How I longed to have the power to remit the fifty lashes, for I felt that selling their kits on this occasion was their way of showing their resentment at the ignominious treatment they had been subjected to, and of proving that flogging was powerless to prevent their repeating the offence.

A parade was ordered, as on the previous occasion.

One man was stripped to the waist, and tied to the wheel of a gun.

The finding and sentence of the Court-Martial were read out--a trumpeter standing ready the while to inflict the punishment--when the commanding officer, Major Robert Waller, instead of ordering him to begin, to the intense relief of, I believe, every officer present, addressed the prisoners, telling them of his distress at finding two soldiers belonging to his troop brought up for corporal punishment twice in a little more than six weeks, and adding that, however little they deserved such leniency, if they would promise not to commit the same offence again, and to behave better for the future, he would remit the flogging part of the sentence.

If the prisoners were not happy, I was; but the clemency was evidently appreciated by them, for they promised, and kept their words.