Part 14 (1/2)

”I intend to attach Parsons to your company, O'Driscol,” the colonel said. ”Terence went off so suddenly this morning that I had no time to think of it before we marched, but he shall march with your company to- morrow. You will not mind, I hope, Captain Holland?”

”I shall mind, of course, Colonel; but, as O'Driscol's company has now really only one officer, of course it cannot be helped, and as Menzies is the senior lieutenant, I have no doubt that he can manage very well with Parsons, who is very well up in his work.”

”Thank you, Captain Holland; it is the first compliment that you ever paid me; it is abuse that I am most accustomed to.”

”It is thanks to that that you are a decent officer, Parsons,” Captain Holland laughed. ”You were the awkwardest young beggar I ever saw when you first joined, and you have given me no end of trouble in licking you into shape. How do you think you will like your work, Terence?”

”I think I shall like it very much,” the lad replied. ”The other aide- de-camp, Trevor, is a very nice fellow, and every one likes Fane; as to Major Dowdeswell and Major Errington, I haven't exchanged a word with either of them, and you know as much about them as I do.”

”Errington is a very good fellow, but the other man is very unpopular. He is always talking about the regulations, as if anyone cared a hang about the regulations when one is on service.”

”I expect that if Fane were not such a good fellow Dowdeswell would make himself a baste of a nuisance, and be bothering us about pipe-clay and b.u.t.tons, and all sorts of rigmarole,” O'Grady said; ”as if a man would fight any the better for having his belt white as snow!”

”He would not fight any the better, O'Grady, but the regiment would do so,” the colonel put in. ”All these little matters are nothing in themselves, but still they have a good deal to do with the discipline of the regiment; there is no doubt that we are not as smart in appearance as we ought to be, and that the other regiments in the brigade show up better than we do. It is a matter that must be seen to. I shall inspect the regiment very carefully before we march to-morrow.”

There was a little silence among the group, but a smile stole over several of the faces. As a rule, the colonel was very lax in small matters of this kind, but occasionally he thought it necessary to put on an air of severity, and to insist upon the most rigid accuracy in this respect; but the fit seldom lasted beyond twenty-four hours, after which things went on pleasantly again. Some of the officers presently sauntered off to warn the colour-sergeants that the colonel himself intended to inspect the regiment closely before marching the next morning, and that the men must be warned to have their uniforms, belts, and firearms in perfect order.

Terence remained for some little time longer chatting, and then got possession of his kit, which was carried by Tim Hoolan across to his quarters.

”We are all sorry you've left us, yer honour,” that worthy said, as he walked a short distance behind Terence; ”the rigiment won't be like itself widout you. Not that it has been quite the same since you joined us reg'lar, and have taken to behaving yourself.”

”What do you mean, you impudent rascal?” Terence said, with a pretence at indignation.

”No offence, yer honour, but faith the games that you and Mr. Ryan and some of the others used to play, kept the boys alive, and gave mighty contintment to the regiment.”

”I was only a lad then, Hoolan.”

”That was so, yer honour, and now you are a man and an officer, it is natural it should be different.”

”Tim Hoolan, you are a humbug,” Terence said, laughing.

”Sorra a bit of one, yer honour. I am not saying that you won't grow a bit more; everyone says what a fine man you will make. But sure ye saved our wing from being captured, and you would not have us admit that, if it had not been for a boy, a wing of the Mayo Fusiliers would have been captured by the French. No, your honour, when we tell that story we spake of one of our officers who had the idea that saved the Sea-horse, and brought thim two privateer vessels into Vigo.”

”Well, Tim, it is only three months since I joined, and I don't suppose I have changed much in that time; but of course I cannot play tricks now as I used to do, before I got my commission.”

”That is so, yer honour; the rigiment misses your tricks, though they did bother us a bit. Three times were we turned out at night, under arms, when we were at Athlone, once on a wet night too, and stood there for two hours till the colonel found out it was a false alarm, and there was me and Mr. Ryan, and two or three others as was in the secret, nigh choking ourselves with laughter, to hear the men cursing and swearing at being called out of bed. That was a foine time, yer honour.”

”Attention, Tim!” Terence said, sharply.

They had now entered the village, and the burst of laughter in which Hoolan indulged at the thought of the regiment being turned out on a false alarm was unseemly, as he was accompanying an officer. So Tim straightened himself up, and then followed in Terence's footsteps with military precision and stiffness.

”There is a time for all things, Tim,” the latter said, as he took the little portmanteau from him. ”It won't do to be laughing like that in sight of head-quarters. I can't ask you to have a drink now; there is no drink to be had, but the first time we get a chance I will make it up to you.”

”All right, yer honour! I was wrong entirely, but I could not have helped it if the commander-in-chief had been standing there.”

Terence went up to the attic that he and Trevor shared. There was no changing for dinner, but after a wash he went below again.

”You are just in time,” Trevor said, ”and we are in luck. The head man of the village sent the general a couple of ducks, and they will help out our rations. I have been foraging, and have got hold of half a dozen bottles of good wine from the priest.