be no rason why we shouldn't stip into his shoes the viry
nixt instant; and it's that, we all know, that we fight
for. And the divil a bitter chance any man of us all has
of promotion thin yoursilf, Captin: for it'll be mighty
strange if our fat Major doesn't git riddlid like a
cullinder through and through with the bullits from the
Ingians' rifles before we have quite done with this
business, and thin you will have the rigimintal majority,
Captin; and it may be that one Liftinint Murphy, who is
now the sanior of his rank, may come in for the vacant
captincy."

"And Delme for the lieutenancy," said Charles de Haldimar
significantly. "Well, Murphy, I am happy to find that
you, at least, have hit on another than Sir Everard
Valletort: one, in fact, who will render the promotion
more general than it would otherwise have been. Seriously,
I should be sorry if any thing happened to our worthy
Major, who, with all his bustling and grotesque manner,
is as good an officer and as brave a soldier as any his
Majesty's army in Canada can boast. For my part, I say,
perish all promotion for ever, if it is only to be obtained
over the dead bodies of those with whom I have lived so
long and shared so many dangers!"

"Nobly uttered, Charles," said Captain Blessington: "the
sentiment is, indeed, one well worthy of our present
position; and God knows we are few enough in number
already, without looking forward to each other's death
as a means of our own more immediate personal advancement.