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resolution of her sons, she could scarcely help smiling at the

excitement of Madame Duburg; the cause of which she at once

guessed. However, she asked, with an air of astonishment:

"My dear sister-in-law, what can you be talking about?"

"I know what I say," Madame Duburg continued. "I always said that

you were mad, you and your husband, to let your boys go about and

play, and tear and bruise themselves like wild Indians. I always

knew that harm would come of it, when I saw my boys come in

hot--oh, so unpleasantly hot, to look at--but I did not think of

such harm as this. My faith, it is incredible. When I heard that

you were to marry yourself to an Englishman, I said at once:

"'It is bad, harm will come of it. These English are islanders.

They are eccentric. They are mad. They sell their wives in the

market, with a cord round their neck.'"

"My dear sister-in-law," Mrs. Barclay interrupted, "I have so often

assured you that that absurd statement was entirely false; and due

only to the absolute ignorance, of our nation, of everything

outside itself."

"I have heard it often," Madame Duburg went on, positively. "They

are a nation of singularities. I doubt not that it is true, he has

hidden the truth from you. True or false, I care not. They are mad.

For this I care not. My faith, I have not married an Englishman.

Why, then, should I care for the madness of this nation of

islanders?

"This I said, when I heard that you were to marry an Englishman.

Could I imagine that I, also, was to become a victim? Could I

suppose that my husband--a man sensible in most things--would also

become mad; that my boys would grow up like young savages, and

would offer themselves to go out to sleep without beds, to catch

colds, to have red noses and coughs, perhaps even--my faith--to be

killed by the balls of German pigs? My word of honor, I ask myself:

"'Am I living in France? Am I asleep? Am I dreaming? Am I, too,

mad?'

"I said to myself:

"'I shall go to my sister-in-law, and I will demand of her, is it

possible that these things are true?'"

"If you mean by all this, sister-in-law, is it true that I have

consented to my boys going out to fight for France, it is quite

true," Mrs. Barclay said, quietly.

Madame Duburg sat down upon a garden seat, raised her hands, and

nodded her head slowly and solemnly.

"She says it is true, she actually says that it is true."

"Why should they not go?" Mrs. Barclay continued, quietly. "They

are strong enough to carry arms, and why should they not go out to

defend their country? In a short time, it is likely that everyone

who can carry arms will have to go. I shall miss them sorely, it is

a terrible trial; but other women have to see their sons go out,

why should not I?"

"Because there is no occasion for it, at all," Madame Duburg said,

angrily; "because they are boys and not men, because their father

is English; and stupid men like my husband will say, if these young

English boys go, it will be a shame upon us for our own to remain

behind.

"What, I ask you, is the use of being well off? What is the use of

paying taxes for an army, if our boys must fight? It is absurd, it

is against reason, it is atrocious."

Madame Duburg's anger and remonstrance were, alike, lost upon Mrs.

Barclay; and she cut her visitor short.

"My dear sister-in-law, it is of no use arguing or talking. I

consider, rightly or wrongly, that the claims of our country stand

before our private convenience, or inconvenience. If I were a man,

I should certainly go out to fight; why should not my boys do so,

if they choose? At any rate, I have given my consent, and it is too

late to draw back, even if I wished to do so--which I say, frankly,

that I do not."

Madame Duburg took her departure, much offended and, late in the

evening, her husband came in and had a long talk with Captain

Barclay. The following morning Louis and Philippe came in--in a

high state of delight--to say that their father had, that morning,

given his consent to their going.

In three days after the opening of the list, a hundred and twenty

men had inscribed their names; and Captain Tempe refused to admit

more. Numbers were, he argued, a source of weakness rather than of

strength, when the men were almost entirely ignorant of drill. For

sudden attacks, for night marches, for attacks upon convoys, number

is less needed than dash and speed. Among large bodies discipline

cannot be kept up, except by immense severity upon the part of the

officers; or by the existence of that feeling of discipline and

obedience, among the men, which is gained only by long custom to

military habits. Besides which, the difficulty of obtaining

provisions for a large body of men would be enormous.

Indeed, Captain Tempe determined to organize even this small corps

into four companies, each of thirty men; to act under one head, and

to join together upon all occasions of important expeditions; but

at other times to be divided among villages, at such distance as

would enable them to watch a large extent of country, each company

sending out scouts and outposts in its own neighborhood.

By far the larger proportion of those who joined were either

proprietors, or the sons of proprietors, in and around Dijon. At

that time Government had made no arrangement, whatever, concerning

franc tireurs; and no pay was, therefore, available. The invitation

was, therefore, especially to those willing and able to go out upon

their own account, and at their own expense. Other recruits had

been invited but, as these could join the regular forces and

receive pay, and other advantages, the number who sent in their

names was small. The men who did so were, for the most part, picked

men; foresters, wood cutters, and others who preferred the

certainty of active and stirring service, among the franc tireurs,

to the pay and comparative monotony of the regular service. There

were some forty of these men among the corps, the rest being all

able to provide at least their outfit. Subscriptions had come in

rapidly and, in a week, an ample sum was collected to arm and equip

all those not able to do so for themselves; and to form a military

chest sufficient to pay for the food of the whole corps, in the

field, for some time.

When the list of volunteers was complete, a meeting was held at

which, for the first time, the future comrades met. Besides Ralph

and Percy, and their cousins, there were six or eight others of

their school friends, all lads of about sixteen. It was an

important moment in their lives, when they then felt themselves--if

not actually men--at least, as going to do the work of men. Upon

the table in the room in which the meeting was held was a document,

which each in turn was to sign and, behind this, Captain Tempe took

his seat.

As many of those present knew each other, there was a considerable

buzz and talk in the room, until Captain Tempe tapped the table for

silence, and then rose to speak.

"My friends," he began, "--for I cannot call you comrades, until

you have formally entered your names--before you irrevocably commit

yourselves to this affair, I wish you each to know exactly what it

is that we are going to do. This will be no holiday expedition. I

can promise all who go with me plenty of excitement, and a great

deal of fighting; but I can also promise them, with equal

certainty, an immense deal of suffering--an amount of hardship and

privation of which, at present, few here have any idea, whatever.

The winter is fast coming on, and winter in the Vosges mountains is

no trifle. Let no one, then, put down his name here who is not

prepared to suffer every hardship which it is well possible to

suffer.

"As to the danger, I say nothing. You are Frenchmen; and have come

forward to die, if needs be, for your country."

Here the speaker was interrupted by loud cheering, and cries of

"Vive la France!"

"Next, as to discipline. This is an extremely important point. In

our absence from military stations, it is essential that we,

ourselves, should keep and enforce the strictest discipline. I have

this morning received from General Palikao--under whom I served,

for many years--an answer to an application I wrote to him, a week

since. He highly approves of my plan of cutting the roads behind

the Prussians, and only wishes that he had a hundred small corps

out upon the same errand. He has already received other proposals

of the same nature. He enclosed, with his letter, my formal

appointment as Commandant of the Corps of Franc Tireurs of Dijon;

with full military authority, and power."

Great cheering again broke out.

"This power, in case of need, I warn you that I shall use

unhesitatingly. Discipline, in a corps like ours, is everything.

There must be no murmuring, under hardships; no hesitation in

obeying any order, however unpleasant. Prompt, willing, cheerful

obedience when at work; a warm friendship, and perfect good

fellowship at other times: this is my programme."

The speaker was again interrupted with hearty cheering.

"I intend to divide the corps into four companies, each of thirty

men. Each company will have an officer; and will, at times, act

independently of each other. I have deliberated whether it is best

to allow each company to choose its own officer, or whether to

nominate them myself. I have determined to adopt the latter course.

You can hardly be such good judges, as to the qualities required by

officers during an expedition like the present, as I am; and as I

know every man here, and as I shall have the opportunity of seeing

more of each man, during the three weeks which we shall spend here

upon drill, I shall then choose an officer for each company; but I

will leave it to each company to decide whether to accept my

choice, or not. There may be points in a man's character which may

make him unpopular.

"Now, as to drill. We have three weeks before us. Not long enough

to make men good soldiers; but amply sufficient--with hard work--to

make them good skirmishers. I have already arranged with four men

who have served as non-commissioned officers in the army, one of

whom will take each company.

"Captain Barclay--who is well known to most of you--has kindly

offered to give musketry instruction, for four hours each morning.

Ten men of each company will go, each morning for a week, to drill

at the range; so that, in three weeks, each man will have had a

week's instruction. The hours will be from seven to eleven. The

others will drill during the same hours.

"All will drill together, in the afternoon, from three to six. The

officer commanding the troops, here, has promised us the loan of a

hundred and twenty old guns, which are in store; and also of twenty

chassepots for rifle practice.

"That is all I have to say. All who are ready and willing to enter,

upon these terms, can now sign their names. Those who are not

perfectly sure of their own willingness can draw back, before it is

too late."

When the cheering ceased, each man came forward and signed his

name.

"The first parade will take place, at seven tomorrow morning, in

the Place d'Armes. A suit of uniform, complete, will be exhibited

here at twelve o'clock. A man has offered to supply them, at

contract prices; but any who prefer it can have it made by their

own tailor.

"Now, good night, boys."

"Vive les franc tireurs du Dijon!"

"Vive la France!" and, with a cheer, the men separated.

The next morning the corps met, and were divided into companies.

The division was alphabetical, and the young Barclays and Duburgs

were all in the first company. This was a matter of great pleasure

to them, as they had been afraid that they might have been

separated.

The following day, drill began in earnest and, accustomed as the

boys were to exercise, they found seven hours a day hard work of

it. Still, they felt it very much less than many of the young men

who, for years, had done little but lounge in cafes, or stroll at

the promenade. All, however, stuck to their work and, as their

hearts were in it, it was surprising how quickly they picked up the

rudiments of drill. Fortunately, they were not required to learn

anything beyond the management of their firearms, the simplest

movements, and the duty of skirmishers; as all complicated

maneuvers would have been useless, in a small corps whose duties

would be confined entirely to skirmishing.

With this branch of their work, Captain Tempe was determined that

they should be thoroughly acquainted, and they were taught how to

use cover of all kinds with advantage; how to defend a building,

crenelate a wall, fell trees to form an obstacle across roads, or a

breastwork in front of them; and how to throw themselves into

square, rapidly, to repel cavalry.

Captain Barclay was indefatigable as a musketry instructor and,

with the aid of a few friends, got up a subscription which was

spent in a number of small prizes, so as to give the men as much

interest as possible in their work. Captain Tempe impressed most

strenuously, upon the men, the extreme importance of proficiency in

shooting; as it was upon the accuracy and deadliness of their fire

that they would have to rely, to enable them to contend with

superior forces in the combats they would have to go through; and

each man would probably have frequently to depend, for his life,

upon the accuracy of his fire.

The original plan--of instructing a third of the men, each week, in

musketry--was abandoned; and the parties were changed each day, in

order to enable all to advance at an equal rate. Besides, their

ammunition was supplied; so that those who chose to do so could

practice shooting, for their own amusement, between their morning

and afternoon drill.