Page:Letters from the Battle-fields of Paraguay (1870).djvu/418



388 TO THE BRAZILIAN FRONT.

As a rule^ the Brazilians rejected foreigners^ and they did right in preferring to fight their own battles. At the be- ginning of the war the Empire might easily have enlisted experienced officers fresh from the Southern States, and these would soon have provided her with men. Foreign legions have been repeatedly proposed and rejected ; in this the Brazil certainly chose the nobler part_, and her spirit and consistency under the most adverse circumstances will ever be remembered in her honour.

Besides Mr. King, 1 knew of four English subjects that were allowed to enlist. One was a runaway Maltese sailor ; another was a mutinous British seaman who had been im- prisoned for the trifling off^ence of " cutting " (i.e. stabbing) the cook ; and the other two were ne^er-do-weels, apparently of respectable family, who had absconded from their ship at Rio de Janeiro. Each of these received the normal $200, the price of a substitute, and one of them addressed to me sundry insolent letters, claiming British protection, and threatening to " write to the Times " if I failed to procure his discharge. His sole reason for claiming it was that he had twice deserted from the English Army.

I have instructed you upon the matter of Brazilian rations. The men are also well dressed. Their fatigue suits are blouses and overalls of brown drill, besides the kepi and strong highlows ; in grand' tenue they wear tunics and pants of good broadcloth, with red facings and black leathers — pipe-clay not being here a favourite. On the march they carry light knapsacks, and wear white forage caps with red bands, and white or blue trousers, tucked up, not tucked in. Amongst them I saw the disgraceful spectacle of soldiers begging. And yet the pay of the linesman is fixed at $6 (say twelve shillings) per mensem, whilst the volunteer has $30. In the United States war the men drew about the same ($16) ; but here half only is given in cash, and the