proportion of the "might, majesty,
dominion, and power" of the British Empire that stands on those feet,
you take an interest in the proceedings.

"There's a blister--bad luck to ut!--on the heel," said Mulvaney. "I
can't touch it. Prick ut out, little man."

Ortheris produced his housewife, eased the trouble with a needle,
stabbed Mulvaney in the calf with the same weapon, and was
incontinently kicked into the fire.

"I've bruk the best av my toes over you, ye grinnin' child av
disruption!" said Mulvaney, sitting cross-legged and nursing his feet;
then, seeing me: "Oh, ut's you, sorr! Be welkim, an' take that
maraudin' scut's place. Jock, hould him down on the cindhers for a
bit."

But Ortheris escaped and went elsewhere as I took possession of the
hollow he had scraped for himself and lined with his greatcoat.
Learoyd, on the other side of the fire, grinned affably, and in a
minute fell fast asleep.

"There's the height av politeness for you," said Mulvaney, lighting his
pipe with a flaming branch. "But Jock's eaten half a box av your
sardines at wan gulp, an' I think the tin too. What's the best wid
you, sorr; an' how did you happen to be on the losin' side this day
when we captured you?"

"The Army of the South is winning all along the line," I said.

"Thin that line's the hangman's rope, savin' your presence. You'll
learn to-morrow how we retreated to dhraw thim on before we made thim
trouble, an' that's what a woman does. By the same token, we'll be
attacked before the dawnin', an' ut would be betther not to slip your
boots. How do I know that? By the light av pure reason. Here are
three companies av us ever so far inside av the enemy's flank, an' a
crowd av roarin', t'arin', an' squealin' cavalry gone on just to turn
out the whole nest av thim. Av course the enemy will pursue by
brigades like as not, an' then we'll have to run for ut. Mark my
words. I am av the opinion av Polonius, whin he said: 'Don't fight wid
ivry scut for the pure joy av fightin'; but if you do, knock the nose
av him first an' frequint!' We ought to ha' gone on an' helped the
Goorkhas."

"But what do you know about Polonius?" I demanded. This was a new side
of Mulvaney's character.

"All that Shakespeare ever wrote, an' a dale more that the gallery
shouted," said the man of war, carefully lacing his boots. "Did I not
tell you av Silver's Theater in Dublin whin I was younger than I am
now, an' a patron av the dra