"They would be valuable, indeed," Monsieur d'Elbee said. "The obstinacy of the peasantry is maddening. "How do you propose to feed your men?" "When we are within reach of their homes, two will go back to fetch bread for the whole; when we are too far away, I shall buy it in one of the villages." "When you are within reach of my headquarters, wherever that may be, you have only to send in; and they shall have the loaves served out to them, the same as the band who remain here. We are not short of money, thanks to the captures we have made. "I see that none of your band have firearms." "No, sir. Jean Martin would have let me have some of the muskets he brought from here, but it seemed to me that they would be an encumbrance. We may have to trust to our swiftness of foot to escape and, at any rate, we shall want to carry messages to you as quickly as possible. The weight of a gun and ammunition would make a good deal of difference; and would, moreover, be in our way in getting through the woods and hedges." "But for all that, you ought to have some defence," Cathelineau said; "and if you came upon a patrol of cavalry, though only three or four in number, you would be in a bad case with only those knives to defend yourselves. "Do you know whether there are any pistols in the storehouse, Monsieur Bonchamp?" "Yes, there are some that were picked up from the cavalrymen we killed. They have not been given out yet." "Then I think we had better serve out a pistol, with a score of cartridges, to each of these lads. "If you let them fire three or four rounds at the trunk of a tree, or some mark of that sort, Monsieur Stansfield, they will get to know something about the use of the weapons." "Thank you, sir. That would be excellent, and would certainly enable us to face a small party of the enemy, if we happen to encounter them." "Please form the boys up two deep," Cathelineau said. "I will say a word or two to them." The manoeuvre was not executed in military style, but the boys were presently arranged in order. "I congratulate you, lads," Cathelineau went on, "in having devoted yourselves to your country, and that in a direction that will be most useful. I trust that you will strictly obey the orders of your commander; and will remember that you will be of far more use, in carrying them out, than in merely helping to swell the number in a pitched battle. I have every confidence in Monsieur Stansfield. He has set a noble example to the youths of this country, in thus undertaking arduous and fatiguing work, which is not without its dangers.