ever disdained, my lord, postponing of honour to filthy
lucre."

"But were not these arrears," said Lord Menteith, "paid to the soldiery
at some stated period?"

"My lord," said Dalgetty, "I take it on my conscience, that at no
period, and by no possible process, could one creutzer of them ever be
recovered. I myself never saw twenty dollars of my own all the time I
served the invincible Gustavus, unless it was from the chance of a storm
or victory, or the fetching in some town or doorp, when a cavalier of
fortune, who knows the usage of wars, seldom faileth to make some small
profit."

"I begin rather to wonder, sir," said Lord Menteith, "that you should
have continued so long in the Swedish service, than that you should have
ultimately withdrawn from it."

"Neither I should," answered the Ritt-master; "but that great leader,
captain, and king, the Lion of the North, and the bulwark of the
Protestant faith, had a way of winning battles, taking towns,
over-running countries, and levying contributions, whilk made his
service irresistibly delectable to all true-bred cavaliers who follow
the noble profession of arms. Simple as I ride here, my lord, I have
myself commanded the whole stift of Dunklespiel on the Lower Rhine,
occupying the Palsgrave's palace, consuming his choice wines with my
comrades, calling in contributions, requisitions, and caduacs, and not
failing to lick my fingers, as became a good cook. But truly all this
glory hastened to decay, after our great master had been shot with three
bullets on the field of Lutzen; wherefore, finding that Fortune had
changed sides, that the borrowings and lendings went on as before out of
our pay, while the caduacs and casualties were all cut off, I e'en gave
up my commission, and took service with Wallenstein, in Walter Butler's
Irish regiment."

"And may I beg to know of you," said Lord Menteith, apparently
interested in the adventures of this soldier of fortune, "how you liked
this change of masters?"

"Indifferent well," said the Captain--"very indifferent well. I cannot
say that the Emperor paid much better than the great Gustavus. For
hard knocks, we had plenty of them. I was often obliged to run my head
against my old acquaintances, the Swedish feathers, whilk your honour
must conceive to be double-pointed stakes, shod with iron at each
end, and planted before the squad of pikes to prevent an onfall of the
cavalry. The whilk Swedish feathers, although they l