erywhere an intense hatred of the French
prevailing, while but little interest was evinced in the respective
claims of Charles and Philip.

After a very long ride he arrived, at nightfall, near the spot to which
he was bound. In this neighborhood he observed a greater amount of
watchfulness and preparation than had prevailed elsewhere. The men, for
the most part, remained in their villages, and went about armed. Jack
learned that an inroad by the Miquelets of Castile was deemed probable,
and that it was thought possible that another French force might follow
Tesse from Madrid to Barcelona.

It was late in the evening before Jack reached his destination, where,
on his presenting his letter of introduction, he was most heartily
received by the priest.

"Father Ignacio tells me," he said when he had read it, "that you are
not only to be welcomed as an officer of the great English general, but
that you are in every way deserving of friendship; he adds, too, that
you are a first rate judge of wine, and that you can be trusted as an
adviser upon knotty and difficult matters."

Jack laughed. "I only gave the good father my advice upon two points,"
he said; "the first was the admitting to terms of surrender of a body
of French troops with whom he was engaged in battle when I arrived; the
second was upon the important question of broaching or not broaching a
hogshead of particularly good wine."

"If you advised that the hogshead should be broached," the priest said,
smiling, "I can warrant that my good brother Ignacio followed your
advice, and can well understand the respect in which he seems to hold
your judgment. But do not let us stand talking here.

"Your men will find a stable behind the house where they can stand the
horses. Alas! it is uninhabited at present, for my mule, the gentlest
and best in the province, was requisitioned--which is another word for
stolen--by the French as they passed through. My faithful beast! I miss
her every hour of the day, and I doubt not that she misses me still
more sorely. Tell me, senor, my brother Ignacio writes me that he has
captured many animals from the French--was Margaretta among them? She
was a large mule, and in good condition; indeed, there was some flesh on
her bones. She was a dark chestnut with a white star on the forehead,
a little white on her fore feet, and white below the hocks on the hind
legs; she had a soft eye, and a peculiar twist in jerking her tail."

The ma