"You are a broth of a boy, Terence," Captain O'Grady said. "I knew that it
was in you all along. I would not give a brass farthing for a lad who had
not a spice of divil-ment in him. It shows that he has got his wits about
him, and that when he steddys down he will be hard to bate."
Terence was so much overpowered at the praise he had received that, beyond
protesting that it was quite undeserved, he had no reply to make to the
congratulations that he received from the captain. O'Driscol, seeing that
he was on the verge of breaking down, at once called upon him to take his
place in the boat, and rowed with him to the lugger.
A few minutes later all sail was set on the _Sea-horse__, and with her
yards braced tautly aft she laid her course south, close-hauled; a fresh
breeze was now blowing, and she ploughed her way through the water at a
rate that almost justified O'Grady's panegyrics upon her. In another three
days she entered the port of Vigo, where the convoy was to rendezvous, and
all were glad to find that the whole fleet were still there. On anchoring,
the major went on board the _Dauphin__, which had brought the
headquarters, and the other wing of the regiment. He was heartily greeted
by the colonel.
"We were getting very uneasy about you, Harrison," he said. "The last ship
of the convoy came in three days ago, and we began to fear that you must
have been either dismasted or sunk in the gale.
Pages:
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71