Il était v'nu d'All'magne, Mironton, mironton, mirontaine; Il était v'nu d'All'magne, Pour aller en Alger. (Ter.) Comme il y débarquait, Mironton, mironton, mirontaine, Comme il y débarquait, Le général le vit. (Ter.) Cet animal me plaît, Mironton, mironton, mirontaine, Cet animal me plaît, J'en ferai mon ami. (Ter.) Il l'a dit, il l'a fait, Mironton, mironton, mirontaine, Il l'a dit, il l'a fait : Changar est un luron. (Ter.) Depuis lors, ont couru, Mironton, mironton, mirontaine, Depuis lors ont couru Toujours en avant. (Ter.) Quand la bête hennissait, Mironton, mironton, mirontaine, Qaund la bête hennissait Tous les clairons sonnaient. (Ter.) Le général parlait, Mironton, mironton, mirontaine, Le général parlait : Tous les clairons couraient. (Ter.) C'te grand' bête galopait C'te grand' bête galopait: Les Kabyles se sauvaient. (Ter.) Quand la bête galopait, Mironton, mironton, mirontaine, Quand la bête galopait, Le général riait. (Ter.) Fallait les voir z'alors, Mironton, mironton, mirontaine, Fallait les voir z'alors Comme ils se rengorgeaient. (Ter.) I'tapage l'z amusait, Mironton, mironton, mirontaine, L'tapage l'z amusait, Voir même qu'ils en rêvaient. (Ter.) Max reçut maintes balles, Max reçut maintes balles, A la fin, c'te pauv' bête, Mironton, mironton, mirontaine, VOL. I. F I stop here, and the reader should be thankful, for there are seventy-five stanzas to the song. What we have quoted will suffice to give an idea of the ditties extemporised by thousands of our soldiers during the long marches in Africa. From halt to halt, the column at last reached the bivouacing place, near the stone bridge constructed over the Cheliff by Omar-Pasha, and the itinerant city was established with the same wonderful celerity as usual. The General had rapidly pointed out to the chief of the staff the position of the different battalions, according to the order of march to be followed the next day, and then dismounted while Captain Pourcet communicated these orders to the commanding officers of the several corps. According to the instructions of the General, without losing time in unnecessary manœuvres, as soon as a company came to the line of encampment, they piled arms and took off their knapsacks. Each and all then commenced picking up fuel, fetching water, lighting the fires, pitching the tents, and performing a thousand such trifling duties, the importance of which is only felt when we find ourselves obliged to shift for ourselves, and, in the soldier's phrase, rough out our daily means of life (débrouiller sa vie de chaque jour). To sleep well and eat well are indeed the two essential things in war; for with well-refreshed and well-fed troops, there is nothing that cannot be undertaken. The greatest of philosophers, Sancho Panza, has said, "Man makes not the belly, but the belly makes the man." This was General Changarnier's opinion; and accordingly it was his constant endeavour to spare the soldier all useless fatigue, and he never left the bivouac till they had dispatched their soup. In the night there was an alarm; if we were in a friendly country, our friends were not the less arrant thieves: two horses were carried off. According to their custom on these occasions, a number of bold fellows, stark naked, their bodies well greased, in order to slip through the grasp, in case they should be caught, glided among the tents like snakes. On reaching two fine horses, they cut away their tethers, jump on their backs, and dart off at full speed, clearing every obstacle, and crouching down close to the horses' necks, to avoid the bullets of the advanced sentinels. Another of these thieves, who came a few hours later, proved less fortunate. The sentry on guard over the piled arms had observed on his right, while pacing to and fro, a tuft of dwarf palms. A minute after, the tuft had changed its position, it was now on the left. Whereupon the sentry said to himself, "There's some mischief afloat here.” And without saying a word, he very slyly, and looking quite unconcerned all the while, cocks his musket, and goes on pacing up and down as before. The bush began to move very gently, gaining ground little by little. Suddenly it stood up, drew near, and a Kabyle, armed with a dagger, sprang upon the soldier; but the latter drove his bayonet through his body. The wound was mortal, and the animated bush never stirred again. Such were the little incidents of the night. The next day at dawn the band of the 58th played a merry reveil; and after coughing a little and driving out by a small dose of brandy the morning fog, which the soldier - I must crave pardon for him-calls by the sad name of pituite, all fell into their ranks and commenced marching, as on the preceding day, through the valley of the Cheliff. In the evening we halted at the Oued-Rouina. At night the cavalry were commanded to hold themselves in readiness, and about two in the morning the ranks broke up in silence, followed by two battalions without knapsacks. Each troop had a separate guide, and headed by the General, we set off to surprise the |