OUR NEW DEFENDERS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XIII, Issue 541, 9 January 1868, Page 3

OUR NEW DEFENDERS.

[COMMTOICATEB.] ] A camp life is at onee enviable to the s youthful mind, and enjoyable if con- 1 ducted with regularity ami order ; the < variety of change and scene is of itself 1 a recommendation—but taking into l consideration the many hardships oneb has to undergo, it might favor ill to !< some persons of dandified disposition, h Granted we are favored with sunshinej; enjoyable than w fold your blankets at!' revei'lli, take your horse from its te-|i ther, water and groom him, and then |J repair to your breakfast. To be colo-ii nial, damper and chop is not amiss to the palate, provided you have not vi- ; sited the canteen more than three times the day previous. How when you are giving the final polish to your boots, you look with satisfaction on your labor, purposing to pay every attention i to your instructor on parade, and de termining to eclipse your comrades in manly bearing and dexterity of move- i ment. How when you are dismissed ■ you criticise Tom, Dick, or Harry for i their awkwardness in the ranks. This I of itself should inspire beginners with i zeal for the profession in which they ' have embarked. Allowance, bo it remembered, is always given in ample i to beginners. There is no point, ’ however, on which they may bo hu- i moured, excepting it may be in awk- < wardness. I myself am not a veteran, < but still have an interest in the ser- < vice ; I undertook it voluntarily, and i 1 mean to carry out to the best of my 1 abilities the responsible duties which I I have to perform ; and my fervent 1 desire is that my comrades will sup- i port me in the enterprise. I Some argue that the Maoris are now > a peaceful race, and that, therefore, a ' new force is hardly needed. I beg to i differ from this assertion most era- ' pnatically. The aboriginal natives 1 never were, nor ever will be, amicably 1 disposed towards the Pakeha. In that case such a force as the new is indispensable. Taking into consideration the many purposes to which they may ' be applied, I think that for once the i Government have taken a step in the right direction ; hut be it remembered that when men are travelling on a road a certain allowance should be made to them, as the matter of six shillings per diem is not ample for man and beast. A journey undertaken should in every case he accomplished, provided your horse does not “ shirt the collar,” in other words, “ shut up.” ‘ When at a distance from home, early starts and giving time in the noonday heat will invariably get rid of a distance if your horse is hardy. I will now touch upon another point , in the service which is to be parties , larly recommended to the fastidious: , Say on entering your mess room you > naturally enquire as to what you may !be going to receive. It often happens . that the cook will tell you that he has ■ doughboys and chops boiling in a ; bucket on the fire, or possibly some ' tempting fritters simmering in fat which, but a few moments previously, ■ was in a pedestrian state. Joking is part r and portion of an Englishman’s exis- • tence ; hence how many jokes are ' passed at meal times, adventures re- ’ lated, and plans concocted for recrea- , tion in your leisure. In the antipodes one meets with a variety of characters and dispositions; soldiering is conr sidered an easy life—hence it comes r about that you are thrown into com- ; panionship with men who, through , dissipation or ill luck, have turned i their back upon society, or society has ; upon them ; and grumble out an exis- , tence as best they may. These and • the like tend most materially to dis- ; tarb the harmony of an otherwise jolly ] life. But these characters are not legion, and a chatty fellow who has seen ' life in its various phases, without having become intemperate, is frequently • a favorite. To gam the respect of your ' companions it is always as well to be 7 easy, but not too free. Your success • is then certain, and your character is . made.

Au arrival at camp, if it be in the interior, is always an event. You may see the men issue from their various quarters, to ascertain the business of, and latest intelligence from, the stran ger. A canteen frequently draws visitors, but the company always consider a visit from a stranger a compliment to themselves rather than to Bacchus.

To he well officered is always a boon to men serving under them ; to respect your officers ought to be considered a privilege by the men; to become a non-commissioned officer ought to he an aspiration indulged in ny the men. When you gain promotion, your endeavours ought to be doubled. May every success attend our new smart litile corps. We congratulate them at this season of the year, and when they emerge from their retirement may they bo what wc uiiticiputc —sobei, well able body of men, ever ready to help and defend their brother-colonists in the good work of civilisation.