scatter, the older ones betaking themselves indoors while the
youngsters waylaid Charles, as he came from hitching the
horses, and suggested a drill.

The bondsman shook his head and walked to the squire.
"Any orders, Mr. Meredith?" he asked.

"Get an axe and smash this--thing to pieces."

"They would not let me," replied the man, shrugging his
shoulders. "Hadst best do as they want, sir. You can't
fight the whole county."

"I'll never yield," fumed the master.

Charles again shrugged his shoulders, and walking back to
the group, said, "Get your firelocks."

In five minutes forty men were in line on the green, and as
the greatest landholder of the county sat in the stocks, in a
break-neck attitude, with a chill growing in fingers and toes,
he was forced to watch a rude and disorderly attempt at company
drill, superintended by his own servant. It was a clumsy,
wayward mass of men, and frequent revolts from orders occurred,
which called forth sharp words from the drill-master.
These in turn produced retorts or jokes from the ranks that
spoke ill for the discipline, and a foreign officer, taking the
superficial aspect, would have laughed to think that such a
system could make soldiers. Further observation and thought
would have checked his amused contempt, for certain conditions