uld Dunleary,
And think twice ere I'd leave it to be a dragoon!

"There's a sweet little bit for you," said Mike, as he concluded; "thrown
off as aisy as a game at football."

"I say, Mr. Free, the captain's looking for you; he's just received
despatches from the camp, and wants his horses."

"In that case, gentlemen, I must take my leave of you; with the more
regret, too, that I was thinking of treating you to a supper this evening.
You needn't be laughing; it's in earnest I am. Coming, sir, coming!"
shouted he, in a louder tone, answering some imaginary call, as an excuse
for his exit.

When he appeared before me, an air of most business-like alacrity had
succeeded to his late appearance, and having taken my orders to get the
horses in readiness, he left me at once, and in less than half an hour we
were upon the road.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

MONSOON IN TROUBLE.

As I rode along towards Fuentes d'Onoro, I could not help feeling provoked
at the absurd circumstances in which I was involved. To be made the subject
of laughter for a whole army was by no means a pleasant consideration; but
what I felt far worse was the possibility that the mention of my name in
connection with a reprimand might reach the ears of those who knew nothing
of the cause.

Mr. Free himself seemed little under the influence of similar feelings; for
when, after a silence of a couple of hours, I turned suddenly towards him
with a half-angry look, and remarked, "You see, sir, what your confounded
blundering has done," his cool reply was,--

"Ah, then! won't Mrs. M'Gra be frightened out of her life when she reads
all about the killed and wounded in your honor's report? I wonder if they
ever had the manners to send my own letter afterwards, when they found out
their mistake!"

"_Their_ mistake, do you say? rather _yours!_ You appear to have a happy
knack of shifting blame from your own shoulders. And do you fancy that
they've nothing else to do than to trouble their heads about your absurd
letters?"

"Faith, it's easily seen you never saw my letter, or you wouldn't be saying
that. And sure, it's not much trouble it would give Colonel Fitzroy or any
o' the staff that write a good hand just to put in a line to Mrs. M'Gra, to
prevent her feeling alarmed about that murthering paper. Well, well; it's
God's blessing! I don't think there's anybody of the name of Mickey Free
high up in the army but myself; so that the family won't be going