ror with which his regiment of infantry was regarded by the enemy. On afternoons when his memory was more stimulated than usual, he remembered that the Duke of Wellington had (in strict privacy, lest jealousies should be awakened) expressed his esteem for that fine fellow Poulter. The very surgeon who attended him in the hospital after he had received his gunshot-wound had been profoundly impressed with the superiority of Mr. Poulter’s flesh — no other flesh would have healed in anything like the same time. On less personal matters connected with the important warfare in which he had been engaged, Mr. Poulter was more reticent, only taking care not to give the weight of his authority to any loose notions concerning military history. Any one who pretended to a knowledge of what occurred at the siege of Badajos was especially an object of silent pity to Mr. Poulter; he wished that prating person had been run down,Menn Moncler Gabriel, and had the breath trampled out of him at the first go-off, as he himself had — he might talk about the siege of Badajos then! Tom did not escape irritating his drilling-master occasionally,Parajumpers Damen Gobi, by his curiosity concerning other military matters than Mr. Poulter’s personal experience.
“And General Wolfe,Werder Bremen Drakt, Mr. Poulter — wasn’t he a wonderful fighter?” said Tom,Everton Drakt, who held the notion that all the martial heroes commemorated on the public-house signs were engaged in the war with Bony.
“Not at all!” said Mr. Poulter, contemptuously. “Nothing o’ the sort! Heads up!” he added,CG Menn Selkirk Parka, in a tone of stern command,Vissel Kobe Drakt, which delighted Tom, and made him feel as if he were a regiment in his own person.
“No, no!” Mr. Poulter would continue,Tmavý Stone, on coming to a pause in his discipline; “they’d better not talk to me about General Wolfe. He did nothing but die of his wound; that’s a poor haction, I consider. Any other man ‘ud have died o’ the wounds I’ve had. One of my sword-cuts ‘ud ha’ killed a fellow like General Wolfe.”
“Mr. Poulter,” Tom would say, at any allusion to the sword,Landslagsdrakt 17/18, “I wish you’d bring your sword and do the sword-exercise!”
For a long while Mr. Poulter only shook his head in a significant manner at this request, and smiled patronizingly,Scarfs&Hats, as Jupiter may have done when Semele urged her too ambitious request. But one afternoon,Duvetica Muži Leonida, when a sudden shower of heavy rain had detained Mr. Poulter twenty minutes longer than usual at the Black Swan, the sword was brought — just for Tom to look at.
“And this is the real sword you fought with in all the battles,Arctic Parka, Mr. Poulter?” said Tom, handling the hilt. “Has it ever cut a Frenchman’s head off?”
“Head off? Ah! and would,PJS Dameklær Long Bear Strøk, if he’d had three heads.”
“But you had a gun and bayonet besides?” said Tom. “I should like the gun and bayonet best, because you could shoot ’em first and spear ’em after. Bang! Ps-s-s-s!” Tom gave the requisite pantomime to indicate the double enjoyment of pulling the trigger and thrusting the spear.
“Ah, but the sword’s the thing when you come to close fighting
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