marshes of Havelet and awakened in Brock a sense of impending danger,
now a furious gale, swept the empires. The roll of drums and roar of
cannon that Isaac had listened to in his boyhood dreams were now
challenging in deadly earnest. The great _reveille_ that was awakening
the world was followed by the British buglers calling to arms the
soldiers of the King.

Notwithstanding the aversion of the English prime minister, Pitt, to
commence hostilities, war was unavoidable. One of the twelve battalions
of infantry selected for the front was the 49th. When the orders were
read for the regiment to join the expedition to Holland, wild excitement
prevailed in barracks. Active service had come at last. The parting of
Brock with his family was softened by maternal pride in his appearance.

The tunic of the 49th was scarlet, with short swallow-tails. The rolling
lapels were faced with green, the coat being laced with white, with a
high collar. The shako, which was originally surmounted by white
feathers with black tips, a distinction for services in the American
war of 1776, at Bunker's Hill and Brandywine, was, at Brock's special
request, replaced by a black plume. The officers wore their hair turned
up behind and fastened with a black "flash." The spectacle of Master
Isaac thus arrayed, in all the glory of epaulets and sabretache and the
gold braid of a full colonel, reconciled the inhabitants of St. Peter's
Port to his departure.

By the end of August the first division of the British army, of which
the 49th was a unit, was aboard the transports in the Zuyder Zee, off
the coast of Holland, and early one morning, under the command of Sir
Ralph Abercrombie, with blare of trumpets and standards flying, they
effected a landing under the guns of the ships of the line, of which,