light of dawn,
growing stronger every minute now, the twinkling fires had a strange and
ghost-like effect.

"Looks like the real thing, doesn't it?" asked General Bean. "I wish I'd
had such a chance when I was a boy as you have now. We don't ever want
another war--but there's no use acting as if it was beyond the range of
possibility, and the next best thing to not fighting at all is knowing
how to do it and getting it over quickly when it does become inevitable.
If I had my way these maneuvers would take place in a score of different
parts of the country every year. It isn't asking much to ask the militia
to turn out for one week of the fifty-two, and a week of this sort of
thing is worth a year of ordinary drill and theory work in armories. I
don't mean that the drill isn't useful; it is. But it isn't everything,
as we've seemed inclined to think. This sort of work, and constant
practice at the ranges is what makes soldiers. These fellows, if they
ever go to a real war, won't have to work any harder than my brigade has
had to work in the last few hours. They're so tired now that they
haven't got enough energy to know they are tired. They'd just as soon
march as rest--and that's the way they ought to be. Do 'em good!"

Jack led the way of Colonel Jones's regiment into Newville, and then
turned down the pike. The firing in front was very sharp now. And soon
it was redoubled, as the advance of the main body of General Bean's
brigade came into touch with the Blue troops who had so decidedly
worried Abbey during the night.

Finally, on the crest of a hill which overlooked the valley beneath,
Jack stopped the car.

"This is a splendid chance to see a battle on a small scale, Tom," he
said. "There's nothing else for us to do now--we might as well take a
look at things."

There was light enough now to make it worth while to stop and look on.
Abbey's men were dismounted. In a field a mile or so back of the line of
battle they could see the horses of his regiment, hobbled, and under
guard. Before them, lower down, was the enemy, doing little of the
firing, and with his real strength pretty well masked. And, as they
knew, Bean's troops were advancing slowly, ready to take them in the
rear, and cut them off.

"Where are the umpires?" asked Tom.

"They're somewhere around--trust them for that!" said Jack. "They're not
only supposed to umpire, but they've got to make a detailed report of
all the operations to the War Depa