thousand. But the man dare not come to Elvas to search them out, as
the scamps promised faithfully to make sausage meat of him should he
venture near the town."

"If the cowardly rascal will not come forward and lodge a complaint,"
said Lord Strathern, "what the devil can we do?"

"We can bring him here and protect him," said L'Isle, "while he hunts
out the culprits. If necessary, I will take him before my regiment,
and let him look every man in the face, to see if he can identify the
offenders in the ranks; and so with other regiments."

"What! muster the whole brigade for such a poltroon to inspect them!"
exclaimed Lord Strathern. "What are you dreaming of, L'Isle? It would
be offering a bounty for accusations against the men. Half these
rascals would swear away a man's life for a _crusado_."

"Perhaps so, my lord. But by cross-questions and examining them apart,
the truth may be wrung from even lying witnesses."

"Impossible, with these people; the truth is not in them. Come,
L'Isle, no one knows better than you, who are so much in Sir Rowland's
councils, that we are on the point of moving from this part of the
country. The little disorders that have occurred here, can be followed
by no ill consequences."

"We carry the worse consequences with us," said L'Isle,
pertinaciously. "Little disorders, my lord! The peasantry round Elvas
do not talk of them so. They say that their property is plundered,
their women insulted, and themselves at constant risk in life and