s prepared to
volunteer for this service, Messrs. Errol, Wilkinson, and Lajeunesse,
who were severally proposed, expressing their sense of the honour, their
high regard for the ladies, and anxiety for their well-being, but
emphatically declining to be absent from the common post of duty and
danger. Miss Halbert voiced the opinion of the fair sex that, being
eight in number, including the maids, they were quite able to defend
themselves. Nevertheless, the Squire inwardly determined to send old
Styles, the post office factotum, back with Miss Du Plessis. The main
attacking force of infantry consisted of Doctor Halbert, in command,
sergeants Carruthers and Terry and their two squads, the first
comprising privates Errol, Wilkinson, Coristine, Bigglethorpe,
Lajeunesse, and Hill; the second, privates Hislop, Toner, Sullivan, Hill
junior, and the two Pilgrims. Then, arms were inspected, and the twenty
bludgeons dealt out, five for the cavalry, and fifteen for the infantry.
Most of these had attachments of stout common string, but those of the
three commanders, the Squire, the two clergymen, and the two
pedestrians, were secured with red window cord, a mark of preference
which rejoiced the hearts of three of them, namely, the younger men.
With doubtful hands the dominie received his gun, and the minister more
boldly grasped a similar weapon. At the request of the colonel the
cavalry were served with a hasty luncheon, and thereafter set forward,
with the exception of the detective, Miss Du Plessis' escort, to patrol
the road and open communication with the Richards for the purpose of
intercepting the enemy's possible scouts. Two waggons were ordered to
take the infantry to the lake settlement, so that they might be fresh
for the work before them.

In his martial accoutrements, the dominie's soul was stirred within him.
He repeated to his bosom friend pieces from Koerner's Leyer und Schwert,
but as the lawyer's acquaintance with the Teutonic tongues was limited,
including _sauer kraut, lager bier, nix kum araus, donner-wetter_, and
similar choice expressions, he failed to make an impression. Nobody in
the house knew German, unless it were Tryphena and Tryphosa, who had
picked up a little from their mother, and, of course, he could hardly
lie in wait to get off his warlike quotations on them. Ha! he remembered
Wordsworth, and rolled forth:--

"Vanguard of liberty, ye men of Kent!

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