churches closed, our very language proscribed.  Death is a thousand times preferable to the living torture we undergo, and when we at last rise, it is vengeance and death that we seek rather than with any thought of finally freeing Poland from her oppressors.  And now,” he said, “you will excuse me if I suggest that we follow the example of my comrades, and turn off to sleep.  We have marched fifty miles since yesterday evening, and shall be off before daybreak to-morrow.”

For half an hour after the Polish leader had rolled himself in his cloak and gone off to sleep, the boys chatted together as to the course they should adopt, and finally resolved to throw in their fortunes with those of the Polish patriots.  They saw that it would be impossible for them to make their way on to the frontier alone, and considered that their chance of life was no less if captured in action by the Russians than if found in a village with a number of wounded insurgents.  The wrongs of Poland were in those days a subject which moved men’s hearts in England, and the midshipmen rejoiced at the thought of striking a blow in so good a cause.

These were the reasons which, in talking the matter over, they assigned to each other, but in reality their love of adventure and excitement in no slight degree influenced them.  To have taken part in a real Polish insurrection, to join in guerilla attacks and fierce onslaughts on Russian columns, to live a wild life in the woods, were things that appealed strongly to the imagination of the midshipmen; and in the morning they expressed to Stanislas Chernatony their willingness to join him, and fight against the Russians until an opportunity occurred for them to cross the frontier and rejoin the forces before the Sebastopol.

“Good,” the Pole said.  “I am heartily glad to have two English officers fighting under me.  The warfare is of a kind very different to that to which you are accustomed, but I can guarantee that you shall see that we Poles, undisciplined, badly armed, and fighting a hopeless battle, can yet die as bravely as your own trained soldiers in the Crimea.  We are now going back to the place we left the day before yesterday, and which we regard as our headquarters.  We had news that the column we attacked was to set out, and as so far none of our bands had visited this neighborhood, we thought we might take them by surprise.  We succeeded in doing them much damage, but our success was not as great as that which we gained in our last fight, when we succeeded in capturing two cannons.  By the way,” he said, “you as marine officers, are accustomed to artillery.”

“Yes,” Dick replied, “we are drilled, not only with heavy ship’s guns, but with light field-pieces, of which every large vessel carries a few to be used in case of a landing.”

“Capital!” the Pole exclaimed.  “We have not a man who has any idea of artillery, and I will appoint you to the command of the guns.  You shall each pick out as many men as you require, and train them as artillerymen.  This will be an invaluable service to us.”