A SKETCH IX THE TROPICS. 165 



from the respect paid him by the soldiers and others 

 whom he met. 



The morning following this incident we were sitting 

 over our chocolate, when an orderly dragoon came to 

 ask for Captain Eeady. The captain went out to 

 speak to him, and presently returning, went on with 

 his breakfast very deliberately. 



When he had done, he asked me if I were inclined 

 for a little excursion out of the town, which would, 

 perhaps, keep us a couple of days away. I willingly 

 accepted, heartily sick as I was of the monotonous 

 life we were leading. We packed up our valises, 

 took our pistols and cutlasses, and went out. 



To my astonishment the orderly was waiting at the 

 door with two magnificent Spanish chargers, splendidly 

 accoutred. They were the finest horses I had seen in 

 Peru, and my curiosity was strongly excited to know 

 who had sent them, and whither we were going. To 

 my questions, Eeady replied that we were going to 

 visit the officer whom he had spoken to on the pre- 

 ceding day, and who was with the besieging army, 

 and had once been his passenger, but he declared he 

 did not know his name or rank. 



We had left the town about a mile behind us, 

 when we heard the sound of cannon in the direction 

 we were approaching ; it increased as we went on, 

 and about a mile further we met a string of carts, 

 full of wounded, going in to Lima. Here and there 

 we caught sight of parties of marauders, who dis- 



