“Then he’ll get a bigger one,” said Mark. “Don’t have him; he’ll only be in the way.” Charlie began to walk off with his head hanging. “Cry-baby,” shouted the soldiery. “Pipe your eye.” “Come here,” said Bevis; Charlie ran back delighted. “Well, you have done it,” said Mark in a rage. “Now Ted will have another twice as big. What’s the use of my trying when you are so stupid! I never did see. We shall be whopped anyhow.” Quite heedless of these reproaches, Bevis asked Ted who were to be his lieutenants. “I shall have Val and Phil,” said Ted. “And I shall have Mark and Cecil,” said Bevis. “Let us count. How many are there on each side? Mark, write down all ours. Haven’t you a pocket-book? well, do it on the back of the map. Ted, you had better do the same.” “Phil,” said Ted, who was not much of a student, “you put down the names.” Phil, a reader in a slow way, did as he was bidden. There were fifteen on Bevis’s side, and fourteen on Ted’s, who was to choose another to make it even. “There’s the muster-roll,” said Mark, holding up the map. “But how shall we know one another?” said George. “Who’s friends, and who’s enemies,” said Fred. “Else we shall all hit one another anyhow,” said another. “Stick feathers in our hats.” “Ribbons round our arms would be best,” said Cecil. “Hats may be knocked off.” “Ribbons will do first-rate,” said Bevis. “I’ll have blue; Ted, you have red. You can buy heaps of ribbon for nothing.” “Phil,” said Ted, “have you got any money?” “Half-a-crown.” “Lend us, then.” “No, I shan’t,” said Phil: “I’ll buy the ribbons myself.” “Let’s have a skirmish now,” said Bill. “Come on, Val,” and he began to whirl his hands about. “Stop that,” said Bevis. “Ted, there’s a truce, and if you let your fellows fight it’s breaking it. Catch hold of Bill--Mark, Cecil, hold him.” Bill was seized, and hustled round behind the oak, and kept there till he promised to be quiet. “But when are we going to begin?” asked Jack. “Be quick,” said Luke. “War! war!” shouted half a dozen, kicking up their heels. “Hold your noise,” said Ted, cuffing one of his followers. “Can’t you see we’re getting on as fast as we can. Bevis, where are we going to fight?” “In the Plain,” said Bevis. “That’s the best place.” “Plenty of room for a big battle,” said Ted. “O, you’ve got it on the map, I see.” The Plain was the great pasture beside the New Sea, where Bevis and Mark bathed and ran about in the sunshine. It was some seventy or eighty acres in extent, a splendid battle-field. “We’re not going to march,” said Mark, taking something on himself as lieutenant. “We’re not going to march,” said Bevis. “But I did not tell you to say so; I mean we are not going to march the thousand miles, Ted; we will suppose that.” “All right,” said Ted.