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THE PARTISAN.

honesty into him, something may be got out of him yet. We must take him."

"Very good, sir;—and you now go back into the camp?"

"Yes: we must put the wounded man into some sort of care, though he will suffer, wanting attendance."

"Leave that to me, sir. You take him into camp, and I have two men to come out this very day, one of whom is a sort of doctor—good as any one hereabout. He used to drench horses in Dorchester; and some of the grannies did say, that there were no drinks like those made by Doctor Oakenburg. But that, I'm thinking, was because he put more brandy in them than anything else; and if a Dorchester granny loves one thing more than another, after opium, it is brandy; and sometimes, liking them equally well, she takes both together. He, major, and the old negro, with some one of the troop, will be guard enough, and Frampton's son Lance can stay with them in the swamp. He's quite too young to be of much service, and will only learn what's bad, going with the troop."

"I have thought better of that, and shall endeavour to attach the lad to myself, and probably, in the end, place him at 'The Oaks' with my uncle. But time wears, and we must move for the camp. I shall take these men into service, and place the wounded man under the charge of one of the troopers, and your doctor can relieve him."

"Well, the doctor will be here to-day with Lieutenant Porgy"—

"Porgy—an ancient and fishlike name."

"Yes, but Lieutenant Porgy is not a fish—though you may call him a strange one. He is more fleshy than fishy; for that matter he has flesh enough for a score of dragoons. He's a perfect mountain of flesh."

"He will never suit for a dragoon, Humphries."

"Well, Sir, if I didn't know the man, T should think so too; but he rides like the devil, and fights like blazes. He's been fighting from the very beginning of the war down in the south. He comes from the Ashepoo, and is a mighty smart fellow, I tell you. You'll like him. Lord, how he can talk. You'll like him, I know. He's been a rich planter in his time, but he's ate and drank and