to see if Lord Grey wanted me. He had mounted his horse
somewhere in the town; but he was now a couple of hundred yards behind
us, riding' with a third man, whom I judged to be Colonel Foukes, by his
broad white regimental scarf. After we had gone a few miles, we came to
a cross-roads where my guide bade me halt to wait for orders. The others
had pulled up, too. I could see Lord Grey examining a map, while his
horse sidled about across the road. The trooper who had been riding with
him, joined us after a while, telling us to take the road to our right,
which would take us, he said, towards Taunton. We were to keep our eyes
skinned, he said, for any sign of armed men coming on the high-road from
Honiton, so as to threaten our left flank. The gentlemen were going to
scout towards the sea. At eight o'clock, if we had seen no trace of any
armed force coming, we were to make for Chard, where we should find the
Duke's army. We were to examine the roads for any signs of troops having
passed recently towards Taunton. We were to enquire of the country
people, if troops were abroad in that countryside, what troops they
might be, how led, how equipped, etc. If we came across any men anxious
to join the Duke we were to send them on to Chard or Ilminster, on the
easterly road to Taunton. We were to ride without our green boughs, he
said; so before starting on our road we flung them into the ditches.
Lord Grey waved his hand to us, as he turned away with his friend. We
took off our hats in reply, hardly in a soldierly salute; then we set
off at a walk along the Taunton road. It is a lonely road leading up to
the hills, a straight Roman road, better than any roads laid in England
at that time; but a road which strikes horror into one, the country
through which it runs is so bleak.

By about six o'clock (according to one of the troopers, who judged by
the height of the sun) we were in a clump of firs high up on a hill,
looking over a vast piece of eastern Devon. We had scouted pretty
closely all round Honiton, examining the country people, without hearing
of any troops. We were now looking out for some gleam upon a road, some
rising of dust over a hedge, some scattering of birds even, any sign
of men advancing, which might be examined more closely. The morning was
bright; but the valleys had mist upon them, which would soon turn to the
quivering blue June heat-haze. The land lay below us, spread out in huge
folds; the fields, all differ