road toward
Orleans. The initial part of Joan's great dream was realizing itself at
last. It was the first time that any of us youngsters had ever seen an
army, and it was a most stately and imposing spectacle to us. It was
indeed an inspiring sight, that interminable column, stretching away into
the fading distances, and curving itself in and out of the crookedness of
the road like a mighty serpent. Joan rode at the head of it with her
personal staff; then came a body of priests singing the Veni Creator, the
banner of the Cross rising out of their midst; after these the glinting
forest of spears. The several divisions were commanded by the great
Armagnac generals, La Hire, and Marshal de Boussac, the Sire de Retz,
Florent d'Illiers, and Poton de Saintrailles.

Each in his degree was tough, and there were three degrees--tough,
tougher, toughest--and La Hire was the last by a shade, but only a shade.
They were just illustrious official brigands, the whole party; and by
long habits of lawlessness they had lost all acquaintanceship with
obedience, if they had ever had any.

But what was the good of saying that? These independent birds knew no
law. They seldom obeyed the King; they never obeyed him when it didn't
suit them to do it. Would they obey the Maid? In the first place they
wouldn't know how to obey her or anybody else, and in the second place it
was of course not possible for them to take her military character
seriously--that country-girl of seventeen who had been trained for the
complex and terrible business of war--how? By tending sheep.

They had no idea of obeying her except in cases where their veteran
military knowledge and experience showed them that the thing she required
was sound and right when gauged by the regular military standards. Were
they to blame for this attitude? I should think not. Old war-worn
captains are hard-headed, practical men. They do not easily believe in
the ability of ignorant children to plan campaigns and command armies. No
general that ever lived could have taken Joan seriously (militarily)
before she raised the siege of Orleans and followed it with the great
campaign of the Loire.

Did they consider Joan valueless? Far from it. They valued her as the
fruitful earth values the sun--they fully believed she could produce the
crop, but that it was in their line of business, not hers, to take it
off. They had a deep and superstitious reverence for her as being endowed
with a myst