CO VER T-SHOO TING. 1 3 1 



his reckless and excitable offspring, for whom he had 

 posted himself as a target at intervals all day, had 

 been almost shocked and sobered by having fired at 

 his parent's gaiter in mistake for a hare on one of 

 these sudden appearances in front of the line, and was 

 only indebted to his own want of skill for escape from 

 possible parricide. "' Never mind me, I can take care 

 of myself" (the cleverest men have their delusions) ; 

 " but don't shoot each other ! " Then he would 

 disappear again, make one of his mysterious flank 

 marches, and calmly court death in some other 

 locality. 



Dangerous as these excitable youths were, I have 

 seen others more dangerous. Their excitability 

 was natural, the result of too active and mercurial 

 a temperament, and the danger arising out of it, 

 though grave enough, was not quite so formidable 

 as that caused by the artificially produced excitement 

 of habitual over-indulgence in stimulants. One 

 young man who had contracted this fatal habit, 

 and consequently was haunted on occasions by 



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