"
"By all means, Colonel. Their uniforms do not fit as well as I should
like, but I had to take them as they were served out, and have had no
opportunity of getting them altered."
Since the inspection at Coimbra the men had been taught the salute, and as
Terence shouted:
"Attention! General salute! Present arms!" the men executed the order with
a sharpness and precision that would have done no discredit to a British
line regiment. Then the colonel and officers walked along the line, after
which the troops were put through their manoeuvres for an hour, and then
dismissed.
"Upon my word, it is wonderful," Colonel Corcoran said. "Why, if the
beggars had been at it six months they could not have done it better."
There was a chorus of agreement from all the officers round.
"We could not have done some of those movements better ourselves, could
we, O'Driscol?"
"That we could not," the major said, heartily. "Another three months' work
and these two regiments would be equal to our best; and I can understand
now how they stood up against the charge of Franceschi's cavalry
regiments."
"Now, Colonel, I cannot ask you all to a meal," Terence said; "my
arrangements are not sufficiently advanced for that yet; but I managed to
get hold of some very good wine this morning, and I hope that you will
take a glass all round before you go back to camp.
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