Part 71 (1/2)

”I want my officer,” he yelled. ”Where the h.e.l.l's my blanked officer?

I want to blow his blanked brains out.”

”But see; your pistol isn't loaded,” said McShane, in the quietest way.

The fellow stared, struck all of a heap by the idea, and, holding up the weapon to his eyes, began examining it in the dim flickering light. In a moment it was s.n.a.t.c.hed from his hand by the intrepid Irishman who repelled his immediate onslaught with a blow in the chest, which sent him staggering back half-a-dozen paces, and before he had recovered his balance he was seized by the bystanders and firmly held.

”And why the divil didn't some of ye do that before?” asked McShane, wrathfully. ”Why, he might have blown up the whole camp while a dozen of ye were standin' thur open-mouthed. Is it afraid of him ye were?”

The men looked sheepish, and muttered something about ”were just going to” as they secured the arms of their fallen comrade, who lay on the ground still raving and cursing.

”Just going to, were ye!” cried the irascible doctor. ”It'd serve ye right if he'd blown half your heads off. Now take him away. Don't knock the poor divil about, Saunders,” he added, noticing a disposition to use the prisoner roughly.

They marched off the erring Flint, who had subsided suddenly, and became quite rational again; but it would not do to let him get abroad that night, so he was kept under arrest.

”Who's that fellow?” said Jim. ”If he belonged to my corps I'd bundle him out, sharp.”

”Yis; it's bad enough havin' such a chap in it as Jack Armitage. He's a handful in himself, bedad.”

”Well, I'm going to turn in,” said Naylor. ”Any one going my way?”

”Yis; hould on,” replied the doctor--and there was a general move made.

Now and then a burst of laughter came from one of the tents, which, like this one, had been holding festival; but for the rest the camp was in slumbrous quiet, only disturbed by the occasional challenge of sentry, or the footfall of such loiterers as these our friends.

”Jim,” said Claverton, the last thing as he bade him good-night, ”I've made up my mind about that offer of yours.”

”You'll take it?”

”Yes.”

In the morning, who should turn up but Hicks and some twenty others, whose restless spirits would not allow them to remain quiet at home; and later in the day two more troops of burghers from the Western districts.

And the available forces being thus strengthened, it was resolved that a forward move should take place at once.

Claverton's swarthy followers growled considerably at losing their chief, whom, in the short time he had been with them, they had already began to look up to and respect. Lumley, especially, put his discontent into words.

”Always the way,” he grumbled. ”Directly you get a fellow you pull well with--off he goes.”

”But, Lumley; you'll be in command yourself now, don't you see?”

Lumley evidently didn't see, for this side of the question now burst upon him with a new light.

”Don't know. They're sure to keep me out of it,” he growled, but as if he thought the contingency not an unmixed evil. And the fact was, his late chief thought the same.

So Claverton, with the faithful Sam as body-servant, entered upon his new rank of Field-Captain in ”Brathwaite's Horse,” _vice_ Philip Garnier resigned.

VOLUME TWO, CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

”SUMMER HAS STOPPED.”

”No, it's of no use, old fellow. But look as much as you like, that's everybody's privilege. Deuced pretty girl, isn't she?”