bundance, for a treat.

After about three months' stay in this place, during which time my
captain to my great satisfaction found an opportunity of putting me
back to my own company, we marched to other quarters about three
leagues off, in a village which had been for the most part deserted,
and there we were cantoned, chiefly in empty houses. Whilst we were
here, a very interesting piece of excitement took place, in which one
of the officers of our company, a lieutenant, was the chief actor. He
was an Irishman, and being likewise a Catholic, had been in the habit
whilst staying at our late quarters of visiting a Catholic chapel; and
there he had seen and fallen in love with a Portuguese general's
daughter. Correspondence and meetings had followed, unbeknown to the
girl's parents, but owing to our shifting our cantonments, some
difficulty had arisen in the way of their engagements, and so I
suppose they thought it best to arrange one final one, or at any rate
one of which the memory was to last some time. One night, therefore,
he proceeded with two of our company to the lady's house, where all
arrangements had been previously made for conveying her from her
private window into her lover's arms, ready to elope with him.

These arrangements consisted of a ladder to be placed at a window,
and the goods that she intended taking to be ready on the back of a
horse, and were all carried out by two of the domestic men-servants
who had been bribed, and who also undertook to keep a good look-out
until the eloping party had got quite clear. But, as it proved, a
worse set of people could not have been entrusted with the matter, for
no sooner had they received their money, and the little company had
set out from the house on their way to the officer's quarters, than
the two foolish Portuguese servants immediately raised an alarm, and a
party of six, including these very servants, was sent in pursuit.

They soon overtook the travelling party, which was obliged to walk
slowly owing to the horse laden with the goods; and the pursuers being
armed with sticks, an altercation consequently took place, in which
the Portuguese succeeded in capturing the horse and baggage; but the
officer fought bravely for his spouse and was well backed up by his
men, so that he succeeded in carrying her off at any rate. One of the
Portuguese, however, lost two fingers in the affray, which was an
unfortunate circumstance, and after things had come to this