gain.

It was agreed, in the first place, that the forces should unite in
the mountains west of Braganza, between the river Esla on the east
and Tera on the north; affording a strong position from which, in
case of any very large force mustering against them, they could
retire across the frontier into Portugal. Terence had been supplied
with money, and an authority to give orders on the paymaster's
department for such purchases as were absolutely necessary. Moras
was also well supplied, having not only the money that had been
sent him, but the proceeds of a successful attack upon a convoy
proceeding to Salamanca; in which he had captured a commissariat
chest, with a considerable sum of money, besides a large number of
cattle and several waggon loads of flour. All these provisions,
with some that Terence had authority to draw from the stores at
Miranda, were to be taken to the spot they had chosen as their
headquarters in the hills.

"You beat me altogether, Terence," Ryan said as, after all these
matters had been arranged, they rode out from the guerilla's camp.
"It is only about three months since I saw you. Then you could only
just get along in Spanish. Now you are chattering away in it as if
you had never spoken anything else, all your life."

"Well, you see, Dick, I knew just enough, when I was taken
prisoner, to be able to, as you say, get along in it; and that made
all the difference to me. If I had known nothing at all of it, I
should not have been able to benefit by my trip with the muleteers
in Spain. As it was, I was able to talk with them and, as we rode
side by side all day; and sat together by a fire for hours, after
we had halted when the day's journey was over, we did a tremendous
lot of talking; and as you see, I came out, at the end of the
month, able to get along really fluently. I, no doubt, make a good
many mistakes, and mix a good many Portuguese words with my
Spanish; but that does not matter in the least, so long as one is
with friends; although it would matter a good deal if I were trying
to pass as a Spaniard, among people who might betray me if they
found out that I was English.

"I see that you have improved in Portuguese almost as much as I
have in Spanish. It is really only the first drudgery that is
difficult, in learning a language. When once one makes a start one
gets on very fast; especially if one is not afraid of making
mistakes. I never care a rap whether I make blunders or not,