Still, of course, I will not retain you against your will."
"I should like it of all things," Herrara said; "but do you really think
that the general would approve?"
"I have not the least doubt that he would, and at any rate if he did not
he would only blame me, and not you. Your help would certainly be
invaluable to me, and so would that of your men. They are all picked
soldiers, and if we divided the force up into twelve companies, they would
very soon teach them as much drill as is necessary for work like this.
Each trooper would command one of the companies, my two orderlies would
act as field officers; you would be colonel, and I should be political
officer in command."
Herrara burst into a fit of laughter.
"You are the strangest fellow I ever met, senor. Here is a very serious
business, and you take it as easily as if it were a game of play. However,
it does seem to me that we might do some good service. At any rate I am
quite willing to obey your orders. It would be an adventure to talk of all
one's life."
"That is right," Terence said; "and there will be some credit to be
gained, too. Indeed, we can safely say that our band will be very much
better organized than nineteen out of twenty of the irregular bands."
The track they followed was a very bad one, and the point at which they
regained the main road was eight miles north of Castro.
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