hasten on to its
relief. Our fellows are at Ovar, with General Murray."

"I say, Charley, old Monsoon is in a devil of a flurry. He expected to have
been peaceably settled down in Lisbon for the next six months, and he has
received orders to set out for Beresford's headquarters immediately; and
from what I hear, they have no idle time."

"Well, Sparks, how goes it, man? Better fun this than the cook's galley,
eh?"

"Why, do you know, these hurried movements put me out confoundedly. I found
Lisbon very interesting,--the little I could see of it last night."

"Ah, my dear fellow, think of the lovely Andalusian lasses with their brown
transparent skins and liquid eyes. Why, you'd have been over head and ears
in love in twenty-four hours more, had we stayed."

"Are they really so pretty?"

"Pretty! downright lovely, man. Why, they have a way of looking at you,
over their fans,--just one glance, short and fleeting, but so melting,
by Jove--Then their walk,--if it be not profane to call that springing,
elastic gesture by such a name,--why, it's regular witchcraft. Sparks, my
man, I tremble for you. Do you know, by-the-bye, that same pace of theirs
is a devilish hard thing to learn. I never could come it; and yet, somehow,
I was formerly rather a crack fellow at a ballet. Old Alberto used to
select me for a _pas de zephyr_ among a host; but there's a kind of a hop
and a slide and a spring,--in fact you must have been wearing petticoats
for eighteen years, and have an Andalusian instep and an india-rubber sole
to your foot, or it's no use trying it. How I used to make them laugh at
the old San Josef convent, formerly, by my efforts in the cause!"

"Why, how did it ever occur to you to practise it?"

"Many a man's legs have saved his head, Charley, and I put it to mine to do
a similar office for me."

"True; but I never heard of a man that performed a _pas seul_ before the
enemy."

"Not exactly; but still you're not very wide of the mark. If you'll only
wait till we reach Pontalegue, I'll tell you the story; not that it's worth
the delay, but talking at this brisk pace I don't admire."

"You leave a detachment here, Captain Power," said an aide-de-camp, riding
hastily up; "and General Cotton requests you will send a subaltern and
two sergeants forward towards Berar to reconnoitre the pass. Franchesca's
cavalry are reported in that quarter." So speaking, he dashed spurs to his
horse, and was out of sight in an instant