continually last in the hunting field, O'Grady's opinion of her speed was
never shaken. There was always an excuse ready; the horse had been badly
shod, or it was out of sorts and had not had its feed before starting, or
the going was heavy and it did not like heavy ground, or the country was
too hilly or too flat for it. It was the same with his company, with his
non-commissioned officers, with his soldier servant, a notoriously drunken
rascal, and with his quarters.

O'Grady looked round in mild expostulation at the laugh.

"You will see," he said, confidently, "there can be no mistake about it."

Two days later a ship-of-war entered the harbour, the usual salutes were
exchanged, then a signal was run up to one of her mast-heads, and again
the guns of the forts pealed out a salute, and word ran through the
transports that Sir Arthur Wellesley was on board. On the following day
the fleet got under way, the transports being escorted by a line-of-battle
ship and four frigates, which were to join Lord Collingwood's squadron as
soon as they had seen their charge safe into the Tagus.

Before evening the _Sea-horse__ was a mile astern of the rearmost ship of
the convoy, and one of the frigates sailing back fired a gun as a signal
to her to close up.

"Well, O'Grady, we have left the fleet, you see, though not in the way you
predicted."

"Whist, man! don't you see that the captain is out of temper because they
have all got to keep together, instead of letting him go ahead?"