"Landlord, I ride back to Rueda." His voice had the ring of authority. "My own horse is tired. I will ride the Frenchman’s horse. You will keep mine here until it is sent for, and a fair price shall be paid you for the other if mine is returned to me safe and sound. At once, if you please!" It was not the Spaniard’s way to move with alacrity, and it took fifteen minutes to saddle the horse and bring it round from the stables. Then Jack mounted, his whole body tingling with joy; and, the despatch carefully buttoned up inside his tunic, he set off on the fine Arab gray for Rueda. The horse was not too fresh, and went all too slowly for Jack’s eager haste. It was near midnight when he cantered into the open street of Rueda, and dismounted at the door of the posada. There was a light in this as in many other houses, and he guessed that here he would be most likely to find General Stewart. The sound of his horse’s hoofs had drawn an orderly to the door. "Ah, Benson, catch hold of this nag, there’s a good fellow! Is the general up?" "Yes, you’ll find him in the first room, sir." Jack waited to hear no more. He almost ran into the room, and found himself in the presence of General Stewart and a few other officers. "Oh, it’s you!" said Stewart, turning on his chair to face the intruder. "Now, look here, Lumsden, this is all very well, but things may go too far, you know. ’Twas a mere fool’s trick to bolt off after a runaway vedette when, for all you knew, a whole army-corps was within a mile of us." "Sorry, sir," said Jack, "but I understood that you wished to secure the whole party, and I went after the only one that had escaped.... There are no Frenchmen on the road; in fact, to the best of my belief there’s only one Frenchman between here and Valladolid, and he’s dead." "You got him after all, then?" said Stewart with a gleam of interest. "Unluckily no, sir; he got off. It was another fellow, and he carried this despatch." The general took the paper without a word. He opened it, and began to read. "Gad, what a find!" he exclaimed. "Look here, Seymour. ’Born to command the world’, begad!" The other officers got up and looked over his shoulder. Jack watched their faces, and noticed how their expression changed from an ordinary interest and amusement to an excitement rivalling his own. "By George, Lumsden," cried the general as he finished the document, "you’ve found a treasure here!" "It cost me twenty dollars, sir." "Dirt cheap at twenty thousand! How did it happen?" Jack briefly told the story. "Boney was always too careless about his aides-de-camp," said Seymour. "The idea of sending the poor chap off without an escort!" "Spare your pity!" laughed Stewart. "This must go off to the commander-in-chief at once." He looked at Jack, and added dryly: "I suppose you are too tired to take it yourself?" "If you’ll give me a fresh horse I’ll start at once, sir."