"No; but now it's all over I am glad I did change, in spite of the
tramp we had. It has been an adventure, and beside, it was a good
thing to learn how best to get out of a fog."
"How did you manage, Conway?" Captain O'Connor asked; "for once lost
in such a fog as that on those hills there really does not seem
anything to be done."
Ralph related the various steps he had taken, and how, eventually,
they had come upon running water and followed it down to a road.
"Well, I really think you have done remarkably well, youngster. I
shouldn't be surprised if we have some more tramps before us, for I
had a letter this morning from the colonel saying that the fellow
known as the red Captain, a notorious scoundrel who has been with his
gang committing all sorts of atrocities in Galway, has made the place
too hot for him at last, and is reported to have made his way down to
the south coast, somewhere in this direction; and we are ordered to
keep a sharp lookout for him. He is an unmitigated ruffian, and a
desperate one. He has shot several constables who have tried to
capture him, and as he has three or four men with him nearly as bad as
himself I expect we shall have some trouble with him. There has been a
reward of a hundred pounds for his capture for a long time, but so far
without success. One man, whom he suspected rightly or wrongly of
intending to betray him, he killed by fastening the door of his
cottage and then setting the thatch alight; and the man, his wife, and
four children were burned to death.
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