lping and encouraging so well as he could. Well, I got a drop
of wine for the boy--it was the morning of New Year's day I mind--which
did mun good, and next morning we started again.

"But worse was avore us than we had left behind, for till now the
cavalry had been behind us and had kept away the French; but now the
cavalry was sent forward, and there was nothing betwixt us and the
enemy. Two days afterward the French came upon us sure enough, and the
muskets was going all night. I couldn't sleep, for I knowed that Jan
was there, but sat with the boy, who was lying by me, tossing and
tumbling, for he was ill with the wet, and the cold, and the long ways.
Some women that was with me told me to go to sleep and not be a fule,
for 'twas naught but a scrimmage; but I couldn't do that. Ah, the
night was long; but a bit before dawn the boy grew quiet, and as the
light come in I heard our men was a-coming back, and runned out to see
Jan. And there was Jan's company a-standing in line and the sarjint
calling the roll. I heard mun call Jan Dart, but couldn't hear Jan's
voice answer; but there was a chance that he might be carrying a
wounded man or something or another, so I called 'Jan Dart, can anyone
say where Jan Dart is?' but no one answered; and then the captain asked
the same, and a man stepped out and said that he had seen mun fall.
And I cried out, 'Oh take me to mun,' and the captain (a kind gentleman
he always was) told the man to show me where he seed mun last; but he
saith, 'You mustn't stay long, my poor woman, for the French will be
here again directly;' and I knowed what that meant. So the man showed
me the way and there was Jan, sure enough, a-lying on his face. I
turned mun over, and, as I did, his hand fell across my knees, and his
face was so quiet that I thought for a minute that he was only
a-dropped asleep from weariness; but it wasn't of no use, for he was
dead--shot through the heart.

"And there I reckon I should have stayed, spite of all that the officer
said; but the man took me by the arm and told me to come on. 'The
saints rock his soul to rest in glory,' he saith, crossing hisself, for
he was an Irishman, 'and have mercy on us that is still living;' and
then I remembered the boy, and I left Jan and come away. The boy was
terrible weak and ailing, but we set off to walk, though very soon I
had to carry mun; and so I dropped behind. The road lay through the
mountains now, and was terrible