ner in the art of war. I upheld him, and spoke
of the battles and sieges in which he had taken part. Then he asked me
about myself, and I told him my birth and bringing up, and he said he
might be of assistance to me, and would call here and see you."

"Well, well, it almost passes belief, Hector, that a boy like you should
have dared to enter into an argument with an officer, even if only, as
you believed, a captain. And to think that this has come of it, instead
of his having laid his whip across your back, as you deserved. Your
fortune is made, lad, that is, if you behave yourself. Turenne is a
great soldier; and more than that, from what I have heard he is loved by
his men more than any other general, and they will do anything for
him. His regiment here, though he was but nineteen when he obtained
his command, was admitted to be one of the best drilled and the best
disciplined of any in the service.

"He saw to everything himself, spent his whole time in drilling them
as if he had been only a lieutenant with nothing but his sword for his
fortune, instead of a great noble. When he was with de la Valette
and Weimar, and the army had to fall back and were well nigh starved,
Turenne sold his plate and his carriages to buy food for the men. He had
his own baggage thrown out of the wagons to make room for those who
were too weak to march; and on one occasion gave up his own horse to a
soldier who was sinking from fatigue and hunger, and himself marched on
foot. He always leads his troops in battle, and wherever he goes they
will follow. He was right in saying that he does not spare himself. The
soldiers believe that he does without any sleep when on a campaign, for
he is for ever going round seeing that everything is in order, that the
outposts are properly placed and vigilant, and that the soldiers have
food, and such comfort as can be obtained. Now let us go in and tell my
comrades of your good fortune. There is not a man in the regiment who
will not be glad to hear of it. I will go across with you myself to the
colonel's lodging."

"But please, sergeant, do not say a word about my folly; only say that
the general, coming across a party of us playing at war, questioned me,
and finding that I was the son of a Scottish officer who had been killed
at La Rochelle, and that I had worked hard at getting up the history
of the wars, and longed much to go into the army, had promised to come
round the next day, and said that he