In the
meantime, a council of war seemed to be holden by the mounted officers,
as to how the obstacle in front was to be overcome; but at this moment
confusion became worse confounded, by the approach of what I concluded
to be the white man's John Canoe party, mounted by way of preeminence.
First came a trumpeter John Canoe with a black face, which was all in
rule, as his black counterparts wore white ones; but his Device, a
curious little old man, dressed in a sort of blue uniform, and mounted
on the skeleton, or ghost, of a gig--horse, I could make nothing of. It
carried a drawn sword in its hand, with which it made various
flourishes, at each one of which I trembled for its Rosinante's ears.
The Device was followed by about fifty other odd--looking creatures all
on horseback; but they had no more seat than so many pairs of tongs,
which in truth they greatly resembled, and made no show, and less fun.
So we were wishing them out of the way, when some one whispered that the
Kingston Light Horse mustered strong this morning. I found afterwards
that every man who kept a good horse, or could ride, invariably served
in the foot--all free persons must join some corps or other; so that the
troop, as it was called, was composed exclusively of those who could not
ride, and who kept no saddle horses.
The line was now formed, and after a variety of cumbrous manoeuvres out
of Dundas, sixteen at the least, the regiment was countermarched, and
filed along another street, where they gave three cheers, in honour of
their having had a drink of spruce, and of having circumvented the
bullocks and wagons.
Pages:
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396