with
the rest of the regiment; for I had a message two days ago from
him, saying that it was too cold to remain on the hills any longer,
and that he should start on the day after the messenger left. Of
course the messenger was mounted; but our men can march as far, in
a day, as a man can ride, and are sure to lose no time. They would
take the Leon road for some distance, then strike off and cross the
upper Esla at Maylorga, follow the road down, avoiding Benavente,
cross the Tera at Vega, take the track across the mountains, and
come down into the valley from above. He said that he should only
bring such stores as they would be able to carry on the march, and
that he hoped to get here before the French were aware that he had
left the mountains."

Late in the afternoon Leon's followers arrived. They had travelled
at night, so as to avoid being questioned by the French cavalry,
who were scattered all over the country. Ryan was glad to see the
men who had risked so much for him, and very pleased to be able to
exchange his peasant's clothes for his uniform. The next morning,
he and Leon mounted and rode by the track by which Terence would
arrive, and met him halfway between Vega and the camp. The greeting
was a hearty one, indeed and, as Ryan shook hands with Moras, he
said:

"I cannot tell you, senor, how much I am indebted to Don Leon for
the splendid way in which he managed my rescue. Nothing could have
been more admirably contrived, or better carried out. It certainly
seemed to me, after I had been there a day or two, that a rescue
was simply impossible; though I knew that Colonel O'Connor would do
his best to get me out, as soon as he learned that I was captured."

"I gave you credit for better sense, Dick, than to ride right into
the hands of the French," Terence said, as he and Ryan rode on
together at the head of the column.

"I think you would have done it yourself, Terence. The night was
dark, and I could not see ten yards ahead of me. If they had been
on the march, of course, I should have heard them; but by bad luck
they had halted just across the road I was following. It was very
fortunate that you put all the numbers wrong in your despatches,
and I can tell you it was a mighty comfort to me to know that you
had done so; for I should have been half mad at the thought that
they had got at your real strength, which would have entirely
defeated the object of our expedition. As it was, I had the
satisfaction