36 



WHIP AND SPUR. 



having carried out one's intention of treating every 

 man in the command, officer or soldier, as nearly 

 as he should be treated as the interests of the pub- 

 lic service, the good of the individual himself, and 

 one's own personal convenience would allow. 



Therefore, I say, I am not conscious of having 

 favored those who favored me, to the disadvan- 

 tage of those who did not; neither do I think 

 that (at this stage of our acquaintance) the Grafs 

 and Barons and simple Mister Vons, of whom the 

 command was so largely composed, entertained 

 the hope of personal benefit when they laid their 

 kindnesses at my accustomed feet, and tried to 

 smooth my way of life. 



The headquarters' mess was generally well sup- 

 plied, — and no questions asked. My relations 

 with most of the command were kindly, and it 

 apparently came to be understood — for German 

 cavalrymen are not without intelligence — that 

 the happiness of the individual members of the 

 regiment depended rather on the happiness of 

 its colonel than on any direct bids for his favor. 

 Be this as it may, I am not conscious of having 



