"My dear sirs," he said, "not a word more. Put yourselves in my place and suppose I came up country as you did. Wouldn't you have been as pleased as I and our mess are to meet a brother Englishman so far away from home? So not a word more but these: If ever I can serve you in any way, here I am, and you know my name. There, boys, we will see you off when you start, and fire a salute, just as if we had had a visit from the Prince." CHAPTER EIGHT. MARK'S FIRST WATCH. "Now, look here," said Sir James, "we have talked all this matter over quite enough, and it is high time that we started in a business-like way, so as to avoid all confusion." "Hear, hear," said the boys together, and Sir James went on. "First of all, I am nobody." "Oh! Oh, I say, father!" cried Mark laughing. "You hold your tongue, and don't interrupt. I repeat that I am nobody, only a visitor who looks on and joins in the sport when I feel so disposed, and one whom you and your men must take care of." "But we must have a captain, sir, to give all orders." "Of course," said Sir James. "I constitute you captain; you, Mark, first lieutenant; Dean, second lieutenant." "But, Sir James--" "Dr Robertson, I have planned all this, and I presume that I have a right to do as I please." "Certainly, sir," said the doctor. "And perhaps I may think it right to interfere when things are going on not to satisfy me." "Of course, sir;" and the boys looked at one another. "Well," continued Sir James, "we have arrived at this pitch, that we are quite independent of the inn. I have paid everybody, and for the last two nights we have been practising camping out, and are going to sleep again to-night in our waggons as we intend to do during our campaign. You, Robertson, have reported to me that everything is properly packed, the waggons loaded with our stores. You have trained our men to occupy their places; we make this waggon our tent or fort to sleep in or sleep under, according to the weather; in short, there is nothing to prevent our starting to-morrow morning." "So soon, father?" said Mark. "So soon, sir! Yes. Haven't we been busy here for a fortnight, making our preparations? And a very busy time it has been. I consider that we have finished our stay here with bidding good-bye to the officers and thanking them. You saw how I stopped back at the barracks this evening. Do you know what it was for, doctor?" "No, sir." "To tell Captain Lawton that I would rather not have any nonsense and procession or firing of farewell salute, and that I had made up my mind that we would start early to-morrow morning." "Then we really are to go to-morrow, father?" "Of course." "But, uncle," protested Dean, "there are several more things that might be useful and that I should like to get."