were suited to the lads he
addressed.

"You see, if you go with the bands of men, you will be lost in the
crowd. The men will rush forward in front, you will all be in the
rear. You want to serve your country. Well, you can serve it much
better by watching the movements of the enemy, and carrying word of
it to the commander. Then, sometimes, we can have a little
enterprise of our own--cut off a post of the enemy, or manage to
decoy them into lanes where we know their guns will stick fast.

"It is not size and strength that are most necessary in war; but
quickness, alertness, and watchfulness. You know that, already, the
leaders have found that nothing can persuade the men to keep guard,
or to carry out outpost duty. If we do this, even if we do nothing
else, we shall be serving the cause much better than if we were to
join in a general rush upon the enemy."

"But we shall have no muskets with us," one of the boys objected.

"Nor would you want them. You would have to move about quickly, and
guns would be terribly inconvenient, if you had to push your way
through a hedge or a close thicket. And besides, if you had guns
they would not be of much use to you, for none of you are
accustomed to their use, and it needs a great deal of training to
learn to shoot straight.

"I am quite sure that if I were to march with twenty of you to
Cathelineau's headquarters, and were to say to him, 'We have come
here, sir, to act as scouts for you, to bring you in news of the
movements of the enemy, and to do anything in our power to prevent
you from being surprised,' he would be more pleased than if I had
brought him a hundred men armed with muskets."

When twenty had expressed their willingness to go, Leigh asked
Jean, who had warmly entered into the plan, to speak to the fathers
of the lads and get them to consent to their going with him. He
accordingly called them together for that purpose.

"But do you mean that they will be away altogether, master?"

"Yes, while this goes on."

"But we shall lose their labour in the fields?"

"There will not be much labour in the fields, till this is over;
and by having scouts watching the enemy you will get early news of
their coming, and have time to drive off your beasts before they
arrive."

"But how will they live?"

"When they are in this neighbourhood, one or two can come back and
fetch bread. If they are too far off for that, my brother will buy
bread for them. In cases where