Frasers of Philorth > Volume 1

248 THE FRASERS OF PHILORTH, LORDS SALTOUK.
campaigns may prove of interest, and may here be told in his own words,
although the date and locality of each cannot he given, for the facts them-
selves were impressed upon the memory of one who was a boy at the time
when he heard them far more strongly than, what were then to him, minor
details.
There is, however, good reason to believe that it was in 1 8 1 2, in the long
march from Cadiz to join Sir Eowland Hill at Aranjuez, or in the subsequent
retreat, until winter quarters near Viseu, in Portugal, were reached, that the
two following events occurred, one of which shows the good feeling that
existed between the private soldiers and their officers, and the other affords
a rather absurd illustration of the occasional accidents and hardships of a
bivouac : —
" We had been marching through difficult country, and on very bad roads,
when, upon the halt for the night being ordered, we officers of the light
company had the unwelcome intelligence conveyed to us that although the
rations for the men had arrived all right, our mule, with all our supplies, had
broken down some miles to the rear, and that we were in consequence
supperless.
" As we were veiy hungry this was far from agreeable, and we sat down
under a tree in no very cheery humour ; but after a while were roused by
the approach of the senior private of the company. He carried a mess tin
in each hand, which prevented him from saluting ; but his words were very
much to the point. ' Gentlemen, the men are very sorry to hear as how your
mule has broke clown and you ain't got no supper, so, says we, let's each give
a little bit of our own, and it 's in these here tins, and we hope you '11 take it,
gentlemen.' Take it ! we were only too glad to get it, and capital it was ;
but the circumstance showed what care soldiers will take of their officers if
they like them, and I especially noticed that the oldest private was the
spokesman, and that none of the non-commissioned officers were asked to
interfere in what was an affair of kindly feeling, and not of duty."
" When on a march, I generally carried a large and strong umbrella. It
served for a walking-stick, and as I had coated it with oil varnish, it was
waterproof, and many a wetting it saved me.
" Upon one occasion, however, it took revenge for all its previous benefits.