, the other pressing down the hilt of his long
sword.

"Want to see me, my lads?" he said.

There was a general whispering among the men as to who should speak, and
at last one of them was shouldered forward with, "Go on, Sam; you say
it."

Sam, the most sheepish of all, being thus thrust into prominence, wiped
his mouth with the back of his hand, took off his hat, made an awkward
bow, and thus delivered himself, with a smile:

"Morning, sir. You know me, Master Roy?"

"Eh? Oh, yes; Sam Donny, from the mill. What is it, my lad?"

"Only, sir, as me and my mates want to come and take sarvice here to
fight for the king."

"Eh? You? Well, I don't know, my lad; we only want good men and true
here, who will learn their duty, and do it."

"Oh, that's just what we are, sir," said the man, smoothing down his
hair; "not one on us as'd go to sleep o' nights when the wind's
blowing."

"Ah, but I don't want fellows to grind corn. I want men who will be
ready to fight,--yes, and like men."

"Well, sir, ask all on 'em. I can fight, and lick any of the lot here.
Oh, I can fight, and so can they."

"Hum--ha," said Roy, marching slowly round them, while the men drew
themselves up and seemed to grow a couple of inches taller each under
the inspection of the young captain. "What do you think, sergeant?" he
continued; "think you can make artillerymen of 'em?"

Ben saluted, and took a few steps forward to march up and down the
party, slapping their chests, feeling their arms, and pounding them
heavily.

"Got some bone and muscle in 'em, sir," he said, respectfully, as his
report. "Might try if they mean it."

"Take them across then to the armoury, measure them, and their names can
be enrolled."

The men drew deep breaths of relief, and then grew nervous, for there
was a short command or two given, a couple of the troopers stepped to
their head, Ben and the corporal came up behind, and the little group of
sturdy fellows was marched across into the guard-room, and afterwards
into the armoury, to stand gaping at the weapons of war.

"Did I do that right?" said Roy, afterwards.

"Right, sir. The very thing. Those sort judge by what they see. They
came to us half ready to laugh, but they soon saw how serious it all
was; and they'll go away back to the mill to-night, and I'll be bound to
say, Master Roy, if you followed 'em, you'd find they'd got a dozen
other fellows about 'em, talking to 'em and boasting and br