Soyer's Culinary Campaign: Being Historical Reminiscences of the Late War.: With The Plain Art of Cookery for Military and Civil Institutions

three Russian officers immediately entered, saying they had lost their way, and requesting a guide. The general’s first impulse was to give them hospitality, and then put them in their right way. Captain Barnard got up to usher them in, and soon returned with the new-comers, who, we perceived, had not only lost their way, but also their senses. Having seated themselves, the general asked them what they would take. “Tout ce que vous avez” (“Everything you have,” instead of “Anything you please”), one of them answered. To this the gallant general demurred, not being at all desirous of having his place pillaged, particularly in time of peace, after having escaped that sad tribute during the war. One of them was quite unmanageable: he spoke French, but was not such a good scholar as the Russian nobles generally are; he made sad havoc with that fashionable language, and used rude expressions, which were very unpleasant to the party. The Russians were anxious to explain what they had been doing at Kamiesch, the recital of which was much too droll to be pleasant. The noisiest of the party poured out a large tumbler of brandy, and, before any one could stop him, swallowed half of it, drinking the health of every mortal thing, including the French, English, Russians, and the Turkish Emperor’s. One who was more rational tried to appease him, but in vain. At all events, after an hour’s desultory conversation, owing to the great coolness of the general, we got rid of them, and they mounted their waggon, which was anything but a fashionable one. They were going to the Mackenzie Heights, and the French general, Bombaki, who was going that road, kindly undertook to point out the way. They said that they had finished twelve bottles of champagne at Kamiesch. Nice company this to drop in after an excellent _petit dîner_, just as we were about commencing the harmony of the evening! This strange incident completely broke up our party. We fixed the great madrigal soirée at my hut for the 27th of May, hoping on that occasion