ows all the mountains
and the paths over them, is as difficult to catch as one of their
fleas, harasses you while you are on the march, and shirks
fighting as the old one shirks holy water. There has only been one
fight which could be called a battle since the war began; and as
for the sieges, it means that you lose a lot of men, and have
little credit when you take a place, especially as the moment you
go out one way the enemy enter on the other side, and there is all
the work to be done over again."

"I admit that we shall see a great deal more of war in the north,"
Kennedy said, "and Marlborough and Eugene on the other side, and
the Dukes of Berwick and Vendome on ours, are such skilful
commanders that there will be far greater interest in the
operations, than in carrying on what is little more than a
partisan war in Spain."

"Not only that," O'Neil put in, "but there will be a possibility
of getting decent food. While in Spain there are few great towns,
and these a long distance from each other; in Flanders there are
towns every few miles, and you are sure of decent quarters and
good cooking."

"Why, O'Neil, I did not know that you were particular as to your
food," Desmond laughed.

"I can starve as well as another, Kennedy, but when I get good
food and good wine and good lodgings, I own that I prefer it
vastly to the fare that our troops have to put up with, in Spain.
I can see no reason why, because you are going to risk your life
in battle, you should put up with all sorts of miseries and
inconveniences beforehand, if they can be avoided.

"As to fighting against the English, there are English both in
Spain and Flanders, and in both armies they form but a small
proportion of the force, though I grant willingly that they are
the backbone of both armies. If you look at the thing sensibly,
you will see that we have gained no slight advantage by Berwick's
going to Flanders, instead of returning to Spain."

Three days after their preparations were completed, an orderly
brought a note from the Duke of Berwick. It was brief and to the
point.

The rendezvous is at six o'clock tomorrow morning, in front of La
Louvre.

(Signed) Berwick.

All were glad that the summons had come. They had discussed the
future from every point of view, and were already growing
impatient, short as their stay had been in Paris.

Five minutes before the hour, they were at the rendezvous. As the
clock struck, the duke rode up wit