[25 ] The punka, used in India, is an enormous kind of fan, suspended in a room, and moved by ropes, to cool the air.
[26 ] This troop of heroes was composed of men and officers with facings of all the colours in the rainbow, and with every variety of garb. Among them were those who could not fight, as well as those who would not; and I am sorry to say, that of the latter there was a large proportion. Some, ashamed of being enrolled upon its list, remained but a short time with the corps; others, vegetating in all the delights of peace and quietness, with zealous attachment to the Rangers, put off the evil hour as long as possible. Being fond of dainties, they kept within the smell of Lisbon, with its oil and garlick, the perfume of which they snuffed up with ecstacy. As for being exposed to fire, they coveted no more than sufficed for their cigars; the smoke from thence was smoke enough for them. Figuring away with the Portuguese Senoras, they were formidable cavaliers, and as their gallantry was all expended on those fair objects, they had none to spare for warlike purposes. They were fond of duty about the castle of Belem, nor had they any particular fancy to go to a distance from the Tagus. The bivouac was their horror; they eschewed the miseries of a camp; and, with regard to marching, from the caffés to the operas and back again, was, in their ideas, just as much fatigue as any gentleman ought to suffer; therefore, to call them Rangers was a sad misnomer. In order to neutralize the evil, and prevent the corps from getting rather strong, officers were placed at Abrantes, Castel Branco, and other intermediate stations, who performed the duty of whippers in. Those in general were tight hands, and if there was an officer of rank, who bore the character of being a bitter pill, he was sure to get the post, so that the poor crest-fallen aspirants for promotion in the Belemites had no chance, but were checked in their career; and unless they could duly prove that they were curtailed in natural dimensions, by the loss of legs or arms, or had suffered other more desperate mutilations, they were forced to troop it back again, with their faces to the army. It latterly became so difficult a matter to pass these barriers, that several preferred, though riddled through with balls, to rough it in the camp, rather than run the gauntlet past these commandants. The worthy members of the corps above alluded to had no extraordinary relish for intelligence from the front, and when accounts came down of desperate fighting, or a hint was thrown out, that some of them might be wanted, it created a wondrous stir among them; their military ardour was cooled in a marvellous way, and whatever stock of courage they could boast of, oozed out, (as it did with Bob Acres), through their fingers' ends. At home what capital officers they made, swarming in to join with prompt alacrity (when the war was over,) and with much bravado talking of their past campaigns, and lording it over the juniors! How they did puff and blow, in country quarters, on trooping off the guard, and looking wondrous big, as they exercised their little brief authority!
[27 ] It was in this town that a melancholy circumstance took place on the parade of the 3rd regiment, or Old Buffs. Lieutenant Annesley, of the grenadiers, was inspecting his company, when one of the soldiers, watching his opportunity, took his musket, and levelling it at the officer, shot him through the heart. Annesley was a long time in the Buffs, in which he was much esteemed, and he was a remarkably good-looking young man, from the south of Ireland. The soldier who had a pique against the Lieutenant, for some alleged ill-treatment, was a very different character, and one of those discontented sort of fellows common in every regiment; one who is usually termed by his companions a lawyer. He was shot soon after at Placentia, pursuant to the sentence of a General Court Martial.
[28 ] While employed in some hot work upon the hill, I observed an instance of "taking things coolly," even in the midst of fire, which is worthy of noticing here. One of our Captains, a brave, intrepid soldier from the other side of the Tweed, (who had been so often in the smoke that he seemed only in his proper element when the balls were whizzing past his grisly locks, and the music of great guns was sounding in his ears,) happened to get a crack in the arm, of so violent a nature as to fracture the bone. Regardless of the wound, while the blood was streaming fast, he looked down sorrowfully on the damage effected on his precious garment, the object of his tenderest care, which had so often been wheeled to the right about, that with respect to it, the old adage of "one good turn deserves another" was virtually attended to, and, after eyeing wistfully the awful breach, with greater horror than he would the breach of Badajos, or any other he was about to storm, he cast an angry glance towards that quarter from whence the missile was sent, and exclaimed, in none of the softest tones, as though he wished the whole French army might hear his voice, "Dom the fellows, they've spoiled my cott!"
[29 ] Colonel Fenwick was, on his return to England, appointed Governor of Pendennis Castle, where he died a few years since from the consequences of his wound.
[30 ] Colonel Cameron commanded the 92nd, throughout the whole Peninsular war, with honor to himself and to his regiment. He fell nobly, at Quatre Bras, in the centre of a square which was formed to repel a strong body of French cavalry.
[31 ] It was at first supposed that Colonel Hill was killed, and he was returned on that list, but after a most singular recovery, he was able to join the regiment previous to their embarkation for England. Captain Grant had his leg amputated, but continued in full pay. Lieutenant McDonald was afterwards killed at Aire, in France.
[32 ] Myles was wounded in the ancle, but died soon after of locked jaw; he was an active and zealous officer, and a quiet inoffensive man. Duncan McDonald was killed at Aire. Keddle died in Enniskillen. Power on half-pay. Custance is now Lieutenant Colonel, commanding the 9th Regiment. Sawkins, leg amputated. Lovett died in England. Bartley, Pay Master 50th, in New South Wales.
[33 ] Lieutenant Robert Keddle, of the 50th, died in this place, from the effects of a severe wound, which he received in France. He was interred with military honours, and a stone with a suitable inscription was placed over his remains.
[34 ] The beating-up was a most enlivening affair; the horns and kettle-drums, together with the noise of various other instruments, made such a rattling through the town as kept the good people thereof wide awake, calling to the windows on every occasion a precious bevy of fair and blooming damsels, ready themselves to take on with any gallant gay Lothario, who might feel inclined to serve a campaign or two with them, in the field of Venus instead of that of Mars.