the fire between them. The Irishman was holding up a piece of venison,
which he had just cooked, at the end of a stick, while Klitz held
another piece to the fire.

"Arrah! now, this illigint piece of meat will be enough to last us until
we stop again for the night!" exclaimed Gillooly. "I'll race you now,
and see who can get his whack down the fastest. If I win, you must hand
over to me what remains of yours; and if you win, you shall have the
remainder of my whack."

[Illustration: THE RUNAWAYS.]

"Dat would not be fair," answered Klitz. "You got big mout and short
body, and can stow away much faster dan I. You eat your breakfast as
fast as you like, but let me take mine at my ease."

"Arrah! thin, here goes," cried Gillooly; and he began gnawing away with
right good will at the _lump_ of venison.

It was pretty evident that either he or Klitz must have managed to kill
a deer, judging from the ample supply of meat they appeared to possess.
Their rifles lay at a little distance, and close to their wheelbarrow,
which seemed to be well loaded. There was no danger, therefore, of their
firing at us before they discovered who we were; and, besides, they were
not likely men to offer any determined resistance.

We amused ourselves for some little time in watching them; and certainly
no two individuals could have afforded a greater contrast. Gillooly went
on eating, laughing, and drinking, diverting himself by quizzing his
saturnine companion, who replied only occasionally, and in
monosyllables.

"We have had enough of this," at length whispered the officer to me. "If
you will seize the Irishman, I will manage the Dutchman. Hold your
pistol to Gillooly's head, and he will be as quiet as a lamb. I will
treat Klitz in the same way."

To bound over the trunk was the work of a moment, and the two deserters,
greatly to their astonishment and dismay, found themselves in our power,
without any hope of escape.

"Where were you going, you rascals?" exclaimed the lieutenant.

"Sure, your honour, a military life disagreed intirely wid me health,
and I thought it best to take Frinch leave, to save me comrades the
trouble of burying, me," answered Barney. "Sure, I niver dreamed of
deserting."

"And you, Mr. Klitz, what have you to say?" asked the lieutenant.

"Dat I could not let dis fellow, like one big baby, go alone," answered
the German; "so I went to take care of him."

There was no use in bandying words just then, so