‘I’d like to know,’ says the Honourable Mr. Erroll cheerfully, ‘who trusted those infernal Russians with a gun? They’ll be hurting somebody by and by, if they’re not careful. But here’s the pig, boys, and there’s nobody but poor little Ahmed Bey the worse for us. I knocked him on the head from behind, and we’ll be none the worse friends to-morrow.’
Bang, and bang, and bang! sounded the guns from the Russian battery, drawn by the light; but a delicious odour rose upon the air, and the teeth of the little contingent watered. There was a ramrod with Sergeant Polson at one end of it, and Paddy Erroll at the other, and the loveliest loin of young pork in the middle; and the two, with scorched hands and scorched faces, turned, and turned, and turned the improvised spit. And there were some less nice in appetite who had raked out heaps of glowing cinders from the fire, and had lain succulent slices thereon and buried them in more cinders, and who were now enjoying a compound feast of pork and charcoal, with such an insane relish as no home-staying epicure could conceive over the lordliest dish the combined cuisine of the whole wide world could show him.
‘What are you up to here, you fellows?’ said a voice out of the darkness. ‘That’s a jolly appetising smell.’
‘Fresh roast pork, sir,’ responded one man with his mouth full.
‘Fresh roast pork!’ echoed the inquirer. ‘Hillo—that you, Sergeant? You’re in luck. I’ll join your mess if you make no objection.’
‘Nobody more welcome than Captain Volnay, sir,’ said Polson. ‘Find that old bread-box, one of you, and give Captain Volnay a seat.’
‘Hurry up!’ said Volnay. ‘That smell is maddening. How did you men come in for such a treasure trove as this?’
‘I’m Columbus,’ said the Honourable Paddy, tinning the ramrod spit.
‘Why, by Jingo!’ cried Volnay, ‘you’ve got a whole pig here. I say, Sergeant, I’m going to confiscate a leg for our Christmas mess. You don’t think you fellows are going to be allowed to sit gourmandising here whilst we go hungry!’
One man, sheltered by the shadow, answered sneeringly: