Page:The Wreck of a World - Grove - 1890.djvu/47

Rh hundred stout youths upon whom I thought I could rely. We had also two field guns to which I attached great importance, there being a detachment of Artillery attached to our Militia battalion. With me were also three subalterns, one of them being William Gell, who had recently become engaged to my daughter. With this little force of armed intelligent men we need not despair, I thought, of conflict even with monsters.

My first anxiety was to obtain news of the enemy. With this view I sent out detached parties of mounted men with instructions to reconnoitre in every direction within a radius of twenty miles. The day was yet young, and the dreary hours of the scouts' absence were devoted to drilling and organizing my little force. Desirous as I was to recall what discipline I might to these carpet soldiers I was yet more anxious to occupy their minds and prevent them from brooding on the terrors they were about to encounter. As the afternoon wore on some of the exploring parties began to drop in, all bringing the same sad tale of unhappy groups of fugitives fleeing from their homes, but of the enemy