KING WILLIAM AND HIS ARMIESS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1274, 10 January 1883, Page 3

KING WILLIAM AND HIS ARMIESS.

'; (continued,]; . : , .■;,■ ' Ah, ' you ought tai/ave look that prfeti, and you'd 'a done it of you'd a .listened) to me, and been perter--ur your motions, andLeltou'lbngor;' ■■'■■"•' ■ :!! ' t ' No, ho, Abonij! answered -Miles, his arm giving a. mournful, deprecatory vavo, 'it were not my lot, I tried, aud 1 tried honest and' ftiir. <■ X .'we're not wrotlfbf Miss Cartiho, ; :'lboni, I didn't knoy\it r but she put-che wMin'dj where she kiioWedit'Wro' obleeged to stay. I wasn't agupposened, though',- . as to that, that. William were worth'of. Miss Car'lin'e 'neither..' But Car'line Thigpen—l ain't- a-speakin' o' your, wife noty.Abomyiaud a-leuving o'f'hor out o' the case-Car;iinc Thigpen,, but which 'ss£'&) now:: Missis; Wpliains,' is the smartest woman, and got-the best judgment i, ever saw. ,Ancl senee, MJi ..'lfaAto.:.6hoosed William's, rbjjtu)certiiiii. in ray y mind < - that in • Williani; tlwbalauca of its'h;ever' \ ll' show; .itself"! some can over gitfairly Thus 'that nature, upright, unselfish,; simple, fondto persuade itself that" it. *aß unhappy, 1 took its chief, solace in coHtempliiting and magnifying its own deportments,, and in: sympathising' .withthqwjvjio had"been their chief' • .oocasioniiK-'. v:!.->"'..-- • ' • Itwas day for the battalion.' ; Colonel Gtice always felt it his duty to be at these occasions, preparatory to the ■'.■ great regimental parade; The exercisis,' after many hours,' were coming to an ; end, as the. marched,/with' : ' short intciyalsjwtween,. down the one; ,' 'street oLyio -village, preparatory to" ' disbandment, : '; Alternately .had;.the oolonal bpeij, cohipiimeutiiry and ceh(jorious, rode, a walk '. Bometinia&ftt 'fiill>gallop, up and dow.ii the lines,"'''•' i !,: ' ; ; ;: , ;■■ ."' ," major," he re- ■■<■ monstrated';;' with. Major Pounds, re tpectfully indeed/ but with a warmtl it seemed-difficult to repress—"peerter Make tlidin captainsi .peerten up their lines., My!.,bjqo<l'.and thunder! Mj Juberteer aud Julus fear! If.the enomy watftocome upon us with fixed bannets—Oh, you've done your duty admirably, f/majdr/;: It's them captains." ' '

It was just before the final halt that' the colonel addressed Captain Collins, ' whose company was in the centre, and then immediately in front of Bland's sto^e'— "Ah, Cap'n Collins, look to youi\ rar. It's so fur behind that it looks like two companies'stead o'one. That sergeant ofyourn you'll have to talk to and drill in private, He's arte inakiii' twins out o' your company. Sergeant Williams .is a great man for twins, you know cap'ril" 'Brit yoirhad better tell him to ma|e. 'em keep his cubs at home; We want solid' columns when we come to the field of battle.-" ■■<■■■'• r The warrior enjoyed his jest, that had been bwd.by, all in the company and.others" besides,; But he did not : . allow himself even to. smile when at the head of the military forces. of ,the country, in order to/keep himself ever on the alert against, sudden attacks of her enemies'." His gloomy brow 1 indicated the thought that a petty subaltern, from some Vain notion of making his,own domestic status the model of the Nation's principal means of defence, >SoQ<{hV'to demoralise, and. actually incite' invasion.-;. "My losli',said Allen Thigpon; when him,«if Bill don't fight him fir"tiiaV.'l will! To think' that sißter*'Car , lineVfeelin's is to be hurt by heariji' of sich as that!" - " I don't think,- Aboni," said Miles (who overheard tho remark), "that it can be put off any, longer.- Ef there's that in William 'Williams which I been a supposen lMbleeged to;be ih'ar,'he'll fetch it out now. Aow you go right on home, Abom," '"'., Mijea said, afierwards," My respects of Abom "Was that as.he wouldtftstann up to his brother,) it wouldn't look rigjit '■.■''"'',. When the battalion, was; dismissed,. Allen to Mr : Bill.: Thei latter was wiping the tears from his eyes with hfsi handkerchief. : Havnig finished this operation, he w.ent witji '\ resolute step% towards Bland's: pizzai whither Colonel G*jc.e ; after dismounting and giving to a sergeant h|d repaired'.' „ f'Ah, the colonel, apoijt to light a cigar,'.:' you jpeaceful Wh p who follo\y<in'th6 ; peaceable • wayß-departments,. I might rather say-of dry gobfls'; and hardware, and molasses, and blankets, andtrace chains and other sich departments, so to call all o' the warious warieties of a sto'keeper's don't know—l may say you 'cWe. dream—Mr Bland, of the responsibility of a military man whose country's enemies may be §ttheyei7g4tps—'{;".':" "'"•'. \ 'Cclqne'J oricet ! said Mr Bill Williams, in fitpne nobody had avjirtard from liiofßoifore, The colonol turned to see who called',! Mr Bill was standing on the ground, Allen .TMgpen, and Miles Bnnkly by his side. « Hello! Bill,' colonel, with careless cordiality;'' • what'll you have my dear fellow? ( "111 have satisfaction, Moso Price. I'm not a fighting juan, ,and I know I nave been sonSewhat'keerless in my talk, yit 1 to hurt people's feeling arpurpW and.l always ;helt myself more of,a; gentleman than, to insult wometf'and-little children, and which can't say for yourself without telhn'of a jie, and a fighting lie at pat. •'"'■' ,; " ' %se words operated the greatest rorpnse that ever beE'Colonel'Mose in wrath, ana^% ( in deprecatibni' he .'Mclaimed— : ' •-."' y ~ ' ; ;, f» h^Woinmprtei ;jl§g»ment fclaiJgwiSges '■ «Cgme,: WwMwfi?' • said-Miles liowly but orer now, and Willmm 1 ' ypor ekal, aMfcemb'le'to 1 haVe'lV satisfaction onlessyou apologises'"for ydurlangrndges.'! •"".:,.... «"jK on ' t ''*"* hifl ftpologiw," said Mr-Bill; «I won't JwKi^gfc

'He's got to light, 'itb'dut'ne : gits on his ■''lioi'seand u,i ':. i '■•'■ j " t can'ir sttind "tlint,'' said tlio coloinel. i ;■ ' ■■■,'■>■.

Tin-owing oil Iris coat, he came rapid-, |Jy down the'steps' to' where Mr Bill similiarly stripped awaited him, Whoever has not seen a combat between two powerful, irate men, with' no Weapons other than those supplied by nature, lias missed'the sight, though he may riot regret it'/df a' thrilling scene. The'blovra, the grapplihga. the struggles iOf evcjiy kind, aro as'if eitch combatant had staked" every dear thing upon' the result) and set in to save it or die. The, advantfiges bu this occasion, oxcept the ■.right,i_wore,with tho colonel;' Taller' ; by anjinch, though perhaps riot heavier, agile, practiced, .and in full!maturitypf his physical powers', ho' had, besides, a contempt for his adversary, and : exited to prevail speedily,'.'Mr Bill, -himself rather counted upon this, result; but Tie'had made tip'his mind' pthat sjich, was'preferable i io what'he would! endure without; an. attompt to' ipunisli this persistent insulting raillery.;' ■'He'had never been ! a-participant' in a jflgWiof liny sort: ; but to "had; labored .habitually at tho heaviest .work. upon, his farm; audihe had broken) unassisted, ■many a colt, horse, and mule, of his famous Molly Sparks—the most wilful'and iindocile of dams. He had no w the , apecialj disadvantage of having been up6n his feet during several hours'of tiresonjo.exercises. :

."He'll try to ride you, Bill," said Allan, hastily j" but you keep him off, rHe can fling you, I expect; but you can outlast, him in licks, Don't let iimride you,"

.is tho colonel advanced Mr Bill . But, alas I I ain not an. epic bard, :nor -.even a Pindaric, nor is there one whom I can command to duly .cejebrate this cbmbafc;.... :' (To be continue^.)