I wish you had him, Claude, with all my soul." "Oh, ha!" cried Chanrellon, wiping the Rhenish off his tawny mustaches, "he should have been a captain by this if I had.

Morbleu! He is a splendid sabreur--kills as many men to his own sword as I could myself, when it comes to a hand-to-hand fight; breaks horses in like magic; rides them like the wind; has a hawk's eye over open country; obeys like clockwork; what more can you want ?" "Obeys! Yes!" said the Colonel of Chasseurs, with a snarl.

"He'd obey without a word if you ordered him to walk up to a cannon's mouth, and be blown from it; but he gives you such a d----d languid grand seigneur glance as he listens that one would think he commanded the regiment." "But he's very popular with your men, too ?" "Monsieur, the worst quality a corporal can have.

His idea of maintaining discipline is to treat them to cognac and give them tobacco." "Pardieu! Not a bad way, either, with our French fire-eaters.

He knows them that he has to deal with; that brave fellow.