Monday.—Bread, beef, (tough as leather,) bean soup.
Tuesday.—Tough beef, bread, and bean soup.
Wednesday.—Bean soup, bread, and tough beef—and so on to the end of the week.
The greatest harmony prevails in camp, especially among the officers, the Captain and first Lieutenant are the greatest friends imaginable, they do every thing in their power for the good of the company. They are the bravest and most patriotic officers in the regiment. In this lovely and fertile valley, encamped on the banks of the Rio Charma, we are enjoying all the blessings of life. We are charmed by the surpassing beauty of the polished Spanish ladies, and living in so much harmony with each other that we almost imagine the “garden of Eden” to have been again raised for our enjoyment; and then, Oh! heavens, what a luxury, amid these joys, to feel the delightful sensations produced by the gentle and graceful movements of a Spanish louse as he journeys over one’s body! The very thought of it makes me poetic, and I cannot resist the temptation of dedicating a line to the memory of moments so exquisite. How appropriate are the words of Moore to such occasions of bliss?
Oft in the stilly night,
Ere slumber’s chains have bound me,
I feel the cursed creatures bite,
As scores are crawling round me.
O not like one who treads alone,
The banquet halls deserted;—