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Show 16 PERSONAL ADVENTURES subsequently grown upon hirn, having become rnore decidedly curvilinear, and his hearing, if possible, more difficult. If you add to these little peculiarities a voice 'vhich can no otherwise be described than as the bubble and squeak of some floundering animal, you have Johnny's portrait as nearly as I can sketch it. Although our cotnmanding officer had been only ten1porarily placed at our head, and had no intention of accompanying the expedition, it would not be fair to pass him over without notice, inasmuch as it would be difficult to find a more perfect specimen of a class not unfrequently to be met with in the States, although in Europe only fan1iliar to us in the traditions that have consecrated the memory of Major Dalgetty. He was possessed of the true Yankee tradin<>' spirit and re()'arded the . 0 ' 0 profession of arrns in a purely military light. Like his uncle, Colonel Jonathan D. S , who got such a hard name for his reo·iment 0 ' by charging bayonets on a sheriff's officer, who had disturbed his afternoon siesta it was ' supposed, I know not with how much justice, IN CALIFORNIA. 17 that he was in the habit of speculating and gaining largely on the supplies for his 1nen. With all this, he was a favourite with then1, for his arrival at the fort was invariably celebrated by " general gaol delivery," no matter ho'v important the n1ilitary offence for which the delinquents were confined. A circumRtance, although trivial in itself, which occurred shortly after n1y arrival, will serve to illustrate thoroughly the character of the man. I have already alluded to the irregularity of the supplies of provisions furnished to us, and on one occasion " the pressure from within" became so great, that several of the scamps of the detachment sallied out at night for a foray through the portholes of the fort, and committed extensive depredations on the neighbouring gardens and poultry-yards. This was beginning the campaign rather early ; and the result was, that a strong remonstrance was instantly for' varded to the captain's residence in the city, and he hastened to the fort in anticipation of a mutiny. The men were immediately paraded |