192 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



of mercy or pastoral duty. Their story was accepted ; 

 a passport -was given them, and they went on their 

 way rejoicing. Even a little Finnish handmaiden, 

 who came in a little cart behind with some household 

 stuff, and had remained fixed in a state of strong 

 despair from the time she first cast eyes on the 

 soldiers, brightened up as she passed our posts, and 

 smiled and kissed her hands. Such was our share of 

 the adventure. The sequel was more tragic. In the 

 evening (so our allies told the story) they were dis- 

 covered making their way back to the forts through 

 the French lines, and were fired at by their sentries 

 as spies. The priest was shot, and the lady wounded, 

 though she had still resolution enough to drive on 

 and make her escape. To give an additional spice of 

 romance to the tale, they asserted that the priest was 

 an officer in disguise, and the lady a man in masquer- 

 ade. If this were so, there is no truth in outward 

 signs, for she certainly talked small, had no traces 

 of beard under her muffler, and must have been a 

 very manikin in coat and breeches. Onwards we 

 marched after this rencontre, without seeing any- 

 thing more formidable than a group of old ladies 

 in red petticoats, and with red kerchiefs over their 

 heads, whom a long - sighted amateur pronounced 

 to be Russians with helmets, until to his great 

 discomfiture they came near, and manifested them- 

 selves to be of the unwarlike sex. It was now- 

 evident that the enemy were not strong enough to 



