Martyn was the weaker man of
the two, Hogan-Yale put up his eyebrows and remarked, firstly, that he was the
son of a Lord, and secondly, that he was as innocent as the babe unborn of the
theatrical resurrection of the Drum-Horse.
"My instructions," said Yale, with a singularly sweet smile, "were that the
Drum-Horse should be sent back as impressively as possible.
I ask you, AM I responsible if a mule-headed friend sends him back in such a
manner as to disturb the peace of mind of a regiment of Her Majesty's Cavalry?"
Martyn said:--"you are a great man and will in time become a General; but I'd
give my chance of a troop to be safe out of this affair."
Providence saved Martyn and Hogan-Yale. The Second-in-Command led the Colonel
away to the little curtained alcove wherein the subalterns of the white Hussars
were accustomed to play poker of nights; and there, after many oaths on the
Colonel's part, they talked together in low tones. I fancy that the Second-in-
Command must have represented the scare as the work of some trooper whom it
would be hopeless to detect; and I know that he dwelt upon the sin and the
shame of making a public laughingstock of the scare.
"They will call us," said the Second-in-Command, who had really a fine
imagination, "they will call us the 'Fly-by-Nights'; they will call us the
'Ghost Hunters'; they will nickname us from one end of the Army list to the
other.
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