With Moore at Corunna | Page 5

defy any
man to say that he is not. He will get there one of these days, if a
French bullet does not stop him on the way, a contingency that it is
needless for me to mention."
"I suppose that it is not strictly regular to omit the date of his birth," the
colonel said; "but just at present I expect they are not very particular. I
suppose that that will do, Mr. Cleary?"

"I think that you can countersign that, Colonel," the adjutant said, with
a laugh. "The Horse Guards do not move very rapidly, and by the time
that letter gets to London we may be on board ship, and they would
hardly bother to send a letter for further particulars to us in Spain, but
will no doubt gazette him at once. The fact, too--which of course you
will mention--that he is the son of the senior captain of your regiment,
will in itself render them less likely to bother about the matter."
"Well, just write out the letter of nomination, Cleary; I am a mighty bad
hand at doing things neatly."
The adjutant drew a sheet of foolscap to him and wrote:--
To the Adjutant-general, Horse Guards,
Sir, I have the honour to inform you that, in accordance with the
privilege granted to me in your communication of--
and he looked at the colonel.
"The 14th inst.," the latter said, after consulting the letter.
--I beg to nominate as an ensign in this regiment, Terence O' Connor,
the son of Captain Lawrence O' Connor, its senior captain. I inclose
certificate of Assistant-surgeon O' Flaherty,--the surgeon being at
present absent on leave--certifying to his physical fitness for a
commission in his Majesty's service. Mr. O' Connor having been
brought up from childhood in the regiment is already perfectly
acquainted with the work, and will therefore be able to take up his
duties without difficulty. This fact has had some influence in my choice,
as a young officer who had to be taught all his duties would have been
of no use for service in the field for a considerable time after landing in
Portugal. Relying on the nomination being approved by the
commander-in-chief, I shall at once put him on the staff of the regiment
for foreign service, as there will be no time to wait your reply.
I have the honour to be

Your humble, obedient servant,
Then he left a space, and added:
Colonel Mayo Fusiliers.
"Now, if you will sign it, Colonel, the matter will be complete, and I
will send it off with O'Flaherty's certificate today."
"That is a good stroke, Cleary," the colonel said, as he read it aloud.
"They will see that it is too late to raise any questions, and the 'going on
for seventeen' will be accepted as sufficient."
He touched a bell.
"Orderly, tell Mr. Terence O'Connor that I wish to see him."
Terence was sitting in a state of suppressed excitement at his father's
quarters. He had a strong belief that the matter would be managed
somehow, for he knew that the colonel had no malice in his disposition,
and would not let the episode of the bird--for which he was now
heartily sorry--stand in the way. On receiving the message he at once
went across to the colonel's quarters. The latter rose and held out his
hand to him as he entered.
"Terence O'Connor," he said, "I am pleased to be able to inform you
that from the present moment you are to consider yourself an officer in
his Majesty's Mayo Fusiliers. The Horse Guards have given me the
privilege of nominating a gentleman to the vacant ensigncy, and I have
had great pleasure in nominating your father's son. Now, lad," he said,
in different tone of voice, "I feel sure that you will do credit my
nomination, and that you will keep your love of fun and mischief
within reasonable bounds."
"I will try to do so, Colonel," the lad said, in a low voice, "and I am
grateful indeed for the kindness that you have shown me. I have always
hoped that some day I might obtain a commission in your regiment, but
never even hoped that it would be until after I had done something to

deserve it. Indeed I did not think that it was even possible that I could
obtain a commission until----"
"Tut, tut, lad, don't say a word about age! Doctor O'Flaherty had
certified that you are going on for seventeen, which is quite sufficient
for me, and at any rate you will see that boyish tricks are out of place in
the case of an officer going on for seventeen. Now, your father had best
take you down into the town and get you measured for your uniforms at
once.