ween a regular Boy Scout encampment
and the strict military camp of which, for the next week, they were to
form a part.

"Remember to stick close to your own camp," he said. "After taps don't
go out of your own company street. There's no need of it, and I don't
want any visiting around among the other troops. In a place like this
camp, boys and men don't mix very well, and you'd better stick by
yourselves. We won't be there very long, anyway, because we'll probably
be detached from headquarters Monday. The army will break up, too,
because this is really only a concentration camp, where the army will be
mobilized."

"When does the war begin?" asked Dick Crawford.

"War is supposed to be declared at noon to-morrow," said Durland. "It is
regarded as inevitable already, however, and General Harkness can begin
throwing out his troops as soon as he has them ready, though not a shot
can be fired before noon. Neither can a single Red or Blue soldier cross
the State line before that time. However, I suspect that the line will
be pretty well patrolled before the actual declaration, so as to prevent
General Bliss from throwing any considerable force across the line
before we are ready to meet it. If he could get between Guernsey and the
State capital in any force, the chances are that we'd be beaten before
we ever began to fight at all."

"That wouldn't do," said Dick Crawford. "Will we have any fortifications
to defend at all, sir?"

"Not unless we're driven back pretty well toward the capital. Of course
there are no real fortifications there, but imaginary lines have been
established there. However, if we were forced to take to those the moral
victory would be with the Blues, even though they couldn't actually
compel the surrender of the city within the time limit. If I were
General Harkness, I think I would try at once to deceive the enemy by
presenting a show of strength on his front and carry the war into his
own territory by a concealed flanking movement, and if that were
properly covered I think we could get between him and his base and cut
him off from his supplies."

"You mean you'd really take the offensive as the best means of defense?"

"That's been the principle upon which the best generals always have
worked, from Hannibal to Kuroki," said Durland, his eyes lighting up.
"Look at the Japanese in their war with Russia. They didn't wait for the
Russians to advance through Manchuria. They crossed the border at on