lined to be a
wee bit dubious about that."

However, as he reflected, it was really none of his business. He was
responsible for his own Troop, not for the conduct of the campaign, and
that let him out.

It was a hot, hazy day, when the sun was fully up, and the Scouts
marched into Bremerton, to find it a sleepy, lazy, old-fashioned little
town. Above a building in the center the national flag was floating, and
next to it a Red standard. Durland turned the Troop over to Dick
Crawford, with instructions to make a bivouac near the centre of the
little place, and then walked over to the building where the flag was
flying.

As he surmised, it had become unexpectedly brigade headquarters for the
fourth brigade of the Red army, which had left Guernsey before the
breakfast call had been sounded for most of the army, and had arrived
too soon.

"Where is your brigade, Tomlinson?" he asked a young officer, who almost
ran into him as he came out.

"Oh, hello, Durland!" said the officer, wheeling briskly to shake hands
with the Scout-Master. "Why, we're hidden in the woods. Old Beansy's
fuming and fretting because he's here too soon. The men are lying back
there, but he's moved up here for brigade headquarters because it's a
field telegraph station and he can talk as much as he likes with General
Harkness."

"Your brigade commander is Beansy, I take it?" said Durland, with a
grin.

"You're right, he is! General Beverly Bean, bless him! He'll want to see
you, too, now that you've blundered into his territory. Go on up--third
door to the left!"

Durland stopped to report his arrival to division headquarters and then
went on, getting into the presence of General Bean after a few minutes'
delay.

"Glad to see you sir," said the testy old officer, who was a real
soldier. "Suppose you know we're intended to get into Hardport just as
soon after this war begins as we can get there."

"How soon will that be?" asked Durland.

"About two hours, if we're not cut to pieces on the way. I want your
help here, Captain. Can you send some of your Scouts over there to
investigate? I've an idea that getting into Hardport may be easier than
getting out again. If Bliss knows his business, he will be regarding
that as a pretty important place."

"I've orders to cover five miles each side of Bremerton," said Durland.
"I can spare two Scouts for any duty you may wish done, General. Could
they have a car?"

"Do they know how to run one?"