“Thank you; I am, in that respect, excellently well provided, as is my friend Sir Marmaduke.  We have both made provision for unexpected contingencies.”

“Then, if you will call tomorrow after breakfast, I shall probably have your commission ready.  As a matter of course, you will have the appointment of your own officers, and will only have to send in their names.  Each company is from a hundred and forty to a hundred and fifty strong, and has a captain, two lieutenants, and two ensigns.”

Mr. Jervoise’s news was, on his return to the inn, received with delight by the two lads; and Sir Marmaduke said: 

“I wish I could shake off twenty of my years, Jervoise, and join also.  Well, well, I daresay I shall get on comfortably enough.  I know there are a good many English and Scotch Jacobites settled in the town or neighbourhood, and I shall not be long before I meet someone I know.

“As the matter seems settled, I should advise you lads to go down, the first thing in the morning, to the wharves.  There is no saying when ships may come in.  Moreover, it is likely enough that you may light upon young fellows who have landed within the last few weeks, and who have been kept so far, by their ignorance of the language, from enlisting.”

“That is a very good idea,” Mr. Jervoise said.  “They will be delighted to hear a friendly voice, and be only too glad to enlist in a Scottish company.  You can say that each man will have a free outfit given him.”

Accordingly, the next morning early, the two lads went down to the wharf.  Presently they saw three young fellows, who were evidently Scotch by their dress and caps, talking together.  They strolled up near enough to catch what they were saying.

“It is hard,” one said, “that, now we are here, we can make no one understand us, and it seems to me we had far better have stayed at home.”

“We shall find some one who speaks our language presently, Jock,” another said more cheerfully.  “The old man, where we lodged last night, said in his broken tongue, that we had but to go over to Malmoe, or some such place as that, where there is a big camp, and walk up to an officer and say we wish to enlist.”

“Oh, that is all very well,” the other grumbled; “but, if he did not understand us, we should be no better off than before.”

“Are you wanting to enlist?” Harry said, going up to them.

The men gave an exclamation of pleasure, at being addressed in their own tongue.

“That we do, sir.  If you can put us in the way, we shall be grateful.”

“That I can do easily,” Harry said.  “My father is raising a company of Scotch and Englishmen, for the regiment commanded by Colonel Jamieson.  This will be far better than joining a Swedish company, where no one will understand your language, and you will not be able to make out the orders given.  My father will give each man who joins a free outfit.”