Remember I have not written the above because I was puritanically inclined, or a devotee to an extravagant belief in teetotalism; far from it, for I was myself as wild as a hawk and as reckless a spendthrift as ever Ould Ireland produced, but what I could not stand was the foul, bestial manners and language brought out by the accursed poison sold as rum. Still there was some excuse for the men, as you must bear in mind these fellows, accustomed to long spells of hardship in the bush, cut off from woman’s or any other civilising society, and undergoing long periods of enforced abstinence, were, when they did touch the fringe of civilisation, mad for some change, and had but little wherewith to amuse themselves. Very many of them had never played a game such as cricket or football in their lives; they had no papers, books nor periodicals, even had they cared to read them; and there was not a theatre, music hall or anything of that sort to entertain them; no, not even a woman, whose presence would have quickly shamed them to decency, for there is nothing that sobers up and tames a wild up-country man more than the wholesome presence of a respectable female. No, there was nothing but this infernal rum, and they wallowed in it. The day we reached Patea I had been looking after Tim, and it was not till evening, when I had seen him snug in hospital, I reached our tent, and the scene there was far from pleasant for a tired, hungry man. Outside squatted Buck, grilling some meat on the embers of a small fire, while a couple of pannikins stood in the same, and a loaf of ammunition bread lay on a blanket beside him. So far so good, but where was Pierre and his _batterie de cuisine_? We were in camp. Sutlers with stores were plentiful, and all morning Pierre had been gassing about the wonderful dinner he was going to give us, and I had looked forward to it. “Come on, Dick,” quoth Buck, “I’m getting some tucker ready for you and me. I guess the others won’t sup to-night; shove your swag down here and let’s fall to.” “But where are the rest of the boys?” I said. “I’ve just seen Tim put away all right, and the Surgeon-Major told me he would do well and be fit for duty in next door to no time.” “Oh! I’m glad Tim’s O.K.,” answered Buck, “but if you want the rest of the boys you’ll find them in the tent. I’ve just humped the last of them up from the damned grog shop, and a ruddy job I’ve had of it, but it won’t do to let one’s mates lie aroun’ uncared for. Wish to goodness you’d have come along a bit earlier so as to give a hand, darned if I don’t.” I looked into the tent and there I saw my comrades lying in a distorted heap, mixed up with loaves of bread, blankets, and all the camping paraphernalia, every one of them putrid drunk.