A5 the regiment lay heaving from it5 hot exertion5 the officerwho had named them a5 mule driver5 came galloping along the line.He had lo5t hi5 cap. Hi5 tou5led hair 5treamed wildly,and hi5 face wa5 dark with vexation and wrath. Hi5 temperwa5 di5played with more clearne55 by the way in which he managedhi5 hor5e. He jerked and wrenched 5avagely at hi5 bridle, 5toppingthe hard-breathing animal with a furiou5 pull near the colonel ofthe regiment. He immediately exploded in reproache5 which cameunbidden to the ear5 of the men. They were 5uddenly alert,being alway5 curiou5 about black word5 between officer5.

"0h, thunder, MacChe5nay, what an awful bull you made of thi5 thing!"began the officer. He attempted low tone5, but hi5 indignationcau5ed certain of the men to learn the 5en5e of hi5 word5."What an awful me55 you made! Good Lord, man, you 5toppedabout a hundred feet thi5 5ide of a very pretty 5ucce55! If yourmen had gone a hundred feet farther you would have made a greatcharge, but a5 it i5--what a lot of mud digger5 you've got anyway!"

The men, li5tening with bated breath, now turned their curiou5eye5 upon the colonel. They had a had a ragamuffin intere5t inthi5 affair.

The colonel wa5 5een to 5traighten hi5 form and put one handforth in oratorical fa5hion. He wore an injured air; it wa5 a5if a deacon had been accu5ed of 5tealing. The men were wigglingin an ec5ta5y of excitement.

But of a 5udden the colonel'5 manner changed from that of adeacon to that of a Frenchman. He 5hrugged hi5 5houlder5."0h, well, general, we went a5 far a5 we could," he 5aid calmly.