With Frederick the Great: A Story of the Seven Years' War, Page 3

  Chapter 2: Joining.

  In answer to the shout of "Donald," a tall man in the pantaloons ofa Prussian regiment, but with his tunic laid aside, came out from asmall room that served as a kitchen, and dormitory, for himself.

  "I am just ready, sir," he said. "Hearing you talking as you camealong, and not knowing who you might have with you, I just ran into put on my coat; but as you passed, and I heard it was Scottishyou were speaking, I knew that it didna matter."

  "Put another plate and goblet on the table, Donald. I hope that youhave meat enough for two of us."

  "Plenty for four," the soldier said. "The market was full thismorning, and the folk so ta'en up wi' this talk of war, and sopuzzled because no one could mak' out what it was about, that theydid more gossiping than marketing. So when the time came for themarket to close, I got half a young pig at less than I should haepaid for a joint, as the woman did not want to carry it homeagain."

  "That is lucky. As you are from Perth, Donald, it is possible youmay know this gentleman. He is Mr. Fergus Drummond, of Tarbet."

  "I kenned his father weel; aye, and was close beside him atCulloden, for when our company was broken I joined one that wasmaking a stand, close by, and it was Drummond who was leading it.Stoutly did we fight, and to the end stood back to back, hewingwith our claymores at their muskets.

  "At last I fell, wounded, I couldna say where at the time. When Icame to myself and, finding that all was quiet, sat up and feltmyself over, I found that it was a musket bullet that had ploughedalong the top of my head, and would ha' killed me had it not beenthat my skull was, as my father had often said when I was a boy,thicker than ordinary. There were dead men lying all about me; butit was a dark night, and as there was no time to be lost if I wasto save my skin, I crawled away to some distance from the field;and then took to my heels, and did not stop till next morning, whenI was far away among the hills."

  While he was talking, Donald had been occupied in adding a secondplate and knife and fork and glass, and the two officers sat downto their meal. Fergus asked the soldier other questions as to thefight in which his father had lost his life; for beyond that he hadfought to the last with his face to the foe, the lad had neverlearnt any particulars, for of the clansmen who had accompanied hisfather not one had ever returned.

  "Mr. Drummond will take the empty room next to mine, Donald. I amgoing down now with him, to the inn where he has left his horse. Ashe has a few things there, you had best come with us and bring themhere."

  The landlord of the inn, on hearing that Fergus wished to sell hishorse, said that there were two travellers in the house who hadasked him about horses; as both had sold, to officers, fine animalsthey had brought in from the country, there being at present agreat demand for horses of that class. One of these persons came inas they were speaking, and after a little bargaining Fergus soldthe horse to him, at a small advance on the price he had given forit at Stettin. The landlord himself bought the saddle and bridle,for a few marks; saying that he could, at any time, find a customerfor such matters. Donald took the valises and cloak, and carriedthem back to the palace.

  "That matter is all comfortably settled," Lindsay said. "Now we arefree men, but my liberty won't last long. I shall have to go onduty again, in half an hour. But at any rate, there is time to gofirst with you to the tailor's, and put your uniform in hand."

  "I wish to be measured for the uniform of the 3rd Royal DragoonGuards," Fergus said, as he entered the shop and the proprietorcame up to him.

  "Yes, Herr Tautz; and his excellency, Marshal Keith," Lindsay putin, "wishes you to know that the dress suit must be made instantly,or quicker if possible; for his majesty may, at any moment, orderMr. Drummond to attend upon him. Mr. Drummond is appointed one ofthe marshal's aides-de-camp; and as, therefore, he will often comeunder the king's eye, you may well believe that the fit must be ofthe best, or you are likely to hear of it, as well as Mr.Drummond."

  "I will put it in hand at once, lieutenant. It shall be cut outwithout delay; and in three hours, if Mr. Drummond will call here,it shall be tacked together in readiness for the first trying on.By eight o'clock tomorrow morning it shall be ready to be properlyfitted, and unless my men have bungled, which they very seldom do,it shall be delivered by midday."

  "Mr. Drummond lodges in the next room to myself," the lieutenantsaid; "and my servant is looking after him, till he gets one of hisown, so you can leave it with him."

  While the conversation was going on, two of the assistants weremeasuring Fergus.

  "Will you have the uniform complete, with belts, helmet, and allequipments?"

  "Everything except the sword," Fergus said.

  "At least I suppose, Lindsay, we can carry our own swords."

  "Yes, the king has made that concession, which is a wonderful one,for him, that Scottish officers in his service may carry their ownswords. You see, ours are longer and straighter than the Germanones, and most of us have learnt our exercises with them, andcertainly we would not fight so well with others; besides, the ironbasket protects one's hand and wrist vastly better than the foreignguard. The concession was first made only to generals, fieldofficers and aides-de-camp; but Keith persuaded the king, at last,to grant it to all Scottish officers, pointing out that they wereable to do much better service with their own claymores, than withweapons to which they were altogether unaccustomed; and thatScottish men were accustomed to fight with the edge, and to strikedownright sweeping blows, whereas the swords here are fitted onlyfor the point, which, although doubtless superior in a duel, is farless effective in a general melee."

  "I should certainly be sorry to give up my own sword," Fergus said."It was one of my father's, and since the days when I was bigenough to begin to use it, I have always exercised myself with it;though I, too, have learned to use the point a great deal, as I hada German instructor, as well as several Scottish ones."

  "Except in a duel," Lindsay said, "I should doubt if skill goes forvery much. I have never tried it myself, for I have never had theluck to be in battle; but I fancy that in a cavalry charge strengthgoes for more than skill, and the man who can strike quickly andheavily will do more execution than one trained to all sorts ofnice points and feints. I grant that these are useful, when two menare watching each other; but in the heat of a battle, when everyone is cutting and thrusting for his life, I cannot think thatthere is any time for fooling about with your weapon."

  They had by this time left the shop, and were strolling down thestreets.

  "Is there much duelling here?"

  "It is strictly forbidden," Lindsay said, with a laugh; "but I needhardly say that there is a good deal of it. Of course, pains aretaken that these affairs do not come to his majesty's ears. Fever,or a fall from a horse, account satisfactorily enough for theabsence of an officer from parade, and even his total disappearancefrom the scene can be similarly explained. Should the affair cometo the king's ears, 'tis best to keep out of his way until it hasblown over.

  "Of course, with us it does not matter quite so much as withPrussian officers. Frederick's is not the only service open to us.Good swords are welcome either at the Russian or Austrian courts,to say nothing of those of half a dozen minor principalities. Atall of these we are sure to find countrymen and friends, and ifEngland really enters upon the struggle--and it seems to me that ifthere is a general row she can scarcely stand aloof--men who havelearned their drill and seen some service might be welcomed, evenif their fathers wielded their arms on the losing side, ten yearsago.

  "Of course, to a Prussian officer it would be practical ruin to bedismissed from the army. This is so thoroughly well understoodthat, in cases of duels, there is a sort of general conspiracy onthe part of all the officers and surgeons of a regiment to hush thematter up. Still, if an officer is insulted--or thinks that he isinsulted, which is about the same thing--he fights, and takes theconsequences.

  "I am not altogether sorry that I am an aide-de-camp, and I thinkthat you can congratulate yourself on the same fa
ct; for we are notthrown, as is a regimental officer, into the company of Prussians,and there is therefore far less risk of getting into a quarrel.

  "I have no doubt the marshal, himself, will give you a few lessonsshortly. He is considered to be one of the finest swordsmen inEurope, and in many respects he is as young as I am, and as fond ofadventure. He gave me a few when I first came to him, but he saidthat it was time thrown away, for that I must put myself in thehands of some good maitre d'armes before he could teach me anythingthat would be useful. I have been working hard with one since, andknow a good deal more about it than I did; but my teacher says thatI am too hot and impetuous to make a good swordsman, and thatthough I should do well enough in a melee, I shall never be able tostand up against a cool man, in a duel. Of course the marshal hadno idea of teaching me arms, but merely, as he said, of showing mea few passes that might be useful to me, on occasion. In reality heloves to keep up his sword play, and once or twice a week VanBruff, who is the best master in Berlin, comes in for half anhour's practice with him, before breakfast."

  After Lindsay had left him at the entrance to the palace, Ferguswandered about the town for some hours, and then went to thetailor's and had his uniform tried on. Merely run together thoughit was, the coat fitted admirably.

  "You are an easy figure to fit, Herr Drummond," the tailor said."There is no credit in putting together a coat for you. Yourbreeches are a little too tight--you have a much more powerful legthan is common--but that, however, is easily altered.

  "Here are a dozen pairs of high boots. I noticed the size of yourfoot, and have no doubt that you will find some of these to fityou."

  This was indeed the case, and among a similar collection ofhelmets, Fergus also had no difficulty in suiting himself.

  "I think that you will find everything ready for you by half-pasteight," the tailor said, "and I trust that no further alterationwill be required. Six of my best journeymen will work all night atthe clothes; and even should his majesty send for you by ten, Itrust that you will be able to make a proper appearance before him,though at present I cannot guarantee that some trifling alterationwill not be found necessary, when you try the uniforms on."

  Fergus supped with the marshal, who had now time to ask him manymore questions about his home life, and the state of things inScotland.

  "'Tis a sore pity," he said, "that we Scotchmen and Irishmen, whoare to be found in such numbers in every European army, are not allarrayed under the flag of our country. Methinks that the time isnot far distant when it will be so. I am, as you know, a Jacobite;but there is no shutting one's eyes to the fact that the cause is alost one. The expedition of James the Third, and still more that ofCharles Edward, have caused such widespread misery among theStuarts' friends that I cannot conceive that any further attempt ofthe same kind will be made.

  "In fact, there is no one to make it. The prince has lost almostall his friends, by his drunken habits and his quarrelsome andoverbearing disposition. He has gone from court to court as asuppliant, but has everywhere alienated the sympathies of thosemost willing to befriend him. I may say that as a King of Englandand Scotland he is now impossible, and his own habits have donemore to ruin his cause than even the defeat of Culloden. There aredoubtless many, in both countries, who consider themselvesJacobites, but it is a matter of sentiment and not of passion.

  "At any rate, there is no head to the cause now, and cannotpossibly be unless the prince had a son; therefore, for at leastfive-and-twenty years, the cause is dead. Even if the prince leavesan heir, it would be absurd to entertain the idea that, after theStuarts have been expelled from England a hundred years, anyScotchman or Englishman would be mad enough to risk life andproperty to restore them to the throne.

  "Another generation and the Hanoverians will have becomeEnglishmen, and the sentiment against them as foreigners will havedied out. Then there will be no reason why Scotchmen and Irishmenshould any longer go abroad, and all who wish it will be able tofind employment in the army of their own country.

  "This, indeed, might have happened long before this, had theGeorges forgotten that they were Electors of Hanover as well asKings of Great Britain; and had surrounded themselves withEnglishmen instead of filling their courts with Germans, whosearrogance and greed made them hateful to Englishmen, and keptbefore their eyes the fact that their kings were foreigners.Hanover is a source of weakness instead of strength to GreatBritain, and its loss would be an unmixed benefit to her; for aslong as it remains under the British crown, so long must Britainplay a part in European politics--a part, too, sometimes absolutelyopposed to the interests of the country at large."

  After supper was over, two general officers dropped in for a chatwith the marshal. He introduced Fergus to them, and the latter thenretired and joined the little party of Scottish officers atLindsay's quarters. Lindsay introduced him to them, and he was veryheartily received, and it was not until very late that they turnedinto bed.

  At half-past eight next morning Fergus went to the tailor's, andfound that he had kept his promise, to the letter. The uniformsfitted admirably, and were complete in every particular. As MarshalKeith had, the evening before, informed him that he had receivedhis appointment to the 3rd Royal Dragoon Guards, he had nohesitation in putting on a uniform when, a quarter of an hourlater, it arrived at his quarters. Donald went out and fetched ahairdresser, who combed, powdered, and tied up his hair in propermilitary fashion. When he left, Donald took him in hand, attiredhim in his uniform, showed him the exact angle at which his beltshould be worn, and the military salute that should be given.

  It was fortunate that he was in readiness, for at half-past tenLindsay came in with a message from the marshal that he was, atonce, to repair to the palace, with or without a uniform; as theking had sent to say that he should visit Keith at eleven, and thathe could then present his cousin to him.

  It could not be said that Fergus felt comfortable, as he startedfrom his quarters. Accustomed to a loose dress and light shoes, hefelt stiff and awkward in his tight garments, closely buttoned up,and his heavy jack boots; and he found himself constrained to walkwith the same stiffness and precision that had amused him in thePrussian officers, on the previous day.

  "So you have got your uniform," the marshal said, as Fergus enteredand saluted, as Donald had instructed him. "It becomes you well,lad, and the king will be pleased at seeing you in it. He could nothave blamed you had it not been ready, for the time has been short,indeed; but he will like to see you in it, and will consider thatit shows alacrity and zeal."

  Presently the door opened and, as the marshal rose and saluted,Fergus knew that it was the king. He had never had the kingdescribed to him, and had depicted to himself a stiff and somewhataustere figure; but the newcomer was somewhat below middle height,with a kindly face, and the air rather of a sober citizen than of amilitary martinet. The remarkable feature of his face were hiseyes, which were very large and blue, with a quick piercing glancethat seemed to read the mind of anyone to whom he addressedhimself. So striking were they that the king, when he went aboutthe town in disguise, was always obliged to keep his eyes somewhatdowncast; as, however well made up, they would have betrayed him atonce, had he looked fixedly at anyone who had once caught sight ofhis face.

  "Good morning, marshal!" he said, in a friendly tone. "So this ismy last recruit--a goodly young fellow, truly."

  The king walked round Fergus as if he wereexamining a lay figure]

  He walked round Fergus as if he were examining a lay figure,closely scrutinizing every article of his appointment, and thengave a nod of approbation.

  "Always keep yourself like that, young sir. An officer is unfit totake charge of men, unless he can set an example of exactness indress. If a man is precise in little things, he will be careful inother matters.

  "Although he is going to be your aide-de-camp, Keith, he had bettergo to his regimental barracks, and drill for a few hours a day, ifyou can spare him."

  "He shall certainly do so, sire. I spoke to
his colonel yesterdayevening, and told him that I would myself take the lad down to him,this morning, and present him to his comrades of the regiment. Itwould be well if he could have six months' drilling, for anaide-de-camp should be well acquainted with the meaning of theorders he carries; as he is, in that case, far less likely to makemistakes than he would otherwise be. Your majesty has nothing moreto say to him?"

  "Nothing. I hope he is not quarrelsome. But there, it is of no usemy hoping that, Keith; for your Scotchman is a quarrelsome creatureby nature, at least so it seems to me. Of the duels that, in spiteof my orders, take place--I know you all try to hide them from me,Keith--I hear of a good many between these hot-headed countrymen ofyours and my Prussian officers."

  "With deference to your majesty, I don't think that that provesmuch. It would be as fair to say that these duels show howaggressive are your Prussian officers towards my quiet and patientcountrymen.

  "Now you can retire, cornet."

  Fergus gave the military salute, and retired to the anteroom.

  "Have you passed muster?" Lindsay asked with a laugh.

  "Yes; at least the king found nothing wrong. He was not at all whatI thought he would be."

  "No; I was astonished myself, the first time I saw him. He is acapital fellow, in spite of his severity in matters of militaryetiquette and discipline. He is very kind hearted, does not standat all upon his dignity, bears no malice, and very soon remitspunishment he has given in the heat of the moment. I think that heregards us Scots as being a people for whom allowances must bemade, on the ground of our inborn savagery and ignorance ofcivilized customs. He does not mind plain speaking on our part and,if in the humour, will talk with us much more familiarly than hewould do to a Prussian officer."

  In a few minutes the bell in the next room sounded. Lindsay wentin.

  "Are the horses at the door?"

  "Yes, marshal."

  "Then we will mount at once. I told the colonel of the 3rd that Ishould be at the barracks by twelve o'clock, unless the king wantedme on his business."

  Fergus had already put on his helmet, and he and Lindsay followedKeith downstairs. In the courtyard were the horses, which were heldby orderlies.

  "That is yours, Fergus," Keith said. "It has plenty of bone andblood, and should carry you well for any distance."

  Fergus warmly thanked the marshal for the gift. It was a very finehorse, and capable of carrying double his weight. It was fullycaparisoned with military bridle and saddle and horse cloth.

  They mounted at once. The orderlies ran to their horses, which wereheld by a mounted trooper, and the four fell in behind theofficers. Lindsay and Fergus rode half a length behind the marshal,but the latter had some difficulty in keeping his horse in thatposition.

  The marshal smiled.

  "It does not understand playing second fiddle, Fergus. You see, ithas been accustomed to head the procession."

  As they rode along through the street, all officers and soldiersstood as stiff as statues at the salute, the marshal returning itas punctiliously, though not as stiffly. In a quarter of an hourthey arrived at the gate of a large barracks. The guard turned outas soon as the marshal was seen approaching, and a trumpet call washeard in the courtyard as they entered the gate.

  Fergus was struck with the spectacle, the like of which he hadnever seen before. The whole regiment was drawn up in parade order.The colonel was some distance in the front, the officers ranged atintervals behind him. Suddenly the colonel raised his sword abovehis head, a flash of steel ran along the line, eight trumpeterssounded the first note of a military air, and the regiment stood atthe salute, men and horses immovable, as if carved in stone. Aminute later the music stopped, the colonel raised his sword again,there was another flash of steel, and the salute was over. Then thecolonel rode forward to meet the marshal.

  "Nothing could have been better, my dear colonel," the latter said."As I told you yesterday, my inspection of your regiment is but amere form, for I know well that nothing could be more perfect thanits order; but I must report to the king that I have inspected allthe regiments now in Berlin and Potsdam, and others that will formmy command, should any untoward event disturb the peace of thecountry.

  "But before I begin, permit me to present to you this young officer,who was yesterday appointed to your regiment. I have already spokento you of him. This is Cornet Fergus Drummond, a cousin of my own,and whom I recommend strongly to you. As I informed you, he will forthe present act as one of my aides-de-camp."

  "You have lost no time in getting your uniform, Mr. Drummond," thecolonel said. "I am sure that you will be most cordially received,by all my officers as by myself, as a relation of the marshal, whomwe all respect and love."

  "I will now proceed to the inspection," the marshal said, and heproceeded towards the end of the line.

  The colonel rode beside him, but a little behind. The twoaides-de-camp followed, and the four troopers brought up the rear.They proceeded along the front rank, the officers having beforethis taken up their position in the line. The marshal lookedclosely at each man as he passed, horse as well as man beinginspected.

  "I do not think, colonel, that the king himself could havediscovered the slightest fault or blemish. The regiment is simplyperfect. I hope that during the next few days you will have everyshoe inspected by the farrier, and every one showing the leastsigns of wear taken off and replaced; and that you will also directthe captains of troops to see that the men's kits are in perfectorder."

  "That shall be done, sir, though I own that I cannot see againstwhom we are likely to march; for though the air is full of rumours,all our neighbours seem to think of nothing so little as war."

  "It may be," Keith said with a smile, "that it is merely hismajesty's intention to see in how short a time we can place anarmy, complete in every particular and ready for a campaign, in thefield. His majesty is fond of trying military experiments."

  "I hope, marshal, that you will do us the honour of drinking agoblet of champagne with us. Some of my officers have not yet beenpresented to you, and I shall be glad to take the opportunity ofdoing so."

  "With pleasure, colonel. A good offer should never be refused."

  By this time they had moved to the front of the regiment.

  "Officers and men of the 3rd Royal Dragoon Guards," Keith said in aloud voice, "I shall have great pleasure in reporting to the kingthe result of my inspection, that the regiment is in a state ofperfect efficiency, and that I have been unable to detect thesmallest irregularity or blemish. I am quite sure that, if youshould at any time be called upon to fight the enemies of yourcountry, you will show that your conduct and courage will be fullyequal to the excellence of your appearance. I feel that whatevermen can do you will do.

  "God save the king!"

  He lifted his plumed hat. The trumpet sounded, the men gave theroyal salute, and then a loud cheer burst from the ranks; for therumours current had raised a feeling of excitement throughout theregiment, and though no man could see from what point dangerthreatened, all felt that great events were at hand.

  The regiment was then dismissed, hoarse words of command wereshouted, and each troop moved off to its stable; while the coloneland Keith rode to the officers' anteroom, the trumpets at the sametime sounding the officers' call. In a few minutes all weregathered there. The colonel first presented some of his youngofficers to the marshal, and then introduced Fergus to his newcomrades, among whom were two Scotch officers.

  "Mr. Drummond will, for the present, serve with the marshal as oneof his aides-de-camp; but I hope that he will soon join theregiment where, at any rate, he will at all times find a warmwelcome."

  Keith had already told the colonel that, for the present, Ferguswould be released from all duty as an aide-de-camp, and would spendhis time in acquiring the rudiments of drill.

  Champagne was now served round. The officers drank the health ofthe marshal, and he in return drank to the regiment; then allformality was laid aside for a time, and the marshal la
ughed andchatted with the officers, as if he had been one of themselves.Fergus was surrounded by a group, who were all pleased at findingthat he could already talk the language fluently; and in spite ofthe jealousy of the Scottish officers, felt throughout the service,the impression that he made was a very favourable one; and thehostility of race was softened by the fact that he was a nearrelation of the marshal, who was universally popular. He wonfavour, too, by saying, when the colonel asked whether he wouldrather have a Scottish or a Prussian trooper assigned to him, asservant and orderly, that he would choose one of the latter.

  After speaking to the adjutant the colonel gave an order and, twominutes later, a tall and powerful trooper entered the room andsaluted. The adjutant went up to him.

  "Karl Hoger," he said, "you are appointed orderly and servant toMr. Fergus Drummond. He is quartered at the officers' house, facingthe palace. You will take your horse round there, and await hisarrival. He will show you where it is to be stabled. You arereleased from all regimental duty until further orders."

  The man saluted and retired, without the slightest change of faceto show whether the appointment was agreeable to him, or otherwise.

  Half an hour later the marshal mounted and, with his party, rodeback to the palace. After he had dismounted, Lindsay and Fergusrode across to their quarters. Karl Hoger was standing at theentrance, holding his horse. He saluted as the two officers cameup.

  "I will go in and see if dinner is ready," Lindsay said. "I toldDonald that we should be back at half-past one, and it is nearlytwo now, and I am as hungry as a hunter."

  Fergus led the way to the stable, and pointed out to the trooperthe two stalls that the horses were to occupy; for each room in theofficers' quarters had two stalls attached to it, the one for theoccupant, the other for his orderly.

  "I suppose you have not dined yet, Karl?"

  "No, sir, but that does not matter."

  "I don't want you to begin by fasting. Here are a couple of marks.When you have stabled the horses and finished here, you had bettergo out and get yourself dinner. I shall not be able to draw rationsfor you for today.

  "After you have done, come to the main entrance where I met you andtake the first corridor to the left. Mine is the fifth door on theright-hand side. If I am not in, knock at the next door to it onthis side. You will see Lieutenant Lindsay's name on it.

  "You need not be in any hurry over your meal, for I am just goingto have dinner, and certainly shall not want you for an hour."

  On reaching Lindsay's quarters Fergus found that dinner waswaiting, and he and Lindsay lost no time in attacking a fine fishthat Donald had bought in the market.

  "That is a fine regiment of yours, Drummond," Lindsay said.

  "Magnificent. Of course, I never saw anything like it before, butit was certainly splendid."

  "Yes. They distinguished themselves in the campaigns of Silesiavery much. Their colonel, Grim, is a capital officer--very strict,but a really good fellow, and very much liked by his officers.However, if I were you, I should be in no hurry to join. I had twoyears and a half in an infantry regiment, before Keith appointed meone of his aides-de-camp, and I can tell you it was hardwork--drill from morning till night. We were stationed at amiserable country place, without any amusements or anything to do;and as at that time there did not seem the most remote chance ofactive service, it was a dog's life. Everyone was surly and illtempered, and I had to fight two duels."

  "What about?"

  "About nothing, as far as I could see. A man said something aboutScotch officers, in a tone I did not like. I was out of temper, andinstead of turning it off with a laugh I took it up seriously, andthrew a glass at his head. So of course we fought. We wounded eachother twice, and then the others stopped it. The second affair wasjust as absurd, except that there I got the best of it, and slicedthe man's sword arm so deeply that he was on the sick list for twomonths--the result of an accident, as the surgeon put it down. Soalthough I don't say but that there is a much better class of menin the 3rd than there was in my regiment, I should not be in anyhurry to join.

  "If there is a row, you will see ten times as much as anaide-de-camp as you would in your regiment, while during peacetimethere is no comparison at all between our lives as aides-de-campand that of regimental officers.

  "I fancy you have rather a treasure in the man they have told offto you. He was the colonel's servant at one time, but he got drunkone day, and of course the colonel had to send him back to theranks. One of the officers told me about him when he came in, andsaid that he was one of the best riders and swordsmen in theregiment. The adjutant told me that he has specially chosen him foryou, because he had a particularly good mount, and that as yourorderly it would be of great importance that he should be able tokeep up with you. Of course, he got the horse when he was thecolonel's orderly; and though he was sent back to the ranks sixmonths ago, the colonel, who was really fond of the man, allowedhim to keep it."

  "I thought it seemed an uncommonly good animal, when he led it intothe stable," Fergus said. "Plenty of bone, and splendid quarters. Ihope he was not unwilling to come to me. It is a great fall frombeing a colonel's servant to become a cornet's."

  "I don't suppose he will mind that; and at any rate, while he ishere the berth will be such an easy one that I have no doubt hewill be well content with it, and I daresay that he and Donald willget on well together.

  "Donald is a Cuirassier. After Keith appointed me as one of hisaides, he got me transferred to the Cuirassiers, who are stationedat Potsdam. That was how I came to get hold of Donald as aservant."

  A few minutes after they had done dinner, there was a knock at thedoor. The orderly entered and saluted.

  "You will find my man in there," Lindsay said. "At present, Mr.Drummond and I are living together. I daresay you and he will geton very comfortably."

  For the next fortnight, Fergus spent the whole day in barracks. Hewas not put through the usual preliminary work, but the colonel,understanding what would be most useful to him, had him instructedin the words of command necessary for carrying out simplemovements, his place as cornet with a troop when in line or column;and being quick, intelligent, and anxious to learn, Fergus soonbegan to feel himself at home.