ngs of the
bark to take to her. I suppose I must have rode out of my way a matter
of some eight or ten miles to find it, though I told her that I thought
a little balm out of the garden would have done just as well. But women
are women, sir, and a sick woman in particular."

"This fellow is more knave than fool, I take it, cornet," said the
officer to a companion near him.

"His horse seems to have been trained to other duties than gathering
herbs for ladies of delicate stomachs," replied the other.

"My horse," interrupted the sergeant, "would have broken clean off if it
hadn't a been for your honor: they say he belonged to a muster in
Verginny, and I was warned that he was apt to get rampagious when there
was anything like a set of sodgers nigh him, and that is about the
reason, I expect, why he took it into his head to fall into your
company."

"Get on your beast," said the officer impatiently, "you must go with us.
If upon further acquaintance I form a better opinion of you, you may go
about your business."

"I am somewhat in a hurry to get back to the lady."

"Silence! Mount your horse, fall to the rear. Gilbert, attend to this
fellow, he musn't leave us," said the officer, as he delivered Horse
Shoe into the charge of one of the leaders of a platoon, and then put
spurs to his steed and moved to the head of the column.

It was in the afternoon when this incident occurred; and Robinson found
himself, during the remainder of the day, compelled to follow the troop
through a series of by-ways across the country, in a direction of which
he was wholly ignorant,--being also in the same degree unacquainted with
the object of the march. When the day closed they arrived at a
farm-house, where it seemed to be their purpose to pass the night; and
here the sergeant, towards whom no unnecessary rigor had been exercised,
was freely allowed to participate in the cheer provided for the party.
This rest was of short duration; for, before the coming of the allotted
bed-hour, a courier arrived, bringing a despatch to the leader of the
detachment, which produced an instant order to saddle and resume the
march.

Once more upon the road, the sergeant became aware, as well as he was
able to determine in the dark, that the party during the night were
retracing their steps, and returning upon the same route which they had
before travelled.

A half hour before the dawn found the troop ascending a long hill, the
summit of which, a