“Well, and what do you say, Jonathan?” Nat said, turning to his tall companion.  “You and I have both taken a fancy to the captain here, and though he has picked up a lot for a young ’un, and will in time make a first-rate hand in the woods, I guess he won’t make much hand of it, yet, if he hadn’t got someone as knows the woods by his side.  We have had a spell of hard work of it with Rogers lately, and I don’t mind if I have a change, for a bit, with the redcoats.”

“I will go, of course,” Jonathan said briefly.

“Very well, then, that’s settled, captain,” Nat said.  “Rogers will be in tonight, and I will tell him we are going to transfer ourselves over to you.”

“He won’t mind, I hope,” James said.

“He won’t mind,” Nat replied.  “We ain’t very particular about times of service in our corps.  We just comes and goes, pretty well as the fancy takes us.  They would never get us to join, if they wanted to get us to bind down hard and fast.  Sometimes they start on an expedition fifty strong, next time perhaps not more than thirty turns up.

“Is there anything to do to join the corps?”

“Not much, Nat.  I give you each a shilling and attest you, that is to say, swear you in to serve the king, and, in your case, give you a paper saying that you are authorized to take your discharge, whensoever it pleases you.”

“Very well, captain.  Then on those terms we join, always understood as we don’t have to put on red coats.”

The two men were sworn in, and then Nat, standing up, said: 

“And now, captain, discipline is discipline.  What’s your orders?”

James went to the door of the tent, and called the sergeant.

“Sergeant, these two men are enlisted as scouts in the corps.  They will draw rations, and be a regular part of the company like the rest, but they will not wear uniform, acting only as scouts.  They will have the rank and position of corporals, and will specially instruct the men in woodcraft, and in the ways of the Indians.  They will, of course, occupy the tent with the non-commissioned officers, and will mess with them.  Being engaged as scouts, only, they will in other respects be free from anything like strictness.  I trust that you will do what you can to make them comfortable.”

The sergeant saluted, and led the two scouts over to the tent occupied by himself and the other non-commissioned officers, and the roars of laughter that issued from it in the course of the evening, at the anecdotes of the scouts, showed that the newcomers were likely to be highly popular characters in their mess.

Chapter 13:  An Abortive Attack.

Three weeks passed.  James kept his men steadily at work, and even the scouts allowed that they made great progress.  Sometimes they went out in two parties, with an officer and a scout to each, and their pouches filled with blank cartridge.  Each would do its best to surprise the other; and, when they met, a mimic fight would take place, the men sheltering behind trees, and firing only when they obtained a glimpse of an adversary.