"And that's Portingale, Mister Charles," said a voice behind me. I turned and saw my man Mike, as with anxious joy, he fixed his eyes upon the shore.
"They tell me it's a beautiful place, with wine for nothing and spirits for less. Isn't it a pity they won't be raisonable and make peace with us?"
"Why, my good fellow, we are excellent friends; it's the French who want to beat us all."
"Upon my conscience, that's not right. There's an ould saying in Connaught, 'It's not fair for one to fall upon twenty.' Sergeant Haggarty says that I'll see none of the divarsion at all."
"He does be telling me that, as I'm only your footboy, he'll send me away to the rear, where there's nothing but wounded and wagons and women."
"I believe the sergeant is right there; but after all, Mike, it's a safe place."
"Ah, then, musha for the safety! I don't think much of it. Sure, they might circumvint us. And av it wasn't displazing to you, I'd rather list."
"Well, I've no objection, Mickey. Would you like to join my regiment?"
"By coorse, your honor. I'd like to be near yourself; bekase, too, if anything happens to you,--the Lord be betune us and harm," here he crossed himself piously,--"sure, I'd like to be able to tell the master how you died; and sure, there's Mr. Considine--God pardon him! He'll be beating my brains out av I couldn't explain it all."
"Well, Mike, I'll speak to some of my friends here about you, and we'll settle it all properly. Here's the doctor."
"Arrah, Mr. Charles, don't mind him. He's a poor crayture entirely. Devil a thing he knows."
"Why, what do you mean, man? He's physician to the forces."
"Oh, be-gorra, and so he may be!" said Mike, with a toss of his head. "Those army docthers isn't worth their salt. It's thruth I'm telling you. Sure, didn't he come to see me when I was sick below in the hould?
"'But your bones,' says he; 'how's them?'
"'As if cripples was kicking me,' says I.
"Well, with that he wint away, and brought back two powders.
"'Take them,' says he, 'and you'll be cured in no time.'
"'Devil a lie,' says he; 'take them immediately.'
"And I tuk them; and would you believe me, Mister Charles?--it's thruth I'm telling you,--devil a one o' them would stay on my stomach. So you see what a docther he is!"