Miller² Loveday had fraternized with half the soldiers in the camp since their arrival, and the effect of this upon his party was striking—both chromatically³ and otherwise.  Those among the guests who first attracted the eye were the sergeants⁴ and sergeant-majors of Loveday’s regiment⁵, fine hearty⁶ men, who sat facing the candles, entirely⁷ resigned to physical comfort.  Then there were other non-commissioned officers, a German, two Hungarians, and a Swede, from the foreign hussars—young men with a look of sadness on their faces, as if they did not much like serving so far from home.  All of them spoke⁸ English fairly well.  Old age was represented by Simon Burden the pensioner⁹, and the shady side of fifty by Corporal Tullidge, his friend and neighbour, who was hard of hearing, and sat with his hat on over a red cotton handkerchief that was wound several times round his head.  These two veterans were employed as watchers at the neighbouring beacon¹⁰, which had lately been erected¹¹ by the Lord-Lieutenant for firing whenever the descent on the coast should be made.  They lived in a little hut on the hill, close by the heap of faggots; but to-night they had found deputies to watch in their stead.

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