entral Spanish
authorities, my high appreciation of your services. I have given
orders to the officer commanding the detachment of British troops
at Miranda that, should you keep your force together near the
frontier, he will, as far as possible, comply with any request you
may make for supplies for their use."

Moras was highly gratified with this despatch.

"I shall," he said, "stay in this valley for the winter; but I
shall not keep more than a hundred, or a hundred and fifty men with
me. The peasants will disperse to their homes. Those remaining with
me will be the inhabitants of the towns; who could not safely
return, as they might be denounced by the Spanish spies, in French
pay, as having been out with me. We have plenty of supplies stored
up here to last us through the winter."

Terence at once sent off a report of his return, and an
acknowledgment of the receipt of the despatches from headquarters
and, the next day, in obedience to his orders, marched with his
regiment across the frontier, and established himself in Miranda.

The answer came in five days. It was brief.

"On receipt of this Colonel O'Connor will march, with the regiment
under his command, to Pinhel; and there report himself to General
Crawford."

Terence had ridden over, the afternoon before, to the valley; where
he found that but two hundred of the guerillas remained. Fifty of
these were on the point of leaving, the rest would remain with
Moras through the winter.

On arrival at Pinhel after three days' marching, he reported
himself to General Crawford. The general himself was absent but,
from the head of his staff, he received an order on the
quartermaster's department. Tents for his men were at once given
him, and a spot pointed out for their encampment. Six regiments
were, he heard, in the immediate neighbourhood; and among them he
found, to his great joy, were the Mayo Fusiliers. As soon as the
tents were erected, rations drawn, and a party despatched to obtain
straw for bedding from the quartermaster's department, Terence left
Herrara and the two majors to see that the troops were made
comfortable, and then rode over with Ryan to the camp of the
Fusiliers.

They were received with the heartiest welcome by the colonel and
officers; in whose ranks, however, there were several gaps, for the
regiment had suffered heavily at Fuentes d'Onoro.

"So you have been taken prisoner again, Terence!" Captain O'Grady
exclaimed; "sure, it mu