‘True enough, Larry; but I’ve only half a biscuit left, and my water-bottle’s empty,’ said Jack. ‘Ditto for me,’ said Larry. The men were told they could ‘stand easy,’ and several wandered off a little way among the trees. Larry and Jack walked towards a spot where wild-flowers were growing in great luxuriance; and, plucking some of these, they wandered farther on till they had got some distance from their regiments. Presently they came in sight of two tall pine-trees with thin trunks, and they looked at these, then at each other, then both burst out laughing. ‘Bedad, I wonder whether yer thoughts is the same as mine?’ laughed Larry. ‘I was thinking it was years since I climbed a tree,’ said Jack. ‘And never since I left the dear ould counthry have I rivalled the monkeys,’ said the impetuous Irishman. ‘Jack darlint, I’ll race yez up to the top, and the last one up shall stand the other a dhrink of porter the first toime we ever set foot in a canteen again.’ ‘Done!’ said Jack, and in a few moments Lancer and Hussar had doffed headdress, sword, and instruments, and were climbing for dear life. Larry went up as nimbly as a monkey, and out-stripped Jack. ‘Hurroo,’ he cried, ‘I’ve beaten yez!’ ‘You have, Larry,’ panted Jack; ‘I give you best. But what a fine view we can get from here! Why, there’s the edge of the forest, and the road, and’---- ‘Howly Moses, look there to yer left!’ cried Larry, almost dropping from his perch in his excitement. ‘Russians and baggage!’ gasped Jack, as he gazed down into the road on which Larry’s eyes were fixed. There, sure enough, was a long line of wagons, all [Illustration: ‘Howly Moses, look there to yer left!’ cried Larry.] standing still, the drivers dozing on their seats, while the escort, a battalion of foot Cossacks, were sitting beside the road chatting, or strolling listlessly to and fro. The lads descended to the ground and looked at one another with astonished faces. ‘Larry, we’ve made a discovery,’ said Jack. ‘We must get back and bring our fellows down; those wagons must be captured.’ The trumpeters turned and ran back at top speed, till they suddenly emerged from between the trees and almost ran into two mounted Hussar officers. ‘Bedad, it’s the colonel,’ said Larry. ‘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.’