“And justice, too,” said the Squire; “the doctor is quite right.”
“Don't suppose I can't see the little touches of the artist,” said the doctor; “but so long as they are in keeping with the picture, I enjoy them; for instance, my friend Randal's touch of the Englishman 'fissling Got safe de King'' is very happy—quite in character.”
“Well, good or bad, the story in substance is true,” said Randal, “and puts the Englishman in a fine point of view—a generous fellow, sharing his supper with his enemy whose sword may be through his body in the next morning's 'affair.'”
“But the Frenchman was generous to him first,” remarked the Squire.
“Certainly—I admit it,” said Randal. “In short, they were both fine fellows.”
“Oh, sir,” said Father Phil, “the French are not deficient in a chivalrous spirit. I heard once a very pretty little bit of anecdote about the way they behaved to one of our regiments on a retreat in Spain.”
“Your regiments!” said Moriarty, who was rather fond of hitting hard at a priest when he could; “a regiment of friars is it?”
“No, captain, but of soldiers; and it's going through a river they were, and the French, taking advantage of their helpless condition, were peppering away at them hard and fast.”
“Very generous indeed!” said Moriarty, laughing.
“Let me finish my story, captain, before you quiz it. I say they were peppering them sorely while they were crossing the river, until some women—the followers of the camp—ran down (poor creatures) to the shore, and the stream was so deep in the middle they could scarcely ford it; so some dragoons who were galloping as hard as they could out of the fire pulled up on seeing the condition of the women-kind, and each horseman took up a woman behind him, though it diminished his own power of speeding from the danger. The moment the French saw this act of manly courtesy, they ceased firing, gave the dragoons a cheer, and as long as the women were within gunshot, not a trigger was pulled in the French line, but volleys of cheers instead of ball-cartridge was sent after the brigade till all the women were over. Now wasn't that generous?”