"Excuse me, sir," said he, "but I know that I may take the liberty of talking to you, for when I lay in hospital at Minden, wounded, sick, and dying as I thought, no hand was more ready than yours to help me. Never did my auld mother at hame, when I was a yellow-haired bairn, tread mair lightly by my cradle than you did by my straw pallet, to see that I took those devilish draughts of old Drs. Blackstrap and Probe of ours." "But what about all that now, Hob?--to the point." "Well, sir, if I might recommend--I'm an older soldier than you--we should go threes about now, and get back, for the bridge is undermined, and that Major Shirley----" "Well?" said I, as Hob paused. "He had a queer twinkle in his eye as we rode off." "What, Hob--you do not mean--you cannot insinuate----" "Pardon me, sir," said the big burly trooper, lowering his voice; "but he laughed in the faces of the dead at Minden--faces that in life he was grave enough before, and I dinna like a bane in his body." "Come, come, Hob, you must not speak in this way to me. The major is esteemed a good officer." "I know that, sir," replied the trooper, dryly; "but by whom?" "Well," said I, impatiently, "by whom?" "The worst men in the army." "Hum--he is a brave man at all events, Hob." "Yes, sir--we all saw that when he bungled the orders for Lord George Sackville at Minden, and cost the poor general his commission--he that was there under fire, as brave as a lion, in the old red coat that he had worn at Fontenoy." "Good or bad, Hob, brave or not, it is perilous work for you to speak thus of an officer." "Well, sir, I beg your pardon," replied the obstinate trooper, "but I can't help having my own thoughts of him, and they are _unco queer ones_." Just as he said this we reached the brow of an eminence, over which the road dipped suddenly down into a hollow; and there just beneath us, we saw a train of some thirty laden waggons, proceeding leisurely under an escort of at least three companies of French troops, the _Volontaires de Clermont_. Thus the rumble of wheels so long heard by Hob, was now completely accounted for! The French uttered a shout on beholding us, and proceeded to handle their muskets, by priming, loading, and casting about, while we wheeled round our horses and departed without further ceremony to reach the bridge of Lahn. A hundred or more of the French tossed aside their knapsacks, haversacks and everything that might encumber them, and rushed up the slope to the crest of the eminence. Here they poured a confused volley after us which did no harm, but I could see the bullets ripping up the frozen snow far in front. Then with a yell the Volontaires dashed after us in pursuit.