McAuslan in the Rough is the second collection of short stories by George MacDonald Fraser featuring a young Scottish officer named Dand MacNeill.

It is a sequel to The General Danced at Dawn and concerns life in a Highland regiment after the end of World War II.

In turn, the fort has been garrisoned by Alexander's Greeks, Hannibal's Carthaginians, Scipio's Romans, Vandal patrols, proselytizing Arabs of the Caliphate period, Crusaders, Berbers, Mussolini's Italians, Rommel's Afrika Korps, and the 51st Highland Division.

MacNeill, exhibiting great panache in the face of this aural assault, makes friends with the pipe-sergeant, no small thing for a newly commissioned officer; and later brings the pipey a problem.

The Padre handles religion, arts, music and literature; Sergeant McGaw, a former Communist organizer, politics; and Private Forbes, of Dand's platoon, questions on sports.

It being a weekend night, most of the Jocks are out on passes for a good time in the North African town, scattered from hell to breakfast.

Dand MacNeill, as Battalion Sports Officer and a decent golfer himself, puts together the battalion's half of the foursomes for the match: the Adjutant, a golfing neurotic, and the golf pro who is the officers' barman; two elderly majors who have been feuding with each other for twenty years; the Medical Officer, whose best club is his brandy flask, and the Padre, who plays in a state of reverie; Subaltern MacMillan, who has the annoying habit of giggling, especially after a bad shot, and Regimental Quartermaster Bogle, who might be a decent golfer could he but see the ball past his beer belly; and Regimental Sergeant Major Mackintosh, a steady golfer, partnered with Dand himself.

Soldiers from MacNeill's platoon are recruited to serve as caddies ... and one of them, assigned to the RSM, is Private McAuslan, who is illiterate and doesn't know a brassie from a cleek.

Having considered but decided against taking a regular commission, his final duty to His Majesty King George VI is to see a draft of men through the discharge process.

This involves making sure their shots are up to date; that they are not making off with any British Army property; that they have their travel warrants and paybooks; receive their final pay and their ration cards; and are ready to be processed through the kitting-out center, outfitted with civilian clothes (the gift of the British government), and released to civilian life.