The Ofwer Jagmästere laughed, but put on an official frown.
“Do you know, Birger,” said the Parson, “I should like to be your aide-de-camp better than to hold any definite post; I could carry your orders, you know.”
“And deliver them in English or French,” said Birger; “I shall have a very effective aide-de-camp indeed. However, if you like it, I will give you the post, and I think you are right; you will see more in that way than in any other, and you can reinforce the post of danger whenever you are tired. Indeed, you may as well consider it your home during the skal. Would the Captain, then, take charge of that point?”
The Captain was quite willing, and promised to give a good account of it.
“Well, then,” said Birger, “I shall not want Piersen to-morrow, so you may have him, and your own man Tom, and Jacob for cook. The Parson will probably take Torkel, but I dare say the Länsman can find you an intelligent Swede, who knows the ground and can understand a few words of English, and three or four fellows for sentries; that will be quite enough for you, for the Parson and Torkel will join you, and be under your orders before there is anything serious.”
Here the Ofwer Jagmästere spoke a few words in Swedish to Birger, who laughed and replied—“No, no, certainly not; I am confident he would consider it an honour of no small magnitude to bear a commission in our service. The fact is,” continued he, addressing the Captain, “everything in these skaller is arranged according to military discipline, and everyone here has military rank. And as you have to command a picket, you would not object to hold a temporary commission, not quite equal to your own in the English service.”
“Object!” said the Captain, “O, no—delighted, of course!”
“Then give me your cap,” said Birger. “Hand me over that chalk, Bjornstjerna;” and he wrote upon its peak the mystic letters, “S.F.,” being the initials of Skal Fogde; and accordingly the Captain took rank as full sergeant in the Swedish army.
“Now, then,” said the Jagmästere, “as I have arranged matters so satisfactorily here, I will start at once for Lysvik, where I have ordered the dref to assemble. I shall have enough to do to-morrow morning, as you may imagine,—what with numbering the men, and appointing their skalfogdar, and seeing them at their stations, the commander has no easy life of it. As for you, Moodie, I need not tell you your business—you know it as well as I do myself,—but begin appointing your skalfogdar the first thing to-morrow. You need not wait for your full complement of men, they will drop in in the course of the day; but as your best men are sure to be the first, appoint at once; at twelve precisely write the numbers in their hats, as they stand, and we will fine all that come later than that. That, Mr. Länsman, must be your business; but first of all look out for Lieutenant Birger fifty of your best men. That,” turning to Moodie, “will leave you nearly five hundred, which is quite as much as you can want, as the boats will be manned from my party. You, Birger, will march at daybreak, for I must have every picket posted by twelve, at which time we move forward with the dref. Now, Lönner, my horse, as quick as you please, for we have seven quarters to go before we sleep.”
The Ofwer Jagmästere might almost be said to “exit speaking,” for he continued his speech into the porch, and the last words were lost in the canter of his little hog-maned pony, as he floundered off, followed by Lönner and a couple of orderlies, together with the Länsmen of the two other parishes, who had met him by appointment at Ostmarkand, and now formed his personal staff.