‘You young scoundrels, what’s the meaning of this?’ cried Larry’s colonel, who was something of a martinet.
Larry gave a picturesque account of what had happened, when the Hussar colonel first ripped out a very strong expression, then, as though seized with a sudden idea, said to his fellow-officer, ‘Major, this confounded losing our way may turn out to our advantage after all. The artillery can’t be far off; if we could find them we’d ride down, attack the column, and capture the convoy. Ride like fury to Lord Lucan and tell him what’s happened.’
The major dashed off.
‘I suppose there is no mistake about this, O’Callaghan?’ said the colonel sternly.
‘On me honour, colonel, I saw ’em wid me very own eyes.’
‘If you’ve made a mistake, you scoundrel, I’ll try you by court-martial,’ said the colonel. ‘You’d better both mount and scour round to see if you can find the artillery. They must have kept to the left-hand road when we took the right, and they can’t be far off. If you find them tell the officer in command to follow us as quickly as he can. Failing that, rejoin your regiments, or any of the other parties who are searching the forest for the road we ought to have followed.’
Jack and Larry at once mounted and spurred off. Jack, who had a very good idea of localities, struck away to the left. They rode sharply for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, then they heard a rumble of wheels.
‘That sounds like guns,’ cried Larry.
‘We’ll soon see,’ said Jack, and he slid from Dainty and laid his ear against the ground.
‘You’re right, Larry,’ he said; ‘it is guns. Away we go.’