I never saw such a good thing as the change that came over these
soldiers in an instant. Almost before the man was down, their
professional manner, their stiffness and constraint, were gone, and
they were filled with the most violent energy. In less time than
is required to tell it, they had him out again, feet first, with
the tails of his coat flapping over his eyes, everything about him
hanging the wrong way, and the water streaming off at every thread
in his threadbare dress. But the moment they set him upright and
found that he was none the worse, they were soldiers again, looking
over their glazed stocks more composedly than ever.
The half-sobered recruit glanced round for a moment, as if his
first impulse were to express some gratitude for his preservation,
but seeing them with this air of total unconcern, and having his
wet pipe presented to him with an oath by the soldier who had been
by far the most anxious of the party, he stuck it in his mouth,
thrust his hands into his moist pockets, and without even shaking
the water off his clothes, walked on board whistling; not to say as
if nothing had happened, but as if he had meant to do it, and it
had been a perfect success.
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