ith delight. "Arrah! then there's no time
to be lost!" he exclaimed, leading the way down a lane which skirted the
edge of the bog.

I followed, and had to step out fast to keep up with him.

"Ye'll have to lape over some pools may be, but it's all hard below
where I'll lead ye, so don't be afraid now," he whispered, putting his
finger to his lips.

I laughed aloud.

"Hist, hist; he'll be after hearing you," he said, in the same tone as
before; "but come on now."

He turned and led the way across the bog. I leaped when I saw him leap,
and kept directly in his footsteps, and often the ground quaked as I
passed, or moved up and down like a raft at sea. As we moved on, the
water got up to my ankles; then over them. I thought that Pat had lost
his way, but he kept on without stopping or turning to one side or the
other. The water got deeper and deeper, indeed there seemed to be
nothing but water around; then once more it began to shoal, and at last
I found that we were walking on dry ground, but still of a very boggy
nature. At last we were in something like a path, with peat-holes on
either side. It was quite dark before we reached the heath or dry
ground I was looking for. Pat even then, I found, kept away from the
road I was to have taken. After going a little way I thought that I saw
some figures through the gloom. Pat thought so too, for he pulled at my
coat-sleeve, and whispered to me to crouch down. I did so for some
time, and then again we pushed on. Pat led the way till we got into a
road I knew, leading direct to my quarters. He then told me to hurry
on, and before I had time to put my hand in my pockets to give him some
money, he was off.

At muster-roll that evening, one of our men, Jackson, did not answer to
his name. He had been sent in the direction I had gone. The next
morning he did not appear. A party, of which I formed one, was sent out
to look for him. Not far from some bushes, with a hole behind them,--a
place made for an ambush,--we came upon some blood in the road. We
hunted about. There were the marks of men's feet at the edge of the
road. After hunting some time, one of our men cried out, "Here he is!"

There, in a hole, half covered with water, lay our comrade. At first it
was thought that he might have fallen in, but two dark marks by the side
of his head showed where a brace of slugs had entered it. I felt sure
that they had been intended for me. It seemed as if I h