GAZETTED TO THE ROYAL REGIMENT.

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The coming Crimean war caused a number of commissions to be given in July 1854 to Sandhurst cadets who would be coming out in December and the May following. I was in that list, but being still under sixteen was not eligible, and with five other unfortunates had to remain the full time-viz., until May 1855, when I passed out, and on the 23rd of that month was gazetted to the Royals, now Royal Scots. At that time, my father being employed in Canada, I was under charge of my uncle, who, as already mentioned, lived in London: but he was abroad in the Crimea. He wrote to have me appointed to the 92nd Highlanders, but by the time the letter arrived I had been gazetted to the Royals, and was well up the Ensigns' list; so I got my outfit, a very small one in those days, and in June joined the depot of the 1st battalion Royals at Winchester, where were also the depots of the 3rd Buffs, 7th and 23rd Fusiliers, 46th and 88th Regiments, whose headquarters were all in the Crimea.

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CHAPTER II.

DEPOT AND CRIMEA.

A DEPOT battalion at the time of the Crimean war was anything but a good place for a youngster to commence his soldiering with some forty or fifty boys who had just got their commissions, and no old hands. to take an interest in them. The officers commanding each depot had been in nearly all cases invalided home from the front, and were keenly anxious to be back again the moment they were fit for service: it is therefore no wonder a rather large percentage of the youngsters came to grief. The ensigns who joined were not all boys; many extraordinary specimens got commissions through the militia, men who had apparently tried more than one way of getting a living before they took to soldiering. Several were certainly over forty years of age, one was actually said to have a son a commander in the navy. The waist-girth of some of these ancients was astonishing, and their capacity for stowing whisky-and-water startling, one particularly bibulous individual being rated as high as sixteen tumblers per diem. So accustomed were we to elderly men joining as ensigns, that on the arrival of a brevet-major from the Crimea to command our depot, one of the youngsters, noticing the

A SUBALTERN'S ALLOWANCE.

15

regimental badge on his new cap, took him for the last joined subaltern, and confidentially suggested, on first seeing him in the anteroom, it was a mistake to report himself at once in the orderly-room, and that he had better take a week's leave on his own account and run up to town for a good time before commencing his drill. There appeared to be no lack of recruits for the ranks, many uncommonly fine and fairly drilled men coming from the militia. All ranks were supplied with the old-fashioned percussion-musket for drill purposes-a few Miniés or Enfield rifles being used by the different squads in turn for firing at the targets (musketry instruction it could hardly be designated). The militia who were out at that time had only smooth-bore muskets, and it was curious to see them marching up to about 100 yards from the targets to commence their firing.

There was not nearly sufficient room in barracks for the number of young subalterns, a fortunate circumstance for many, myself amongst the number. With another sub. I got lodging-money and very comfortable quarters in a quiet little house, and as we both had very small allowances-I had only £50 a-year, the sum my father said he had from his father, and found sufficient-we lived very economically, porridge and milk for breakfast and bread and cheese for lunch. The mess was a large one, and the charge being 2s. 6d. for dinner, which was a wonderfully good one, we did full justice to it. There being no regimental subscriptions or entertainments, which make such holes in the young officers' pay at the present day, and having little time to spare from three parades a-day, I managed to make my ensign's pay and allowance cover all expenses; and in the

beginning of November, after being rather more than four months at the depot, I had the good fortune to be sent with several other officers to Horfield Barracks, near Bristol, to take out to the Crimea a large number of the Land Transport Corps, who had, we were informed, thrown stones at their officers, and were in rather a bad way.

On arriving at Horfield Barracks a curious sight presented itself: as the men streamed out of barracks for the afternoon they threw coppers to the prisoners in the guard-room. There were about a dozen of us, and being billeted at that grand old inn, the White Lion, we had a good time waiting till our charges were ready to start. One decidedly old officer joined us an ancient captain from half-pay, who had known my father in Burmah in the year 1827. It seemed to us youngsters a most cruel proceeding forcing, or even allowing, this old party to return to ordinary captain's work again, as in those days we actually had a few fortunate captains in the service under twenty years of age. Early in December our charge of foot was ready, and we embarked at Plymouth in the Urgent, a heavily-sparred screw naval transport of a type long since got rid of. Each officer had about 100 of the Land Transport men to take care of, and unfortunately, also, a considerable sum in gold, their advance pay, a matter of no small anxiety to us. There may have been a safe on board in which the coin might have been placed, but we youngsters knew nothing of it, and had to hide or secure the money in our cabins as best we could. At our first inspection parade at sea it was noticed that the men's clothes stuck out in a strange way. On investigation it was found that they had on all their

FIRST VOYAGE IN A TROOP-SHIP.

17

spare underclothing. On being asked why they so encumbered themselves, the answer was that if they left their things below the men not on parade would steal them. I well remember serving out the tobacco to my charge, having to open the chest with a small axe, which came in very handy when some of the more rapacious tried to grab more than their share. I had then to serve out the soap for the voyage: for this there was no competition. The readiness of resource developed in looking after and keeping in order such a rough undisciplined lot of men was a capital breaking-in for a youngster; but my great anxiety was the possibility of having my little bag of sovereigns, the advance pay of the men, stolen. This anxiety was increased when, owing to leaking decks, I had to abandon my cabin and sling a hammock outside, close to the engine-room hatch.

We arrived in Malta the day the captain of the port, Graves, was assassinated by a Maltese boatman, the streets being filled with very excited groups of natives, all talking at a great rate. We left after coaling, and soon I was fast asleep in my hammock. Next morning on awaking I noticed the machinery was motionless. On asking the reason, my hearers were much amused, saying, "Do you mean to say you did not hear the noise last night when the main shaft broke and the engines were racing with the most horrible crashing, and broken machinery flying about? Why, nearly all the men rushed on deck thinking the ship had struck on a rock or the boilers had burst." From sleeping so close to the engines I had become accustomed to their noise, and being very tired after a day in Malta, had slept through it all. That same day I nearly ended my career. In the afternoon some of

B