fying; 'tis words, Sir, that makes another man's mare go your
road. Augh! that must have been a cliver man as invented language;
wonders who 'twas--mayhap Moses, your honour?"

"Never mind who it was," said Walter gravely; "use the gift discreetly."

"Umph!" said the Corporal--"yes, your honour," renewed he after a pause.
"It be a marvel to think on how much a man does in the way of cheating,
as has the gift of the gab. Wants a Missis, talks her over--wants your
purse, talks you out on it--wants a place, talks himself into it.--What
makes the Parson? words!--the lawyer? words--the Parliament-man?
words!--words can ruin a country, in the Big House--words save souls,
in the Pulpits--words make even them ere authors, poor creturs, in every
man's mouth.--Augh! Sir, take note of the words, and the things will
take care of themselves--bother!"

"Your reflections amaze me, Bunting," said Walter smiling; "but
the night begins to close in; I trust we shall not meet with any
misadventure."

"'Tis an ugsome bit of road!" said the Corporal, looking round him.

"The pistols?"

"Primed and loaded, your honour."

"After all, Bunting, a little skirmish would be no bad
sport--eh?--especially to an old soldier like you."

"Augh, baugh! 'tis no pleasant work, fighting, without pay, at least;
'tis not like love and eating, your honour, the better for being, what
they calls, 'gratis!'"

"Yet I have heard you talk of the pleasure of fighting; not for pay,
Bunting, but for your King and Country!"

"Augh! and that's when I wanted to cheat the poor creturs at Grassdale,
your honour; don't take the liberty to talk stuff to my master!"

They continued thus to beguile the way, till Walter again sank into
a reverie, while the Corporal, who began more and more to dislike the
aspect of the ground they had entered on, still rode by his side.

The road was heavy, and wound down the long hill which had stricken so
much dismay into the Corporal's stout heart on the previous day, when he
had beheld its commencement at the extremity of the town, where but for
him they had not dined. They were now little more than a mile from the
said town, the whole of the way was taken up by this hill, and the
road, very different from the smoothened declivities of the present day,
seemed to have been cut down the very steepest part of its centre; loose
stones, and deep ruts encreased the difficulty of the descent, and it
was with a slow pace and a guarded r