heard the
story, or, at any rate, the main facts of your rescues of
Mademoiselle de Pointdexter."

"I am indeed greatly obliged to you, Colonel. I know that it is a
dangerous thing to incur the enmity of one of those powerful
families, and, though I should certainly have taken every
precaution in my power, I felt that I should be in constant danger
until we fairly embarked upon a campaign."

At nine o'clock the party started. It numbered some fifty
officers, Scotch and Irish. The baggage had started half an hour
before. It was to join the carts, with the baggage of the other
officers, outside the northern gates; and was under an escort of
dragoons, whose officer had powers given him to requisition fresh
horses at each town through which he passed, and so to push on to
the port with but two halts.

Once off, there was no longer any necessity for keeping their
destination a secret, and the officers were informed that, as they
had already guessed, Dunkirk was the harbour from which they were
to sail.

The journey was a pleasant one. All were in the highest spirits. A
short distance behind them marched a body of infantry, composed
entirely of noncommissioned officers, of whom O'Brien's regiment
furnished thirty. All were picked men, and, marching each day as
far as the party of officers rode, arrived at Dunkirk on the fifth
day after starting, and were at once embarked on the ships of war.

Colonel Wauchop and the officers of O'Brien's regiment were told
off to the Salisbury, which was a ship that had been taken from
the English, and was now loaded with military stores, arms, and
munitions for the use of those who were expected to join them on
landing. After seeing that the officers were all properly
accommodated, the colonel went ashore, and when he returned it was
at once seen, by the expression of his face, that something was
wrong.

"I have very bad news," he said. "King James, who arrived here two
days ago, has been taken suddenly ill, and until he is partially
recovered we cannot sail, for it is absolutely necessary that he
should be with us. This may mean the delay of a week or ten days,
and may defeat all our arrangements. The English Government have
spies here, as well as elsewhere; and their fleet has, for the
last week, been hovering off the coast. They may not have known
the purpose of the assembly of troops here, for this has been kept
strictly secret; and few even of the French officers of the
expe