CHAPTER XIII.

ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE:

(Continued.)

Hills, vales, and floods, appear already crossed*

"Now, Mr. Butler, let us find out the index error of your instrument," said Professor Crayon, taking up the cornet's new reflecting circle, and observing most scientifically the action of the mirrors. "Hah! not quite the thing;" continued he, shaking his head, and adjusting the screws of the index and horizon glasses Mr. Schmalcalder is not as attentive to the construction of this instrument as he was when Sir Howard was governor at Farnham;-there--about a fraction of a second you see, Mr. Butler. Now I must explain to you the use of this instrument. Gentlemen, will you have the goodness to follow me to the steps, from whence we shall be able to see some objects for observation."

The three griffins of the first squadron, Atlas, Layard, and our hero, who had been examining, admiring, and adjusting their new-purchased sketching-books and instruments in the drawing-hall, followed the worthy professor to the steps in front of the college, and were all attention to his promised explanation.

"Captain Atlas," he began, "you see that obelisk, rising amid the fir-trees yonder."

"Yes, Sir," replied the captain.

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Very well, Sir;" now look to the right, and observe the red chimney of Sergeant Morris's house." "I beg your pardon, Sir," said Atlas, "but there are so many red chimneys."

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Oh, I mean that one opposite the Methodist chapel from whence a thicker cloud of smoke is issuing, than any of the others; there, don't you perceive ?"

"Yes, now I do; that black smoke-I have a great respect for a chimney with a cloud of smoke to it."

"Ha! ha! very good, Sir. Now look at the obelisk again, our object is, you see--Gentlemen, I must beg your attention to this most important part of the science" and turning towards Pierce and Layard, who were seated, leisurely sunning themselves on the steps, the professor manifested a wish that they should assume a more attentive position.

Besnard and the cornet rose, and the Professor continued ;

"Gentlemen, our object, as I mentioned, is, to find the angle subtended between the obelisk, Sergeant Morris's chimney, and ourselves; for this purpose we look at the obelisk through the unquicksilvered summit of the horizon glass; then keeping our eye steadily upon the obelisk, we traverse the horizon with the fixed limb, or radius, which carries the index glass, until Sergeant Morris's house is reflected in the quicksilver part of the horizon glass--the measurement cannot, you perceive, exceed one hundred and twenty-five degrees, hence, the instrument is called a reflecting circle; and, as some one, that shall be nameless, says, it reflects much on the character of Sir Howard Douglas: not that I mean to say any thing against the instrument, gentlemen, by no means for I always avoid giving an opinion on such matters. Now, Captain Atlas, will you take the instrument, and bring Ser

geant Morris's house to the obelisk? or take any other two objects, and produce a connexion between them."

Atlas took the instrument, and after apparently fixing in his own mind upon what points he should direct it, gazed intently through the sight, and began moving the limb; he continued for a considerable time thus occupied, and evidently unable to effect his purpose; at length, taking it down with much impatience, he declared his incapability to comply with the professor's instructions.

"Patience, my good Sir," said the professor, "these sort of scientific matters are not to be learned in a moment; let us see, perhaps you have put the instrument into a non-adjustment-what were your objects?"

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Why, Sir," replied Atlas, "I thought it would be easier to take a more marked object than Sergeant Morris's chimney, so I tried to put one of the cadets, who was drilling there, upon the obelisk, but somehow or other, I never could keep him steady."

The professor smiled most benignantly at hearing this most unreasonable demand upon the powers of the reflecting circle, and told his pupil, that the difficulty of fixing with an instrument an absolutely moving object, had not yet been overcome by men of science. Atlas now tried again, and after him Besnard and the Cornet, all of whom succeeded after a little practice in putting Sergeant Morris's chimney on the obelisk.

The squad now proceeded to the heath, on which, at a celebrated spot called "Griffin's hole," the worthy professor deposited the surveying chain, which he had borne from the hall, and stated, that the next object to be observed was the bearing of the base. The three compasses of the three griffins were immediately volunteered for this duty; but on the professor stating that one instrument would be sufficient, both to communicate instruction and measure the bearing, the cornet's compass was selected, and the others were returned to their morocco cases.

The bearing of the base having been taken, the pro

fessor stated that the next operation was generally to lay it down on the skin, together with the north point, and east and west lines; these operations, however, had all been previously performed in the drawing-hall by the considerate professor himself, who, knowing from repeated trials both the bearing, base, and every minute detail of the ground, which was invariably appointed for the elementary practice of the students, generally relieved his pupils from trouble, and himself from explanation, by providing the sketching skins with those lines necessary for the trigonometrical part of the process, previous to the compass or reflector being called into action.

This

The base, therefore, having been laid down on the tablets of each of the griffs, they were next instructed to draw the ground in their immediate vicinity. was a process in which the cornet rather expected to shine pre-eminent; for having attained some readiness in landscape-drawing, and being the best, because the only draughtsman in the regiment, he imagined that, what he considered so inferior a branch of the art as military drawing, would be accomplished by so practised a hand almost intuitively.)

The cornet, therefore, took up his pencil, and looking confidently on the various undulations adjacent to the "Griffins-hole," commenced a representation of their forms upon his sketch-book; the other griffins making a like attempt.

Not many minutes elapsed before Pierce tripped up to the professor, and handed him his book, on which was exhibited a perspective view of the heath and distance, in the form of a landscape, which covered full half of his tablet.

"There, Sir," said the cornet, with considerable satisfaction, "is that any thing like the country?"

Professor Crayon smiled, and declared it to be a very pretty landscape, but not quite the thing. Then providing the corner of his pocket-handkerchief with

a portion of saliva, sufficient for the execution of his design, carefully destoyed every vistage of the cornet's most interesting sketch.

"How, Sir," said Pierce, "you have rubbed it out!" The cornet had scarcely made this exclamation, when he observed the professor quietly employing his pencil on the cleansed spot, on which, without moving from his position, or appearing to take any notice of the surrounding scenery, he made some small black marks, which, according to the cornet's idea of drawing, were as unlike a representation of ground, as any production of the pencil could possibly be; however, he soon discovered that military drawing was a totally different art from that in which he shone so pre-eminent, and with all the mortification of disappointed ambition, felt himself reduced to an equality with his griffin companions.

The squad now proceeded to measure the base Atlas and the professor bearing the chain; intersections with the points already taken were made at its other extremity, and some proficiency acquired by the Griffins in the use of the reflecting circle. By this time the professor's stomach warned him of the proach of his dinner-hour, and his watch confirming the welcome notice, further instruction was for the present deferred, and the little fat, long-tailed gray, cantered her master from the field.

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"The professor does not appear disposed to burthen us with instruction," said the cornet, whose anxiety to obtain information had been considerably increased by his late miscalculation of the powers of his pencil.

"Tant mieux," lisped Layard, "the present dose has been quantum suff. for me. What an infernal bore it will be trudging over this stupid heath, and tiring one's eyes out with observations and protractions! I shall certainly go to sleep when the weather gets warmer.' "And wake to find that Butler has passed you," said Atlas.