"It is my intention to give you a short sketch of the battle of Waterloo, but not now. If you would like to hear it, however, I will read to you what a private soldier says of it in a letter to his parents."

"Yes, let us hear it, if you please. Was he a horse-soldier?"

"He was in the cavalry."

"He thus describes an attack made on the French guards:-' Our brigade was then formed into three lines, each regiment composing its own line, which was the 10th, 18th, and a regiment of German Legion Hussars; my own regiment forming the first line. Wellington then came in front of the line, and spoke in the following

manner:

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Tenth,' says he, 'you know what you are going to do, and you know what is expected of you, and I am well assured it will be done. I shall, therefore, say no more, only wish you success,' and with that he gave the order for us to advance. I am not ashamed to say, that well knowing what we were going to do, I offered up. a prayer to the Almighty that, for the sake of my children and the partner of my bosom, he would protect me, and give me strength and courage to overcome all that opposed me; and with a firm mind I went, leaving all that was dear to me to the mercy of that Great Ruler who has so often, in the midst of peril and danger, protected me.

After advancing about a hundred yards, we struck into a charge as fast as our horses would go, keeping up a loud and continued cheering, and soon we were among the Imperial Guards of France; the 18th also charging as soon as we got among them, which so galled them, that we slew and overcame them like so many children, although they rode in armour, and carried lances ten feet long; but so briskly did our lads lay the English steel about them, that they threw off their armour and pikes, and those that could get away flew in all directions; but still we had not done, for there were two great and solid squares of infantry, who had hurt us much with their fire whilst we were advancing, and still continued to do so whilst we were forming again. In short they were all around us; we therefore formed as well as we could, and at them we went.

"In spite of their fixed bayonets we got into their columns, and like birds they fell to the ground, and were thrown into confusion; and it run like wild-fire among their troops that their guards were beaten and panic-struck,—they flew in all directions. But still we had not done our part, and left those to pursue who had seen the onset. We took sixteen guns at our charge, and many prisoners, but we could see no longer, it was so dark; and at length we assembled what few we had got together of the regiment, and the general of the brigade formed us in close column, so that we might all hear him, and he addressed us in the following

manner: - Now, Tenth,' he said, 'you have not disappointed me; you are just what I thought you were; you were the first regiment that broke their lines, and to you it is that we are indebted for turning the fate of the day, and depend upon it that your Prince shall know it, for nothing but the bravery and discipline of the regiment could have completed such a work.' We then gave him three cheers, and since that he has given us at a great length in our orderly books, his thanks and praise for our conduct.""

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CHAPTER X.

Fortification. Surprise of Bergen-up-Zoom. - Six hundred British troops lay down their arms from a want of knowledge of fortification. Fortified places in England and abroad. On the origin of fortification. The battering-ram.-Parapets-Embrasures-Square Towers Terraces or Ramparts-Bastions-Horn-works-Curtains. Maxims in fortification.-Old plan of fortifying a place Modern plan. - Periods of attack. -Investment or blockade described.-Parallels.-Circumvallation and countervallation. - What is necessary to ensure the reduction of a fortress. Blockade of Pamplona.—A bombardment, siege, and storming party described.

"WELL, now I am to describe to you a blockade and a bombardment, a siege, and a storming party; but you will understand them better if I say a word or two first about fortification."

"Oh yes! let us know something about fortification first."

Many sad instances of failure and loss have occurred from a want of knowledge of fortification. Without knowledge no place of defence is secure ; fortresses require to be defended by strong minds as well as by strong walls. At the surprise of Bergen-up-Zoom, in 1814, a body of six hundred British troops laid down their arms merely because they had no officer with them who knew enough of fortification to conduct their retreat by the covered way. Had such an officer been with them every man might have safely made his escape."

"What a pity!—every officer ought to understand fortification."

"If an officer be at home, he can if he pleases see the fortifications at Dover, Portsmouth, Chatham and Plymouth; and if abroad, he may have, perhaps, the opportunity of inspecting the splendid works at Gibraltar, or Malta, or those in the East or West Indies, or in our American colonies. Fortification is the art of strengthening a place, so that a small number of men can defend it against the attack of a great number. Whether fortifica

tion was first used as a defence against the strong, the unjust, the revengeful, and ambitious, or used by them in furtherance of their designs, might be difficult to determine. The principal engine brought to bear against fortified places in ancient times was the aries, or battering-ram, made mostly of