposition, and our inspections and field- 

 days on Portsdown-hill were sometimes 

 wound up with a good feed, and an 

 evening devoted to a rather tumultuary 

 sacrifice to Bacchus. But this would 

 only happen when we dined en troupe; 

 on other occasions, after being dismissed, 

 we would ride home together in small 

 parties, each selecting his own fancy 

 " Public " on the road for refreshment or 

 enjoyment. Generally I found myself 

 side by side with this sergeant-major, 



L2 



