need of strong arms and stout hearts."

"Well, monsieur, I have been round the camp, and certainly I think the
Admiral is quite equal to commanding a larger army."

"You should not regard mere numbers, Jacques; it is the quality that
tells. Three thousand picked men are worth ten thousand ordinary troops.
And then our chief is as good as an army in himself!"

To those who had fought at Roche Abeille, our camp presented a somewhat
sorry spectacle. As Felix had said, we numbered barely three thousand
men, and one missed a host of familiar faces. I thought with pity of the
noble St. Cyr, and many others of our best and bravest who had already
laid down their lives for the Cause.

We retired to rest early, and soon after daybreak were roused by the
bugles. Tents were struck, prayers said, and about nine o'clock we moved
off the ground in the direction of the Dordogne.

It would be tedious to relate in detail the incidents of that southern
journey. The weather was bitterly cold and rainy, much sickness set in,
and we suffered numerous hardships. Still we pushed steadily forward,
through Guienne, Ronergue, and Quercy, passed the Lot below Cadence,
and halted at Montauban. Here we were cheered by the arrival of
Montgomery, with two thousand Bearnese, a welcome addition to our scanty
force.

Smaller bodies of troops had already joined us, and after leaving
Montauban we picked up several more. Felix, of course, was in excellent
spirits, and talked as if we had the whole kingdom at our feet.