"I must know all about it. I can’t remember. How long have I been ill?" "Nearly three weeks. Now, if you’ll promise not to get excited, I’ll tell you what happened. You know a man named Antonio?" "Yes, of course; he helped me in Saragossa." "Well, if he weren’t a friend of yours I’d punch his head. He is the leader of this band of ruffians that scooped me up, two months ago, when I was riding over the hills to see the fun at Saragossa. Antonio wasn’t with them then. I couldn’t understand a word they said. They couldn’t understand a word I said. I roared ’Inglese! Inglese!’ till I was sick. No good. They kept me with them and made me get into this outrageous toggery, and with them I’ve been ever since, like a canary in a cage." "But—" "You mustn’t talk. Doctor’s orders. Lucky for you I was here, or they’d have sent you to kingdom come. With their nasty messes!—ugh!" "Where did you get your medicines, then?" "Silence! Don’t believe in medicine. Bet Antonio three to one in Frenchmen—only he couldn’t understand—that I’d pull you through on cold water; and I’ve done it,—thank God!" The sudden change to earnestness in Dugdale’s tone was almost comic. "And you were pretty bad, I can tell you. Raved like one o’clock. All about Pomeroy and Pepito, and some chap whose name rhymed with ass, and Mig Prig—most about Mig Prig,—and you laughed and shouted ’Fire the mine!’ and ’Pommy, I’ll punch your head,’ and all sorts of funny things." "But what made me ill?" "A villainous stab in the back. By gum! if I had the beast here I’d trounce him, I bet I would. You and Antonio had captured a foraging-party of French at a country-house down there; you tackled the officers single-handed; dashed plucky of you, begad! and you sprang out after a scoundrelly Spaniard who escaped, a fellow in French pay; and afterwards you were found among the olives with a hole in your back and your sword covered with blood." "I remember now," cried Jack. "I must get up. I must save Juanita." He tried to rise, but found that he had no power. "Juanita be hanged, whoever he may be. Lie still, and don’t talk. I haven’t finished yet. Wish I’d been with you, but these confounded brigands won’t let me stir from head-quarters. I’ve had the most disgusting luck. I came out to see the fun, and hanged if I’ve seen any at all. Well, they found you with a hole in your back and brought you here, and they were in a deuce of a way about you. They had a score or more of French prisoners with them, including officers, one of them a fat, red-faced fellow—" "I remember it all now. That’s my friend the commissary."