t Pinhel might sample it. He
would buy it. Oh yes! There should be no plundering, no irregularity, no
disregard of general orders. He would buy the wine and pay for it--but
himself he would fix the price, and see that the monks of Tavora made no
profit out of their defenders.

Thus he thought as he considered the map. Presently, when having taken
leave of Fernando Souza--that prince of hosts--Mr. Butler was riding
down through the town with Sergeant Flanagan and ten troopers at his
heels, his purpose deepened and became more fierce. I think the change
of temperature must have been to blame. It was a chill, bleak evening.
Overhead, across a background of faded blue, scudded ragged banks of
clouds, the lingering flotsam of the shattered rainstorm of yesterday:
and a cavalry cloak afforded but indifferent protection against the wind
that blew hard and sharp from the Atlantic.

Coming from the genial warmth of Mr. Souza's parlour into this, the
evaporation of the wine within him was quickened, its fumes mounted now
overwhelmingly to his brain, and from comfortably intoxicated that he
had been hitherto, the lieutenant now became furiously drunk; and the
transition was a very rapid one. It was now that he looked upon the
business he had in hand in the light of a crusade; a sort of religious
fanaticism began to actuate him.

The souls of these wretched monks must be saved; the temptation to
self-indulgence, which spelt perdition for them, must be removed from
their midst. It was a Christian duty. He no longer though of buying the
wine and paying for it. His one aim ow was to obtain possession of
it not merely a part of it, but all of it--and carry it off, thereby
accomplishing two equally praiseworthy ends: to rescue a conventful
of monks from damnation, and to regale the much-enduring, half-starved
campaigners of the Agueda.

Thus reasoned Mr. Butler with admirable, if drunken, logic. And
reasoning thus he led the way over the bridge, and kept straight on
when he had crossed it, much to the dismay of Sergeant Flanagan, who,
perceiving the lieutenant's condition, conceived that he was missing his
way. This the sergeant ventured to point out, reminding his officer that
they had come by the road along the river.

"So we did," said Butler shortly. "Bu' we go back by way of Tavora."

They had no guide. The one who had conducted them to Regoa had returned
with O'Rourke, and although Souza had urged upon the lieutenant at
par