o had started away to roam hungrily
around the sutler's camp again.

"After all," he said, "these veterans have a right to jeer at us.
They've seen war; and now they know whether they'll fight or run
away. It's more than we know, so far."

"Well, I tell you," said Stephen candidly, "there's no chance of my
running away. A fellow can't skedaddle when his father's looking
at him. Besides, Phil, I don't know how it is, but I'm not very
much afraid, not as much as I thought I'd be."

Berkley looked at him curiously. "Have you been much under fire?"

"Only that affair at the Blue Bridge--you know yourself how it was.
After the first shell had made me rather sick at my stomach I was
all right--except that I hated to see father sitting up there on
his horse while we were all lying snug in the wheat. . . . How did
you feel when the big shells came over?"

"Bad," said Berkley briefly.

"Sick?"

"Worse."

"I don't see why you should feel queer, Phil--after that bully
thing you did with the escort----"

"Oh, hell!" cut in Berkley savagely, "I'm sick of hearing about it.
If you all knew that I was too scared to realise what I was doing
you'd let up on that episode."

Stephen laughed. "I hope our boys get scared in the same
way. . . . Hello, here's a friend of yours I believe----"

They turned to encounter Casson, the big dragoon, arm in arm with
the artilleryman, Arthur Wye.

"Give us some pie, you son of a gun!" they suggested
unceremoniously; and when supplied and munching, they all locked
arms and strolled out across the grass toward the hill, where
already, dark against the blinding blue, hundreds of idle soldiers
had gathered to sit on the turf and stare at the tall cloud on the
horizon, or watch the signal officer on the higher hill beyond,
seated at his telescope, while, beside him, a soldier swung dirty
square flags in the wind,

As they arrived on the crest a quick exclamation escaped them; for
there, beyond, mile on mile, lay the armed host of which their
regiments were tiny portions.

"Lord!" said Stephen in a low, surprised voice, "did you fellows
know that the whole army was near here?"

"Not I," said Berkley, gazing spellbound out across the rolling
panorama of river, swamp, woods, and fields. "I don't believe it
occurs very often, either--the chance to see an entire army all at
once, encamped right at your feet. What a lot of people and
animals!"

They sat down, cross-legged, enjoying