A SCENE AFTER THE SACKING OF BADAJOZ. 147 



merits of the contents of the camp kettle, began to 

 give his opinion of our late operations. " Well ! " 

 said he, '' now ids all past an gone, and wasn't it the 

 divvill's own dthroll business, the taking that same 

 place ; an wasn't Long-nose (meaning the Duke of 

 Wellington) a quare lad to sthrive to get into id, see- 

 ing how it was difinded ? But what else could he do, 

 afther all ? didn't he recave ordhers to do id ; and 

 didn't he say to us all, ^ Boys,' says he, ^ ids myself 

 that's sorry to throuble yees upon this dirty arrand ; 

 but we must do id, for all that ; an iv yees can get into 

 id, by hook or by crook, be the powers, id 'ill be the 

 making ov yees all — and ov me too ! ' and didn't he 

 spake the thruth ? ^ Sure,' says he, ^ did I ever tell yees 

 a lie, or spake a word to yees that wasn't as thrue as 

 theGospil? and, if yees folly my directions, there's 

 nothin can bate yees ! ' And sure, afther we got in, 

 was he, like the rest, sthriven to put us out before we 

 devarted ourselves ? Not he, faith. It was he that 

 spoke to the ^ boys ' dacently. ^ Well boys ' says he, 

 when he met meself an a few more aising a house ov a 

 thrifle, Svell boys' says he, (for he knew the button!) 

 ' God bless your work ! ids myself thats proud to 

 think how complately yees tuck the concate out ov 

 the Frinch 88th, in the castel last night.' ^ Why, sir,' 

 says I, (forgettin to call him me Lord,) the divil a 

 Frinch Connaught Ranger ever was born that the Irish 

 Connaught Rangers isn't able to take the concate out 

 ov :' and ids what he said upon the same, splittin his 

 sides wid laffin, that it was thrue for me there wasn't : 

 and blur-an-ouns, boys, aint he the man to stand by ? 

 Don't he take the rough and smooth wid us, and 

 would'nt it be a pitty not to give him his dew ? Don't 

 he expose himself to the wet and cowld wid us, and 

 lie out on the grass at night, like any other baste ? 

 and aint he afther kicken the Frinch before him like 

 an ould foot ball ? Be the powers, whin I see him 

 cummen next or nigh me, my heart gets so big that 

 me body isn't big enough to hould it, and it jumps 

 up clane into me throat, to. get room ! And don't 



