United States or Martinique ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !


"Is all well my children?" comes the cry from the watchman of the night; and with a gentle stirring the answer floats back "All is well." As the first grey streak of dawn filtered through the pines, a long-drawn out cry of "Day-li-ght" Dan's camp reveille rolled out of his net, and Dan rolled out after it, with even less ceremony than he had rolled in.

Started at five with Yeomanry, Bushmen, and Buffs, as before, but were delayed two hours outside town, waiting for some traction-engines, which puffed asthmatically at the bottom of a drift, unable to get up. Washed in a river with great zest. Fresh mutton for supper. Turned in with orders for reveillé at 4 A.M. But at 11.30 P.M. we were all awakened by "Come on, get up and harness up."

At last sleep came a miserable, feverish slumber, from which he was aroused by the reveille. "There," he said to himself. "I shall be all right now," as he took his dripping head out of the bowl of cold water, and felt refreshed by the scrub he gave himself; but somehow he did not feel right.

It was five-and-twenty past five when the last of us came in with his breakfast. But before he could reach his place there was a loud blast of a whistle, and a distant voice shouted, "On Parade!" The irritation that had been accumulating since reveillé burst out. "Why can't they let yer finish yer breakfast 'tain't 'alf-past yet, not be a long way!" "They treat yer like pigs!"

At reveille Frank was, as a rule, very prompt about springing out of bed and hurrying into his clothes and through his toilet. On the morning after the game, however, he continued to sleep till Hodge awakened him by a fierce shaking. "Come, come, man!" said Bart; "turn out. Are you going to let a little thing like last night break you up?" Frank got up wearily and stiffly.

He can show the men dash and pluck in every sport they care for, his common sense makes him the friend of Tommy Atkins as well as his officer, and the affairs of his regiment are so admirably managed that there is no enervating air of slackness about the barracks from the first monitory note of "Reveillé" to the last wailing sound of "Lights Out."

He knocked with his knuckles a thundering reveille that echoed and re-echoed ghostily through the rumbling old house. In a moment there was a shuffling of footsteps inside, a rattling of a chain, and the noisy undoing of rusty bolts. "Who's there?" asked a cracked old voice. "Is it the young master?" "Yes, you old idiot! Didn't I send you word? Open the door at once, and be hanged to you!"

Unfortunately, Custer did not accomplish all that was expected of him, and being surprised by Rosser and Payne near Lacy's Springs before reveille, had to abandon his bivouac and retreat down the valley, with the loss of a number of prisoners, a few horses, and a good many horse equipments, for, because of the suddenness of Rosser's attack, many of the men had no time to saddle up.

He had planted a string of supply depots behind him. He had made a practice of sounding the reveille two hours before day-break, every morning in camp, and keeping the men at parade until almost sunrise, to guard against a surprise. He tried to be thorough. This afternoon of November 3 he had selected an excellent camp ground, from which a few Indians had fled at his approach.

Anyway, some British prisoners have escaped and come in. Grazing in harness for the rest of the day. July 27. Reveillé at 5.15. Hooked in and waited for the whole convoy to file by, as we are to be rearguard. It took several hours, and must be five or six miles long. It was a heavy, misty day, and some rain fell.