As might have been anticipated, the news of our success down the River was soon circulated throughout the Garrison, and our sport on Green Island begat an emulative spirit amongst the body corporate of military and civilians within the walls of Quebec. Every person of high and low degree who was fortunate enough to possess a gun was employed in rubbing up rusty barrels and polishing flint locks preparatory to expending his ammunition in the marshes. As soon as Mr. Wood and myself had recounted all our adventures (save and except that of the decoy-ducks) to our brother convives at the artillery mess, I betook myself, after having discussed a quantum suff. of very palatable Port, to the quarters of my kind old friend Major Browne, the Major par excellence, who was delighted to hear how well and how profitably we had passed our time. "If you're pleased at your sport on this Green Island, Master Tolfrey, I'll be after shewing you something at Chateau Richer that'll bate your squibbing down there all to smithereens. I'll engage you shall have four times as many shots in one day. But I'm going on a secret expedition after the trout a few miles above Jacques Cartier as soon as our inspection is over-and good luck to us! that's the day after to-morrow-and as soon as we've expended our blank cartridges and shewn the Commander-in-Chief (and it's no small matter that'll plase him) what the ould 103rd can do, I'm off for the Bridge as soon as you can cry pase. Now, you spalpeen, if you can keep a secret, and not be after saying a word, or even talk in your sleep about what I'm about to tell you, why you shall go with me, for I'd like to shew you the Rivière Chaude." After this fashion did the Major deliver himself, and I was not a little flattered at this mark of confidence as well as preference; and having thanked him for affording me an opportunity of visiting this trout-stream under his immediate auspices, I left him to return to my own rooms, and there to indulge in all sorts of pleasing anticipations, and to select and prepare my trout tackle. The day succeeding this interview was passed in making arrangements for the trip, and our messman (the discreetest of caterers) undertook to furnish a basket of edibles without letting anyone know for whom or for what purpose they were required. On the following morning, the 103rd were on the Plains of Abraham (the scene of General Wolfe's signal victory) by day-light, and shortly afterwards Sir John Sherbrooke and his Staff arrived on the ground. The General, being in a good humor-rather an unusual occurrence by the way was pleased to express his approbation of the appearance, the discipline, and soldier-like bearing of the men. The manoeuvres and evolutions were executed with neatness, steadiness, and precision: in VOL. I.-THIRD SERIES, N. S.-No. 3. Y short, the Field Officers of the corps had every reason to be gratified at the conclusion of this field-day: everything went well, and we returned to the Garrison in high spirits. The Major had invited me to a tête-à-tête breakfast, and, prior to riding out to the Plains, I had desired my servant to bring the prog, rods, lines, basket, as well as my fishing costume, up to the Major's quarters. Having dismounted at his door, I proceeded to take off my harness, and equip myself for the journey as became a brother of the angle. We were not long in discussing our meal, and ere his brother officers had half finished their breakfast in the mess-room, we were jogging along in a hired calêche for the Jacques Cartier River. We reached the goal of promise about three o'clock in the afternoon, and having refreshed ourselves with some of the good things we had brought with us, we walked down to the River, not without being duly anointed with the Major's specific, and which was applied by the Widow's delicate hand. The water was very low, and, to use the Major's own phrase, "as clear as a bell." He rose a fish in the Hospital pool, but that was the only ghost of a salmon we saw. After trying every turn, scour, and eddy in the River without success, we turned moodily homewards to the Bridge to console ourselves with a cigar and some "cold without." We were soon seated at the little table in our snuggery overlooking the River, and to atone for any disappointment I might have felt at our want of success, the Major was in a right merry mood, in a communicative vein withal, and had evidently got his "sitting breeches" on. Having remarked to my companion that His Excellency the Governor appeared much pleased at the creditable manner in which the 103rd had acquitted themselves in the morning, he replied, "Faith, Master Tolfrey, we were in luck, for it's not always that the Giniral's plased. He's a terrible ould Turk to deal with, and it's the toss up of a halfpenny whether he blackguards you or not. By Jasus, he made the Commissaries keep their eyes open when he commanded in the Peninsula, and he astonished the natives in Halifax (Nova Scotia) before he came to Quebec. I'll tell you a few stories about him which will make you stare a bit. Our peppery Commander-in-Chief, who now is Colonel of the 33rd, entered that regiment at an early age, and served in that distinguished corps for many years-and it numbered amongst its officers the late Sir John Moore, the present Duke of Wellington, Sir Hildebrand Oakes, and many other ornaments of our service. He commanded a division of the army under the lamented Hero of Corunna ; but Lord Wellington, who was Sir John Sherbrooke's junior in the service, having been sent out from home as Commander-in-Chief of our Forces in Spain, our Governor wrote to the Horse Guards in a fit of spleen to be recalled, which request was ultimately complied with. You may be sure that the officers and men of Sir John's division had the devil's own time of it after he was compelled to play second fiddle. By the Powers, it was a word and a blow with the ould boy then, and sometimes the blow came first. Oh, the thundering passion he'd be in if the Commissary hadn't the rations ready for his men after a day's march! It is related, and I've no doubt it's gospel truth, that he actually perpetrated a nice little bit of Lynch law, by hanging a commis sariat clerk on a branch of a tree by the road-side for disobedience of orders, in not having his provisions at a given spot and at a given time on the arrival of the division after a long and harassing forced march. One circumstance I can vouch for, and which came under the observation of a brother officer. I told you just now that the Giniral kept a sharp eye upon the Commissaries, and it came to pass one day, as Sir John's division were about to join the head-quarters of the army, that on arriving within a day's march of Wellington's camp, where they were to halt for the night, the Commissary attached to the division was behind his time, and the rations were not forthcoming. Nearly two hours elapsed before the prog made its appearance, during which interval the Commander was raging and fuming like a mad bull, and, as you may imagine, the Commissary's reception, when he waited on the Giniral to apologize as well as account for the delay, was none of the politest or pleasantest, and the stormy interview ended thus. Sir John Sherbrooke loquitur: Get out of the houth, thir, or I'll kick you down stairs' Whereupon the indignant Commissary retired in high dudgeon, and on reaching his billet, mounted his horse, and galloped over to head-quarters to report the circumstance to Lord Wellington, as well as to complain of the extraordinary treatment and abusive language he had received at the hands of the Second-incommand. An interview with the Great Captain of the Age having been obtained, the ill-used purveyor of bread, beef, and mutton, having fully exculpated himself from all blame regarding the alleged unreasonable delay in the supply of the provisions for the troops, proceeded to relate how warmly he had been received by the Giniral commanding the division, and wound up his remonstrance by stating that Sir John Sherbrooke had actually threatened to kick him down stairs. he?' "Lord Wellington: He threatened to kick you down stairs, did 66 6 Commissary: Yes, my Lord.' "Lord Wellington: And did he not carry his threat into execution ?' "Commissary: No, my Lord.' "Lord Wellington: Then, Sir, allow me to congratulate you upon being a very fortunate individual; for ever since I have known General Sherbrooke, which is now upwards of a quarter of a century, he has always been a man of his word, and my only astonishment is that he did not kick you down stairs.'!!! "This was all the satisfaction the Deputy-Assistant-CommissaryGeneral received, and may serve as a sample of the manner in which His Excellency our Governor carried on the war in the Peninsula. His constitutional irritability, however, would not admit of his remaining in juxta-position with a junior Officer, placed by the Authorities at home over his head, and soon after this skrimmage with the Commissary he returned to England, and by dint of growling and complaining incessantly at the Horse Guards, he succeeded in obtaining the command in Nova Scotia, a preliminary step to the important post he at this moment fills. You may have heard that the Generalissimo of the Canadas is a very nervous as well as an irritable person, and his greatest horror and aversion is a fidgetty, fractious, capering horse |