Bill's neighbours, who at home was in the habit, thus early in the morning, of feeding his stock, and who now is as punctual in his duty to his country, took sides with Uncle Bill, and [49] bestirred himself among his sleeping neighbours, gently shaking each by the shoulder, and saying, in the kindest manner, "Come, come, men, do get up! don't you hear Uncle Bill?" Now a young chap, who perhaps had not been in more than half a dozen campaigns, and who has vastly more of the amor patriæ in his soul than beard upon his face, "feels his keeping," shook off his blanket, flapped his wings, and crowed. Then a dozen others gobbled like turkey-cocks in an April morning, while at the same time some patriarchal owl, the head of the neighbouring generations, waked up the surrounding hills with a stirring whoop, when he was answered by his whole family of big-eyes in a language more distinct, and to us far more intelligible, than many Indian tribes we have known.

The roll-call continues. In the distance we heard "Old Kentuck," in his thundering bass, lumbering over his roll as if he was making a stump speech upon Salt River to all the political bipeds and quadrupeds in those parts. A little to one side of him was Jack Johnson. Jack is an old soldier - served his seven years in the United States army. Here is mathematics, and here is a cross to your name unless you answer the "first pop." Nearer still to us was the prince of orderlies: he would spring from his lair like a surprised deer, with a shrill, clear snort, which would penetrate to the inmost recess of the soundest sleeper, and then commence like a ready orator, "Tumble out here, boys, immediately, if not sooner," [50] and go through his roll with as many variations of wit and humour as he had calls. This was Bob Waters, of the Fort Bend company. Bob is a small, active, quick spoken, and quick moving man, and wore a cap made by himself out of a skin which he took from a leopard-cat in a Brasos canebrake; and after a peregrination of two years in Mexico under the aforesaid cap, and performing in every calaboose from the Rio Bravo to the Castle of Perote, is again making cotton bales upon Oyster Creek.

These are the Texas substitutes for the regular army reveillé, which makes all wide awake, and which, unlike that reveillé, puts all in good humour. Good humour and emulation, in equal portions, with a few grains of ambition, go far to make both men and women do their duty.

Here is the commencement of a Texas campaign by citizen soldiers when not in the vicinity of an enemy. It is worthy of remark, however, that as the necessity of vigilance and discipline increases, no men ever conform more readily to that necessity; and, as evidence of which, the whole Texas Revolution does not furnish the first instance of Texians being surprised.

One thing we will here premise, and beg the reader to bear it in mind, that we do not hold it as indispensable to an efficient soldier in American warfare that he must be educated, and conform to the strictest rules of the scientific