convinced that he is in league with the evil one, even if he be not the
gentlemen in black himself."

Jack joined in the laugh. "He is a wonderful man," he said, "though he
cannot do all you credit him with. But he is absolutely tireless, and
can do without sleep for any time; and yet to look at him no one would
think that he was in any way a strong man. He is small, thin, and worn
looking--in fact, almost insignificant in appearance, were it not for
his keen eye and a certain lofty expression of face. My post is no
sinecure, I can assure you, for the general expects all to be able to
do as well as himself. But with a chief who never spares himself all are
willing to do their best. Extreme as has been the labor of the troops,
severe as have been their hardships, you will never hear a grumble; the
men have most implicit confidence in him, and are ready to go anywhere
and do anything he orders them."

"He is a marvel," the French officer said. "The way he took Barcelona,
and then, with a handful of men, hunted our armies out of Catalonia and
Valencia, was wonderful; and though it was at our cost, and not a little
to our discredit, there is not an officer in the army but admires your
general. Fortunately I was not in Barcelona when you laid siege to it,
but I was with Las Torres afterward when you were driving us about like
sheep. I shall never forget that time. We never knew when to expect an
attack, what force was opposed to us, or from what direction you would
come. I laugh now, but it was no joke then."

Three hours' riding took them into the little town from which the French
cavalry had started in the middle of the night. On arriving there the
French officer at once sent off a trooper to Madrid, reporting the
prisoners he had taken, and forty-eight hours later he received orders
to himself conduct his prisoners to Madrid.

Upon arriving there Jack was at once taken before the Duke of Berwick,
who received him courteously, and asked him many questions concerning
the force under the earl, the intentions of Barcelona to resist the
two French armies now hurrying before it. To these questions Jack gave
cautious answers. As to matters concerning which he was sure that the
French must have accurate information, he replied frankly. Fortunately
he was, as he truly said, in entire ignorance as to the plans of the
earl, and as to Barcelona, he knew nothing whatever of what had taken
place there from the day when he suddenly