"Ay," said the old fellow, showing his teeth; "but a few would be useful to go down the guns with a brush to clean them out. But there, I'm not going to laugh at the boys. Shows a good sperrit, Master Raynes, that I wish more of the older folk would follow." "Ay, so do I," said the farmer, frowning; "but they're some of 'em ashamed and some afraid. Parson Meldew has a lot to do with it; and do you know why?" "Nay, not I; perhaps it's because her ladyship has been such a good friend to him." "Like enough. That sort's always the worst. He has such a poor living that it's my belief he's glad of the chance of a change. He thinks he must be the better for it if it does come. I never much liked him; old parson was the man. Why, if he'd been alive, he'd ha' been up here every day talking to the lads, and encouraging them to get on as well as they could to fight for church and state like good men and true. But you'll have six more here to-day, good strong fellows from Marlow Mill." "Eh? You don't mean that?" "Oh, yes, I do," said the farmer. "I was over there with the wagon last night to get that load o' flour that I brought in this morning, and I give them all a talking-to about how things are, and my lads showing up so in their coats and steel caps. It's of no use to bully 'em into coming. They want coaxing, not driving. I hadn't been talking to 'em long, 'fore they did exactly what I wanted, asking questions, and I answered 'em so that they wanted to know about sword-play, and loading and firing the big guns; and then they wanted to know whether there were buff coats and steel caps for all as liked to come and drill. When I told 'em there was, lo and behold! they all found out that they wanted to do a bit of soldiering, and they'll be over soon." Farmer Raynes was quite right, for soon after, six sturdy young fellows came slouching up in a sheepish way to stand watching the drilling with open mouths, laughing and nudging one another as they recognised old acquaintances, and were apparently ready to joke and sneer. That passed off, however, in a few minutes, as they saw the goodly figure cut by the farmer's men, and Raynes himself, no longer in the rough, flour-soiled attire, as they had seen him when fetching the meal-bags over-night, but a fine, bluff, gallant-looking fellow now, in buff coat, breastplate, headpiece, and glittering steel cap which flashed in the sunshine as he marched half a dozen armed men into the gate-way, then through the guard-room and up to the ramparts, along which they were seen to have to go through a certain amount of practice with the big guns. Within an hour the martial ardour that was glowing in the would-be recruits' breasts was red-hot, and they asked leave to pass over the bridge.