n asked if you can speak French, sir?" said Conolly, at a
sign from the general.

"No--very little--very badly--not at all; but isn't this--am I not on
board of--"

"Can none of them speak French?" said Humbert, shortly.

"Yes, sir," said a young man on the collector's right; "I can make
myself intelligible in that language, although no great proficient."

"Who are you, monsieur?--are you a civilian?" asked Humbert.

"Yes, sir. I am the son of the Bishop of Killala, and this young
gentleman is my brother."

"What is the amount of the force in this neighborhood?"

"You will pardon me, sir," said the youth, "if I ask, first, who it is
puts this question, and under what circumstances I am expected to answer
it?"

"All frank and open, sir," said Humbert, good-humoredly. "I'm the
General Humbert, commanding the advanced guard for the liberation of
Ireland--so much for your first question. As to your second one, I
believe that if you have any concern for yourself, or those belonging to
you, you will find that nothing will serve your interest so much as
truth and plain dealing."

"Fortunately, then, for me," said the youth, laughing, "I can not betray
my king's cause, for I know nothing, nothing whatever, about the
movement of troops. I seldom go ten miles from home, and have not been
even at Ballina since last winter."

"Why so cautious about your information, then, sir," broke in Serazin,
roughly, "since you have none to give?"

"Because I had some to receive, sir; and was curious to know where I was
standing," said the young man, boldly.

While these few sentences were being interchanged, Madgett had learned
from the collector, that, except a few companies of militia and
fencibles, the country was totally unprovided with troops, but he also
picked up, that the people were so crest-fallen and subdued in courage
from the late failure of the rebellion, that it was very doubtful
whether our coming would arouse them to another effort. This
information, particularly the latter part of it, Madgett imparted to
Humbert at once, and I thought by his manner, and the eagerness with
which he spoke, that he seemed to use all his powers to dissuade the
general from a landing; at least I overheard him more than once say,
"Had we been further north, sir--"

Humbert quickly stopped him by the words:

"And what prevents us, when we have landed, sir, in extending our line
north'ard? the winds can not surely master us, when we