‘Bedad, we don’t want no sargint,’ cried a rich voice; and Larry O’Callaghan came running forward. ‘It’s old Hooky-beak and my two chums of the 17th. I can see ’em.—The saints be praised, ye’ve cheated thim divils of Russians, bhoys,’ he cried, ‘for I’ve been breaking me heart to think as ye was done for. Hurroo! come on!’ and in a few minutes the four Lancers found themselves standing before a fire in one of the cottages of the deserted village in which the detachment had halted for the night.
CHAPTER XXII.
A BRILLIANT LITTLE AFFAIR.
PRESENTLY Linham went off to find Sergeant Barrymore, and Larry related what had happened in the village.
‘We were sitting on our horses, kaping our eyes and ears open,’ he said, ‘when I happened to notice a pasty-faced young gossoon on a pony sneaking off towards the hills.’
‘Had he a black sheep’s-wool cap on, and an orange-coloured sash round his waist?’ asked Jack.
‘He had that same, and may the divil fly away wid him, for in about half-an-hour we suddintly saw him coming back wid a troop of Hussars and Cossacks at his heels. Somehow they seemed to have got all round us. I sounded the alarm, and our fellows came tumbling out. In a jiffy they were mounted and formed up. We answered the Rooshians blitherin’ fire wid a volley, and then charged ’em, going through ’em like a knife and bowling over a good number of the ugly bastes, wid a loss of only two of our men.’
Jack then related their adventure, which made Larry’s eyes sparkle.
‘By the piper, I’d loike to have been wid you!’ he said.
Linham and Barrymore presently came into the cottage, and after the latter had congratulated Jack on his escape, he said, ‘This news about the convoy is most important. Captain Norreys learnt something of it from a prisoner we took, and that is why we remained here. Our captain wanted to go in search of it, but the captain of the 11th, who was senior officer, would not agree. He, poor chap, has just died of the cholera, so Captain Norreys is now in command. Jimmy and I are going to wake him up and tell him what you’ve seen.’
Captain Norreys was delighted with the news. ‘We ‘ll have that convoy,’ he said; and summoned all the officers at once to consult with him.