They had gone but a short distance
when the bells of the churches one by one ceased their clamour, and a hush
succeeded the din that had before prevailed. When the head of the column
reached the gate, they saw Sir John Moore and his staff sitting there on
horseback. Fane rode up to him for orders.
"It is, as I fancied, wholly a false alarm," the general said. "How it
could have started I have no idea. I have had another report from
Anstruther; all is quiet at the outposts, and there is no sign whatever of
the enemy. There is nothing to do but to march the troops back to
barracks. However, I am not sorry, for possibly the scare may wake the
authorities up to the necessity of taking some steps for the protection of
the town."
Terence rode back with General Fane to his quarters.
"I cannot make out," Trevor said, as they went, "how the scare can have
begun; everything was quiet enough. I was just thinking of turning in when
we heard a shouting in the streets. In three minutes the whole town seemed
to have gone mad, and I made sure that the French must be upon us; but I
could not make out how they could have done so without our outposts giving
the alarm. Where were you when it began?"
"I was in the mess-room of the Mayos, when one of the servants ran in to
say that there was a row. Directly afterwards the alarm-bells began to
ring, the colonel at once gave orders for the regiment to be got under
arms, and I ran back to the general for orders; and I must have passed you
somewhere on the road.
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