cask of wine there,
a proper lift for four men. The governor's temper got afire, and he
delivered an oath at him that knocked up the dust where it struck the
ground, and told him to shoulder that cask or he would carve him to
cutlets and send him home in a basket. The Paladin did it, and that
secured his promotion to a privacy in the escort without any further
debate."

"Yes, you seem to make it quite plain that he was glad to join--that is,
if your premises are right that you start from. How did he stand the
march last night?"

"About as I did. If he made the more noise, it was the privilege of his
bulk. We stayed in our saddles because we had help. We are equally lame
to-day, and if he likes to sit down, let him; I prefer to stand."

Chapter 4 Joan Leads Us Through the Enemy

WE WERE called to quarters and subjected to a searching inspection by
Joan. Then she made a short little talk in which she said that even the
rude business of war could be conducted better without profanity and
other brutalities of speech than with them, and that she should strictly
require us to remember and apply this admonition. She ordered half an
hour's horsemanship drill for the novices then, and appointed one of the
veterans to conduct it. It was a ridiculous exhibition, but we learned
something, and Joan was satisfied and complimented us. She did not take
any instruction herself or go through the evolutions and manoeuvres, but
merely sat her horse like a martial little statue and looked on. That
was sufficient for her, you see. She would not miss or forget a detail
of the lesson, she would take it all in with her eye and her mind, and
apply it afterward with as much certainty and confidence as if she had
already practised it.

We now made three night marches of twelve or thirteen leagues each,
riding in peace and undisturbed, being taken for a roving band of Free
Companions. Country-folk were glad to have that sort of people go
by without stopping. Still, they were very wearying marches, and not
comfortable, for the bridges were few and the streams many, and as we
had to ford them we found the water dismally cold, and afterward had to
bed ourselves, still wet, on the frosty or snowy ground, and get warm
as we might and sleep if we could, for it would not have been prudent
to build fires. Our energies languished under these hardships and deadly
fatigues, but Joan's did not. Her step kept its spring and firmness and
her eye it