Sam Hardwicke had thrown himself down under a clump of bushes, as I
have said, a little apart from the rest of the boys. Before he went to
sleep, however, his brother Tom, a lad about twelve years of age, but
rather large for his years, came and lay down by his side, the two
falling at once into conversation.

"What made you fire up so quick with Jake Elliott, Sam?" asked the
younger boy.

"Because he is a bully who would give trouble if he dared. I didn't want
to have a fight with him and so I thought it best to take the first
opportunity of teaching him the first duty of a soldier,--obedience."

"But you might have reasoned with him, as you generally do with
people."

"No I couldn't," replied Sam.

"Why not?" Tom asked.

"Because he isn't reasonable. He's the sort of person who needs a
master to say 'do' and 'don't.' Reasoning is thrown away on some
people."

"But you had good reasons, didn't you, for stopping here instead of
going on further?" asked Tom.

"Certainly. There's the Mackey house five miles ahead, and if we'd
gone on we must have stopped near it to night?"