me hear it," said Lord Strathern, leaning back in his
chair, as if compelled to listen, but anxious to be rid of the
subject.

"I stopped for a while on my way back," said L'Isle, "at a little
venda on this side of _Juramenha_. The people of the house were shy
and sullen. I had to ask many questions before I could induce them to
speak freely, but at length out came a charge against some of our
people. Three nights ago five of our men had come to the house, and,
calling for wine, sat down to drink. They soon became riotous, and
their conduct so insulting to the man's wife and daughters, that they
ran away to hide themselves. When he required them to pay the
reckoning and quit the house, they promised most liberal payment, and
seizing, bound him to a post in his own stable, where they gave him
fifty lashes with a leathern strap, valuing the stripes at a _vintem_
apiece."

"The witty rascals," said Lord Strathern; "I would like to repay them
in their own coin."

"Moreover," continued L'Isle, "on the man's son making some resistance
to their treatment of his father, they bound the boy, too, and gave
him a dozen _vintems_' worth of the strap for pocket money."

"The liberal rascals!" said Lord Strathern; "they deserve a handsome
profit on their outlay. But how do you know, L'Isle, that this story
is true?"

"There is no mistake about the flogging," exclaimed L'Isle. "They used
the buckle end of the strap, and, I myself saw the marks, some not yet
scarred over."

"That silent witness may prove a good deal; I cannot call it
tongueless," said his lordship, "for I suppose the buckle had a
tongue."

"I can vouch for that by the mark it left behind," said L'Isle. "Both
father and son swore that they would know the fellows among a
thousand. But the man dare not come to Elvas to search them out, as
the scamps promised faithfully to make sausage meat of him should he
venture near the town."

"If the cowardly rascal will not come forward and lodge a complaint,"
said Lord Strathern, "what the devil can we do?"

"We can bring him here and protect him," said L'Isle, "while he hunts
out the culprits. If necessary, I will take him before my regiment,
and let him look every man in the face, to see if he can identify the
offenders in the ranks; and so with other regiments."

"What! muster the whole brigade for such a poltroon to inspect them!"
exclaimed Lord Strathern. "What are you dreaming of, L'Isle? It would
be offering a