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into the officer's breast. 'Scoundrel and monster,' said he, 'I
shall have the consolation of sending you out of the world before I
die.' He was shot that day. He offered to write to the King, if the
officers would agree to let his letter go sealed into the hands of
the postmaster; but they feared, no doubt, that something might be
said to inculpate themselves, and refused him the permission. At the
next review Frederick treated them, it is said, with great severity,
and rebuked them for not having granted the Frenchman his request.
However, it was the King's interest to conceal the matter, and so it
was, as I have said before, hushed up--so well hushed up, that a
hundred thousand soldiers in the army knew it; and many's the one of
us that has drunk to the Frenchman's memory over our wine, as a
martyr for the cause of the soldier. I shall have, doubtless, some
readers who will cry out at this, that I am encouraging
insubordination and advocating murder. If these men had served as
privates in the Prussian army from 1760 to 1765, they would not be
so apt to take objection. This man destroyed two sentinels to get
his liberty; how many hundreds of thousands of his own and the
Austrian people did King Frederick kill because he took a fancy to
Silesia? It was the accursed tyranny of the system that sharpened
the axe which brained the two sentinels of Neiss: and so let
officers take warning, and think twice ere they visit poor fellows
with the cane.
I could tell many more stories about the army; but as, from having
been a soldier myself, all my sympathies are in the ranks, no doubt
my tales would be pronounced to be of an immoral tendency, and I had
best, therefore, be brief. Fancy my surprise while in this depot,
when one day a well-known voice saluted my ear, and I heard a meagre
young gentleman, who was brought in by a couple of troopers and
received a few cuts across the shoulders from one of them, say in
the best English, 'You infernal WASCAL, I'll be wevenged for this.
I'll WITE to my ambassador, as sure as my name's Fakenham of
Fakenham.' I burst out laughing at this: it was my old acquaintance
in MY corporal's coat. Lischen had sworn stoutly, that he was really
and truly the private, and the poor fellow had been drafted off, and
was to be made one of us. But I bear no malice, and having made the
whole room roar with the story of the way in which I had tricked the
poor lad, I gave him a piece of advice, which procured him his
liberty. 'Go to the inspecting officer,' said I; 'if they once get
you into Prussia it is all over with you, and they will never give
you up. Go now to the commandant of the depot, promise him a
hundred--five hundred guineas to set you free; say that the crimping
captain has your papers and portfolio' (this was true); 'above all,
show him that you have the means of paying him the promised money,
and I will warrant you are set free.' He did as I advised, and when
we were put on the march Mr. Fakenham found means to be allowed to
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