"'Sure as you are beside me, my love,' growled the general; 'bad example to the soldiers--very! subversive of all discipline--I'll smash him now--absent from guard--a general court-martial----' "'A saucy jackanapes,' said Miss Towler. "'Gross dereliction of duty!' "'He was most impertinent to Maria at the last ball,' said Mrs. Towler. "'Violation of the articles of war,' growled the Major General; 'but here we are close on the barracks--now we shall have him!' "'Guard turn out!' cried the sentry, presenting arms, and facing his post. "'Stop, coachman,' cried the general, as the carriage, with wheels flashing and its steaming bays at full gallop, dashed up to the guard house, where they reared back on their haunches, as the guard formed line, opened ranks, and the drum gave the single customary ruffle, just as I dropped unseen from the foot-board behind, drew my sword, and took my place coolly at the head of my men. "'Sergeant,' roared the general; 'where's the officer of the guard--where's that infernal--where is Mr. Slingsby?' "'Here, general,' said the astonished noncommissioned officer. "'I am here, sir,' said I, haughtily lowering the point of my sword. "'Here--you!' he exclaimed with a glance of astonishment and perplexity, as he fumbled with his confounded detail card; 'what the deuce--I thought--that will do, however; guard, turn in, sir; coachman, drive on!' "And the carriage, with the general and all his daughters, with their fringed parasols, rolled away. Old Towler never discovered how I circumvented him, though he assured his son, the aide-de-camp, that he could have made his affidavit on seeing me at the races, and in ten minutes after found me at the head of my guard more than two miles distant." Next day Slingsby and I left the garrison on our mission to Seville. He accompanied me with some reluctance, for he disliked the Spaniards, having been frequently among them, and being one who possessed a strange facility for getting into all kinds of scrapes and broils. Before starting we received from the military secretary all the papers connected with the affair of the guarda costa; and, what was of more importance to us, we received from the paymaster a necessary portion of "the soul of Pedro Garcias," and taking with us only our undress uniform and grey great-coats, our swords and revolvers (for one might as well travel without brains as without arms in Spain; besides, Fabrique de Urquija, a devil of a fellow, haunted the Sierra de Ronda), a valise with six shirts each, a box of cubas, and a John Murray, we crossed the isthmus, passed through the Spanish lines about an hour after the morning gun was fired, and with the gorgeous sunrise of a beautiful Spanish day took the wild and lonely road into Andalusia, with well-filled purses, good nags under us, light hearts and thoughtless heads, and in such a frame of mind, that, in pursuit of adventure, we would have faced anything, from a black beetle to a mad bull.