Regimental Prisoners 145 



when who should come on board with the pilot but a 

 detective, who promptly arrested him and took him on 

 shore. This, he thought, was especially hard upon him. 

 It appeared from subsequent information that the police 

 had traced him to the port he had sailed from, and 

 expecting that he had gone on board a whaling vessel, 

 had kept a watch on the arrival of the ships that 

 had left about that period, and so at length ran down 

 their man. 



For three or four years previously, we had been 

 troubled with some very undesirable characters in the 

 ranks, for, with one of the usual fits of economy, the 

 Government had allowed us to get far below our proper 

 strength, until the French and Prussian war broke out. 

 Then, of course, we were hurriedly raised to a war footing, 

 and every man that could pass muster was enlisted, and 

 sent to us. Amongst others was one of most violent 

 character, who caused great trouble when being tried by 

 court-martial at Dover for some offence. Private Brown 

 was a very powerfully framed man, and his trial had only 

 just commenced when he put an abrupt stop to the pro- 

 ceedings by knocking down both the riflemen who con- 

 stituted the escort, and the non-commissioned officer in 

 charge of them. They were so completely taken by 

 surprise that they were unable to offer any resistance, 

 and the prisoner escaped through the door, and bolted 

 down the staircase. The court-martial room happened to 

 be above the guard-room, and fortunately the sentry at 

 the door was a rifleman of some years' experience, and 

 thoroughly wide awake. Eiflemen do not fix swords 

 when on sentry duty, but hearing the row upstairs, the 

 sentry promptly fixed his sword, and stood " on guard " at 



