was glad to take ten
pounds for it, Terence at once purchased it. The adjutant told him
that, on mentioning his return, Lord Wellington had requested him
to dine with him; and to come half an hour before the usual time,
as he wished to question him with reference to the state of the
country he had passed through, and of the strength and probable
movements of the French troops in those districts.

"I am glad to see you back again, Colonel O'Connor," the general
said, when he entered. "Of course, I heard how you had been captured,
and have regretted your absence. Colonel Herrara is a good officer
in many ways, and the regiment has maintained its state of efficiency;
but he does not possess your energy and enterprise, nor the readiness
to assume responsibilities and to act solely upon his own initiative--a
most valuable quality," he said, with one of his rare smiles, "when
combined with sound judgment, for an officer commanding a partisan
corps like your own; but which, if general, would in a very short time
put an end to all military combinations, and render the office of a
commander-in-chief a sinecure.

"Now, sir, will you be good enough to point out, on this map,
exactly the line you followed in travelling from Salamanca to
Cadiz: and give me any information you gained concerning the roads,
the disposition of the people, and the position and movements of
the French troops."

Terence had anticipated that such information would be required of
him; and had, every evening when they halted, jotted down every
fact that he thought could be useful and, on the voyage to Lisbon,
had written from them a full report, both of the matters which the
general now inquired about, and of the amount of supplies which
could probably be obtained in each locality, the number of houses
and accommodation available for troops, the state and strength of
the passes, and the information that Garcia had obtained for him of
mountain tracks by which these passes could be turned, by infantry
and cavalry in single file.

"I have brought my report, sir," he said, producing it. "I
endeavoured to make the most of my opportunities, to gain all the
information possible that might be useful to myself, or the
commander of any column moving across the same country. I fear that
it is far from being perfect but, as I wrote it from my notes, made
at the end of each day, I think it will answer its purpose, as far
as it goes."

Attached to each day's journ