since the British troops under Wellington were landed on the Continent.  I was employed with a party of seamen on shore in transporting the artillery and erecting batteries.  A body of the French attacked one of our detachments, and, after considerable slaughter on both sides, the enemy were compelled to retreat.  We were ordered to the field to bring in the wounded and prisoners.  Never—­never shall I forget that day:  the remembrance even now unmans me.  Oh, lady! forgive these tears, and pity the anguish of an old man’s heart.  Day had just began to dawn when we arrived upon the plain, and commenced our search among the bodies, to see if there were any who yet remained lingering in existence.  Passing by and over heaps of dead, my progress was suddenly arrested, and every fibre of my heart was racked, on seeing a female sitting by the mangled remains of an English soldier.  She was crouched upon the ground, her face resting on her lap, and every feature hid from view.  Her long black hair hung in dishevelled flakes about her shoulders, and her garments closed round her person, heavy with the cold night-rains; one hand clasped that of the dead soldier, the other arm was thrown around his head.  Every feeling of my soul was roused to exertion—­I approached—­she raised herself up, and—­and—­great Heaven! ’twas she—­the woman whom I loved!  She gazed with sickly horror; and, though greatly altered—­though time and sorrow had chased away the bloom of health—­though scarce a trace of former beauty remained, those features were too deeply engraven on my memory for me to be mistaken; but she knew me not.  I forgot all my wrongs, and rushing forward, clasped her to my breast.  Oh, what a moment was that! she made an ineffectual struggle for release, and then fainted in my arms.  Some of my shipmates came to the spot, and, turning over the lifeless form before us, my eyes rested on the countenance of him who had once been nay friend.  But death disarms resentment; he was beyond my vengeance, and had already been summoned to the tribunal of the Most High.  When I had last seen them, affluence, prosperity, and happiness, were the portion of us all.  Now—­but I cannot, cannot repeat the distressing tale; let it suffice, lady, that she was carried to a place of safety, and every effort used to restore animation, in which we were eventually successful.  How shall I describe our meeting, when she recognised me?—­it is impossible; I feel it now in every nerve, but to tell you is beyond my power.  Through the kindness of a generous officer, I procured her a passage to England, and gave her all that I possessed, with this one request, that she would remain at Plymouth till my return to port.  In a few months afterwards we anchored in the Sound, and, as soon as duty would permit, I hastened to obtain leave to go on shore; it was denied me—­yes, cruelly denied me.  Stung to madness, I did not hesitate; but as soon as night had closed in, slipped down the cables and swam to land.  With eager