Sayfa 321 / 3800

On the evening of the last day's march an order had been received

that the commander in chief would inspect the regiment on the

march. Though the words of the order were not clear to the

regimental commander, and the question arose whether the troops

were to be in marching order or not, it was decided at a

consultation between the battalion commanders to present the

regiment in parade order, on the principle that it is always

better to "bow too low than not bow low enough." So the soldiers,

after a twenty-mile march, were kept mending and cleaning all

night long without closing their eyes, while the adjutants and

company commanders calculated and reckoned, and by morning the

regiment-instead of the straggling, disorderly crowd it had been

on its last march the day before-presented a well-ordered array

of two thousand men each of whom knew his place and his duty, had

every button and every strap in place, and shone with

cleanliness.