The Dare Boys in Vincennes

by Stephen Angus Douglas Cox

"Go ahead," said two of the older men. "You can make an old tale sound new, anyhow."

Thus encouraged the soldier launched forth on his yarn.

"It was a strange regiment, that old one, of 'Dragoons,'" he began. "There were men of all lands in that band and under the 'Red Colonel' it was a rare fighting force. We were always in the front of everything and when finally a ten days' truce with the French was decided, we were all glad of the rest.

"There was only one Spaniard, I forgot to say, in the whole regiment, for somehow or other, those fellows weren't much in favor of us and we didn't trust them any too fully. This fellow had been with us for a number of years and had time and again proven himself true to the regiment and his comrades.

"We were just at the foot of the pass through the Pyrannees when the truce came, and this Spaniard fellow, who was a captain then, and very friendly with the colonel, asked for a ten-day leave of absence. He gave some excuse about long absence from home and about going to see his mother, and the colonel allowed him to go. He took his sword and his musket with him and disappeared along the track toward the mountain passes.

"There were some in his own troop who didn't love their captain any to well and in particular the young lieutenant who was directly under this Spanish captain would have been glad to have him out of the way. Therefore, before half of his ten days were up, reports of an ugly nature began to circulate. They were somewhat to the effect that the captain had accepted an offer from our enemies and had gone over to them with information that would be of great advantage when the truce was over.

"His friends indignantly rejected all such suggestions and said that the captain himself would deal with the parties who started such rumors when he returned. But the ninth and then the tenth day came and passed and the captain didn't return to his place in the regiment, nor to disprove all remarks that had been passed in his absence.

"After twelve days, the colonel, very much against his wishes, but in accordance with his duty, had the captain deposed from office and read out of the regiment."

Here the soldier paused, and Tim, who was very much absorbed in the narrative, said, "And did the man niver turn up agin?"

"Oh, to be sure," continued the British trooper, "and that's the story. On the thirteenth night there comes a challenge from one of the outposts and the Spanish captain answers the call.