he'd stolen a sheep; but ever after he didn't have to
be told twice to do a thing."

Zeb laughed, saying, "That sort of treatment was what that kind of man
could understand. But Morgan never allowed one of his men to be
flogged."

"He was terribly flogged once himself."

"Yes, but he was too much of a man for that to break him, though the
ordinary man who's been whipped seems to lose his self respect and his
courage, an' Morgan won't allow it in his command."

By the time Morgan's men arrived at Morristown, Zeb and Rodney were
the best of friends, and the latter had heard the story of the
expedition to Quebec,[2] of Donald Lovell and what a fine lad he was,
until he hoped that Zeb's wish, that they meet him, might be granted.

It was a very small army which Morgan found at Morristown. Of the
sixteen regiments Congress had requested the colonies to furnish
(Congress could do little but request), not over six hundred men had
arrived. The next two months were passed in recruiting the army and
getting it into condition, a very trying time to the many impatient
spirits in Morgan's command, and doubtless very trying also to their
commander, who always chafed under any sort of inaction. What with
target practice and drilling, all were kept out of mischief, however,
and Rodney found that as a marksman he could "hold his own" with the
best.

Zeb, who had become his daily companion, received in May a letter from
his old friend, Donald Lovell, who wrote that he had fully recovered
from a wound he had received in the battle on Long Island the year
before, and hoped soon to get back into the service.

A corps, called Morgan's Rangers, was made up of men picked from the
various regiments, five hundred in all. There were, among them,
Virginians, Pennsylvania "Dutchmen," men from the Carolinas, men from
the frontier and Yankees. Skill in the use of the rifle was a
necessary qualification for membership. They were a fine lot of men
for the perilous duties to which they were to be assigned.

The corps was divided into eight companies, the captains of which
were: Cobel, Posey, Knox, Long, Swearingen, Parr, Boone, and
Henderson, all men selected by Morgan.

The organization of this corps was completed on June 13th, on which
day it was ordered by Washington to watch for the approach of British
scouting parties, for it was learned that Howe was to begin active
operations. The American headquarters had now been changed to
Middleb