, boy. They're too many for us."

"Then what is to be done?"

"What the chief likes, boy; but if I were he I should stand fast and let
the enemy hammer at us till he grows tired of losing men."

"Then you think we can beat them off?"

"Yes, boy, for a time; but we've got no stores to speak of, and even
Romans can't, as I said before, or something like it, go on fighting for
ever. But we shall do our best."

"Yes," said Marcus, with a sigh, as he looked thoughtfully round,
unconsciously playing with the dog's ears the while, to that animal's
great satisfaction. "But I don't like it, Serge."

"You don't? Well, you're a queer sort of a boy, then," growled the old
soldier. "I never met a boy before who said that he didn't like
fighting."

"I did not say so," cried Marcus, sharply. "I was talking about our
position here."

"Oh, I see!" growled Serge. "What about it? Strong enough for
anything."

"Perhaps so, but here we are shut in amongst all these rocks, with no
room for the horsemen or the chariots to be of any use. How could we
gallop along here, or how could the cavalry attack?"

Serge took off his great helmet, wiped his brow with the back of his
hand, and stared hard at his young companion for some moments, till the
boy noticed the heavy, fierce look, and coloured.

"Why do you look at me like that?" he asked.

"Cause you make me, boy?"

"How? What do you mean?"

"Who taught you to talk like that, boy? Anyone would think you were a
young general."

"Nonsense, Serge!" cried Marcus, with the tint upon his face growing
deeper. "I spoke like that because you taught me and made me understand
about the uses and movements of horse and foot. I'm sorry I was not
right, but you need not laugh at me."

"What, boy?" cried the old soldier, warmly. "Laugh at you! Why, if I
grinned it was because I was pleased and proud to see what a clever
fellow you are growing up to be. Why, a well-trained old soldier could
not have spoken better. You're as right as right, and it is unfortunate
that our chief should be surrounded here in a place where he can't use
the best part of his troops. But there, we won't argue about it.
'Tarn't a common soldier's duty to talk over what his general does.
What he, a fighting man, has to do is to fight and do in all things what
he is told. Do you see?"

"Yes, Serge, I see, but--"

Marcus ended by making a sign intended to mean, Hold your tongue.

But Serge did not