ent. He
gazed upon the faces about him a few moments in silence, and then
spoke again:

"I need not caution you to silence. A false move and all would be lost.
But if we can command 10,000 more men when the crisis arrives, men who,
like the rest of us, will refuse to fight more when the word is given, we
shall be strong enough; and if I told you how many already are pledged
you could scarcely believe me. Now here," the general exposed to view a
large box, "I have many more of the little peas that are our bond of
membership. I want each of you to take as many as you please; and pass
them around when you have convinced yourselves the men you approach are
acting in good faith."

One after another the men in the tent stepped forward and dipped a hand
into the box of peas and put the little round pellets into their own
pockets. Then the general signified that he had yet a few remarks to
make. The men stood about respectfully as he addressed them.

"Men," he said, "there may be some among you who question the justice of
this move. To those I say that we are engaged in a great effort. To
prevent further war and bloodshed among ourselves and our enemies is a
great duty; for nothing can possibly be gained by the loss of millions of
lives and the destruction of billions of dollars worth of property.
However, if there are any among you who would draw out of this movement,
I would ask that you do so now."

The general paused and looked keenly at the faces about him. No
man spoke.

"Good," said the general, "then I know you are with me."

"And the time? When will the time come?" asked one man in the crowd.

"That I cannot say," responded the general, quietly. "But I can assure
you that it will be before long. You will all be notified by the
messengers, that you may be ready. Now are there any other questions?"

"If we fail, then what?" asked another man.

General Pombrey shrugged his shoulders.

"Probably court martial and a firing squad," he said indifferently. "But
you will have died in a glorious cause, whereas now--"

A glimpse of happiness stole over the general's face. To Hal and Chester
it meant but one thing. General Pombrey was a fanatic; and the men who
had come under his spell were fanatics. In that instant Hal and Chester
both realized that this matter must be brought to General Petain
immediately.

After some few other words, General Pombrey signified that the meeting
was over, and the men filed from the