ent off one of the orderlies who
accompanied him, with a message to Herrara to fall back and take up
his station on the lower slopes of the Sierra, facing the rounded
hill; and then went to a restaurant and had breakfast. It was
crowded with Spanish officers, with a few British scattered among
them.

As he ate his food, he was greatly amused at the boasting of the
Spaniards as to what they would accomplish, if the French ventured
to attack them; knowing as he did how shamefully they had behaved,
two days before, when the whole of Cuesta's army had been thrown
into utter disorder by two or three thousand French cavalry, and
had only been saved from utter rout by the interposition of a
British brigade. When he had finished breakfast, he mounted his
horse and rode to the camp of his old regiment.

"Hooroo, Terence!" Captain O'Grady shouted, as he rode up, "I
thought you would be turning up, when there was going to be
something to do. It's yourself that has the knack of always getting
into the thick of it.

"Orderly, take Colonel O'Connor's horse, and lead him up and down.

"Come on, Terence, most of the boys are in that tent over there. We
have just been dismissed from parade."

A shout of welcome rose as they entered the tent, where a dozen
officers were sitting on the ground, or on empty boxes.

"Sit down if you can find room, Terence," Colonel Corcoran said.
"Wouldn't you like to be back with us again, for the shindy that we
are likely to have, tomorrow?"

"That I should, but I hope to have my share in it, in my own way."

"Where are your men, O'Connor?"

"They will be, in another hour, at the foot of the mountains over
there to the left. Our business will be to prevent any of the
French moving along there, and coming down on your rear."

"I am pleased to hear it. I believe that there is a Spanish
division there, but I am glad to know that the business is not to
be left entirely to them. Now, what have you been doing since you
left us, a month ago?"

"I have been doing nothing, Colonel, but watching the defiles and,
as no one has come up them, we have not fired a shot."

"No doubt they got news that you were there, Terence," O'Grady
said, "and not likely would they be to come up to be destroyed by
you."

"Perhaps that was it," Terence said, when the laughter had
subsided; "at any rate they didn't show up, and I was very pleased
when orders came, at ten o'clock yesterday, for us to leave Banos
and marc