"Hi, there!" he shouted to some other boys who were coming along from the court-house. "Hurry up!" He beckoned them with a broad sweep of his crooked old arm. "We want more sogers."

The boys came running, and Uncle Andy soon had them in line, himself at the head, with a lath for a gun. "I'll be sergeant," said he. "Now, then,

cap'n," he saluted

Fred,- "give the command this way." He threw back his head and shouted: "Hmpny, for'd! Cm tm! Hrch!"

Fred had no idea that this meant "Company, forward! Common

time! March!" so he just imitated Uncle Andy.

At the command "Hrch!" the veteran soldier planted his peg leg just twenty-eight inches forward, and so swung away, with his chest thrown out, and his shoulders squared, and his grizzled old head high in air. A tuft of long white hair, that stuck out through a hole in his old slouchhat, bobbed and nodded like a plume.

The boys behind him giggled as they traipsed along, out of line and many of them out of

step; but to Fred, who

His ragged voice now and then squeaked out of tune, but never failed to keep exact time with the thump, thump, thump of his peg leg.

When the company had halted, Uncle Andy said: "That there's a tune some sogers used to sing 'way down in Mexico with Ol' Roughan'-Ready Zach Taylor. It sort o' holped 'em

minght say."

"Were you one of those soldiers, Uncle Andy?" a boy asked.

"Me? Wh-a-t! Me a soger? Do I look

it- me with one peg leg an' t' other twisted like a fried cake from the rheumatiz?"

Soon after President Lincoln's call for troops

Camp Hammond was established just beyond the Big Woods to the east of Mornington. Senator Stanton frequently rode or drove over there, sometimes taking Fred with him. The sight of tents in long rows and men in bright uniforms made the boy wish more than ever to be a soldier.

One evening he and Jimmy rode the old horse to pasture to bring the cow home for the night. Jimmy found a bottomless tin washboiler beside the road, and fastened it to his belt for a drum. Then with two sticks he beat it in gallant style.

When through playing and ready to start for home, he mounted the cow, while Fred, seated like a general on the horse, gave the command to march. Jimmy hit his tin drum a sharp whack with a big stick, which so frightened the cow that she broke into a frantic run; and the faster she ran the more she was frightened by the rattlety-bang of the boiler against her bony side. At the bars she turned toward the Big Woods instead of toward home, and ran into the forest at the top of her speed. Fred followed on the limpy old horse, but Jimmy got far ahead of him.

Hang on, Jimmy! Look out for the branches," Fred shouted. But Jimmy was already hanging on as tightly as he could; and as for the branches, he had been sufficiently warned of them by one which had nearly brushed his home-made soldier-cap away and had threatened to take him with it. At last, how ever, the cap went, and a stout branch ran through the boiler and held him fast, while the cow ran out from under him and disappeared in the darkness.

When Fred came up he found Jimmy dangling helplessly from the limb, and when he had helped him down and found that he was not hurt, the two had a good laugh over it; for Jimmy certainly did make a very funny picture, hanging there with his legs and arms sprawled out; Fred said he looked like a frog hung up by a string.

It was pitch-dark by the time they found the COW, and after they had tramped about until they were tired, looking in vain for a way out of the woods, they lay down under a big tree, and before long both boys went to sleep.

CHAPTER II.

THE BOYS ARE ENLISTED.

HARK! What sound was that? The gray dawn was seeping through the trees when Fred sprang to his feet.

Bugle!" he exclaimed. And sure enough, when he and Jimmy reached the eastern edge of the woods, there lay Camp Hammond, less than a mile away.

"Let's go and see the soldiers," said Jimmy. "Let's go and be soldiers," said Fred. On the way across the open fields they agreed that it would not do to give their own names, because somebody was sure to know Senator Stanton, and would be likely to report the case to him before letting them enlist.

"Halt!" A sentinel stood before them with his bayonet lowered.

Fred told him they had come to enlist.

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Oh, ho! That 's it, is it?" There was a twinkle in the sentinel's eye as he called the corporal of the guard, a tall Irishman, and reported the case to him.

"So it's soldiers yees do be wantin' to be?" asked the corporal, gravely.

"Yes, sir," Fred answered. It was a very serious matter to him and Jimmy. They could not see what the soldiers, who had come from the tents to look on, were grinning about. Surely the corporal was stern enough.

"All right," said he. "I'll inlisht yees right here."

He stood the boys in line, and made a number of grotesque passes over them with his great bony hands, as if he were mesmerizing them.

"There, now," said he, "yees are dooly inlishted. An' now I'll inshtruct yees in yer dooties. The first thing is that yees must always obey yer superior officers. If yees don't, the hand o' the goover'mint will come down on yees." He spread out one great claw-like hand over each boy, and glowered down on the little fellows. You may be very sure they resolved never to disobey a superior officer and take the chance of being crushed in the awful hand of the government.

"An' the next thing," the corporal went on, "is that yees must niver tell a lie to a superior officer. D'yees undershtand that?"

"Yes, sir," the boys answered meekly. "Well, then," he turned to Fred,-"what's yer name?"

Fred was now afraid to give a false name to his superior officer, so he gave his own.

"Who's yer father? What does he do?" "He's Senator Stanton, sir."

"Oh, ho!" said the corporal. His face did not look so stern now. "How did yees git here, ye young rapscallions?" he asked, with a kindly smile.

Fred told the truth about the cow running away with Jimmy and losing them in the woods. "An' yees did n't have anny supper or breakfast? Ye poor little muffins! Fall in an' I 'll mairch yees to battle wid something to ate."

While the boys were at breakfast the corporal sent a message to Mornington. Then he marched them to his own tent and commanded them to stay there until further orders.

Presently they heard a dull thump-thumpthumpy sound on the ground outside, and in a moment there stood Uncle Andy at the flap of the tent.

"I knowed it," said he. "I knowed I 'd find you here where the sogers is."

There had been some commotion in Mornington the night before. Senator Stanton had aroused several boys to ask if they had seen Fred, and at last had gone to the greatest boy of all-Uncle Andy. Then, while others were searching about Mornington, the old cobbler had quietly set out afoot through the Big Woods for Camp Hammond.

For a long time he stayed with the boys, telling them strange stories, until the corporal came and ordered them to fall in. As he marched them along the streets of the camp, soldiers poked their heads through the tent-flaps and watched them. One of them ran out and clapped a real, true soldier-cap on Jimmy's bare head, and although it was an old one, and much too big for him, the little fellow was very proud to wear it.

The corporal halted them in front of the colonel's tent, where a number of officers were standing as if waiting for something to happen.

"These is the raw recruits, sor, that I tould ye of," said the corporal.

answered. "Here is another recruit for you to enlist." He drew the flap of his tent back, and out walked Senator Stanton.

Fred could hardly hold himself in the ranks; he wanted to run to his father: but the senator paid no attention to him.

Corporal McGinnis made the same kind of passes before the senator that he had made over the boys. "There, sor," said he, "ye are now dooly inlishted, an' I app'int ye brigadiergineral, an' give ye command of these new throops." Then, turning to the boys, he added: Moind, now! This man is yer superior officer. If yees iver disobey him, or lie to him, the hand o' the goover'mint will come down on yees."

Uncle Andy had led up old Peg and old Meg. "Attention, brigade!" Senator Stanton commanded, standing erect before the boys and holding his riding-whip to his shoulder like a sword. "Brigade, mount!"

Uncle Andy lifted Fred to Peg's back, and the corporal put Jimmy on the cow. A soldier brought Senator Stanton's horse from behind the tent.

"Andrew Bigelow," said the senator to Uncle Andy, "I appoint you colonel and chief of staff, and give you command of the Boy Brigade. Please take my horse and march your troops home."

The old warrior saluted his new brigadier, and mounted the horse.

"Brigade, for'd-hrch!" he shouted; and the funny-looking troop moved off toward Mornington, while the officers in front of the tent let out the laughter they had been holding in so long.

Fred and Jimmy, as soon as they reached home, circulated the news that they were now soldiers in the real army. Some of the bigger boys laughed at this, but the smaller ones took it seriously, and wished they, too, might be soldiers. So Fred formed several of them into a company, and, with Jimmy as his lieutenant, marched them off to the Flats, to see if the chief of staff would take them into the Boy Brigade.

CHAPTER III.

THE FIRST BATTLE.

As Uncle Andy sat at his work he heard

window, saw big Bill Brogden and two other members of the "Flats Gang" standing in front of Fred's little company, telling them they could not march there. The old cobbler's first impulse was to go out and chase the big bullies away, but on second thought he said to himself: "The little fellers minght as well learn to fight their own battles fust as last." So he merely stood out of sight and watched them through the window.

The real fighting began when Brogden struck Jimmy over the eye and the little fellow pitched into him with all his might. Fred undertook to help his lieutenant, but Brogden's companions pulled him to the ground and pommeled him unmercifully. At the first blow the privates deserted their officers and ran away toward Uncle Andy's hut; and when the old man went out to scold them back to their places, Brogden and his friends thought he was coming after them, so they ran away across the Flats, leaving Fred and Jimmy lying on the ground.

Fred was soon on his feet, but Jimmy still lay motionless.

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Jimmy!" said Fred, shaking the lieutenant's limp body. "Jimmy! Jimmy!"

But Jimmy made no answer. His chubby face, usually so full of the rich color of health, was now turned up to the sky, pale as parchment, save where it was smeared with blood. Fred, regardless of his own bruises, raised the little fellow in his arms and ran with him toward Uncle Andy.

"Shucks!" said the old soldier, "he ain't hurt none. Jes' takin' a little nap, that 's all."

He sent Fred to the shop for a cup of water, while he calmly unbuttoned Jimmy's neck-band. Then he sloshed the water into the little fellow's face, saying: "Nothin' like a good cold dousin' to wake up your wits."

Jimmy moved a little and, opening his eyes very wide, stared about as if he did not know where he was.

dazed, but ready to fight all the Brogdens that might come along.

"There!" said Uncle Andy, clapping him on the back. "That's the kind of a soger fer Got more spunk 'n a hull rig'ment o' such 'fraid-cats as you," he added, looking hard at the boys who had run away.

me.

He brought the pail of water from the shop, and bathed Fred's and Jimmy's wounds. The captain had been only bruised, but the lieutenant had a bad cut over one of his eyes. Uncle Andy bound his big red bandana handkerchief over this.

Brogden and his companions had run to a safe distance across the Flats, and were now seated on the grass, keeping an eye on Uncle Andy.

"See them loafers over there?" the old man asked. "Wal, you fellers 've got to go an' march all around 'em; an' if they try to stop you ag'in, you 've got to lick 'em. D' you hear?"

66

Yes, sir," Fred and Jimmy answered; but the other boys remained silent.

"D' you hear?" Uncle Andy spoke to the others in a louder tone. "You 've got to lick 'em so 's they'll stay licked. How many of you wants to try it on? Come, now, one thing or t' other: you 've got to be sogers, or git out o' the ranks fer good an' all. How many of you wants to be sogers? Them that does, stan' over here."

Fred and Jimmy promptly stepped over. One by one, the rest of the boys straggled after them.

"Anybody that 's skeered to fight fer his rights might as well say so now, an' git off home to play grace-hoops or bean-bag. This ain't goin' to be no baby game, this ain't. It 's goin' to be sogerin', I can tell you."

The old man counted noses, and found there were ten privates besides the two officers. "Think o' that!" said he. "An even dozend you an' on'y three o' the other fellers! You ought to lick twict that many; an' you can, too, if you 'll do as I tell you to."

of

He took a handful of wooden shoe-pegs from his work-apron pocket. "See here, cap'n," said he, "here 's your plan o' battle." down on his door-sill, and stuck five pegs in a row into the ground. "There 's your front