38 
SPORT AND WAR. 
CHAP. TI. 
Highlander, saluting his commanding officer with aus¬ 
tere respect, touched him on the shoulder, and asked 
him to' step into the porch of his hut; and he then 
pointed out to him that the shell-jacket which they wore 
in those days had been put on upside-down, and the lower 
end, or lappets, which should have come round the 
waist (and the major’s was not a small one), were pro¬ 
jecting well past the front of his face, and the collar of 
the jacket was about half-way round the body. I need 
hardly say the sentry was released. 
There was a detachment of Cape Mounted Rifles at 
this post; and the major had the habit of walking a 
sort of 4 quarter-deck ’ walk up and down the parade 
while 4 stables ’ was going on in the afternoon. The first 
officer in command of the detachment was a respectful 
young fellow, named Harding (poor fellow! he was 
drowned afterwards at the Fish River mouth), and 
when the horses were cleaned he would go up, salute 
the major, and ask if he might dismiss the ‘ parade ; ’ 
and the major invariably replied, 4 Um—gad—yes— 
sound feed.’ In a short time Harding was relieved by a 
young officer—a Young England, young any thing—what 
we called a 4 haw-haw ’ fellow, but who has since turned 
out a first-rate officer. At his first parade he walked up to 
the major, and giving him a slap on the back, exclaimed, 
4 There, major, what do you think of that for a horse ? ’ 
pointing to his first charger, Chanticleer. The major 
