We can gather from the lines—
Old General Host
A battle lost,
And reckoned on a hissing,
When he saw plain
What men were slain,
And prisoners, and missing.
To his dismay
He learned next day
What havoc war had wrought;
He had, at most,
But half his host
Plus ten times three, six, ought.
One-eighth were lain
On beds of pain,
With hundreds six beside;
One-fifth were dead,
Captives, or fled,
Lost in grim warfare’s tide.
Now, if you can,
Tell me, my man,
What troops the general numbered,
When on that night
Before the fight
The deadly cannon slumbered?
that old General Host had an army 24,000 strong.
67.
When the farmer sent five pieces of chain of 3 links each, to be made into one continuous length, agreeing to pay a penny for each link cut, and a penny for each link joined, the blacksmith, if he worked in the best interest of the farmer, could only charge sixpence: for he could cut asunder one set of 3 links, and use these three single links between the other four sets.