I'll stay here, an' take care of the boys." The road was a gradual rise, the clay packed hard under foot, but from the summit we could look away for some distance over a level country, dimly revealed under the new moon.

There was nothing in sight, and no sound disturbed the solitude.

We sat down on a bunch of turf, rifles in hand, to wait patiently, our eyes scanning the distance.
"Who are those fellows back there ?" I questioned at last, made nervous by the silence.
"The boys in the gulch?
Jersey militiamen," he explained shortly.

"You see there's some of us that can't get away all the time, because of the women and children, and the farm work.

Besides, regular soldiering don't just appeal to our sort.