t will be sufficient, not to reward the man for
the risk he has run and the fidelity that he has shown, but it will
at least pay him for the service of his mules. I do not suppose
that he would earn more, and it will be a satisfaction, to me, to
know that he is at least not out of pocket."

The agent at once handed him a bag of silver, together with a
letter to the officer in command of the Daphne. He hired a boat and
was rowed off to the ship; which was lying, with several other
small British warships, in the port. When he ascended the side the
officer on duty asked him somewhat roughly, in bad Spanish, what he
wanted.

"I have a letter for Captain Fry," he replied in English, to the
surprise of the lieutenant. "I am a British officer, who was taken
prisoner at the battle of Fuentes d'Onoro."

"You must not blame me for having taken you for a Spaniard," the
lieutenant said in surprise, as he handed the letter Terence held
out to the midshipman, with a request to deliver it to the captain.
"Your disguise is certainly excellent and, if you speak Spanish as
well as you look the part, I can quite understand your getting
safely through the country."

"Unfortunately, I do not. I speak it quite well enough for ordinary
purposes, but not well enough to pass as a native. I travelled with
a muleteer, who did all the talking that was necessary. I have been
a month on the journey, which has greatly improved my Spanish. I
knew little of it when I started, but I should not have got on so
quickly had I not been thoroughly up in Portuguese; which, of
course, helped me immensely."

The midshipman now came up and requested Terence to follow him to
the captain's cabin. The captain smiled as he entered.

"It is well that Mr. Bromhead vouched for you, Captain O'Connor;
for I certainly should have had difficulty in bringing myself to
believe that you were a British officer. I shall, of course, be
very glad to give you a passage; and to hear the story of your
adventures, which ought to be very interesting."

"I have had very few adventures," Terence replied. "The muleteer
knew the country perfectly; and had no difficulty in obtaining,
from the peasants, news of the movements of the French. When I
started I had no idea of making such a long journey; but had
intended to join Lord Beresford in front of Badajos, if I could not
manage to cross the frontier higher up; but Marmont's march south
rendered that impossible, and I thought that