"Here's five shillings. Take half the men and get inside there. Pay for all they want and keep them merry. Whatever you do, see that they are well entertained for two hours."
"Very good, sir," replied the non-com., boldly stepping towards the door. The officer then crept away with the remaining scouts. In twenty minutes he located Colonel Corkleg's Corps in quarter column behind a hill, with only half a company thrown out as an observation post. The colonel was waiting for his scouts before he set out to annihilate "those bally amateurs," as he termed the Territorials. While he was fretting, fuming, and cursing the overdue scouts, the gallant subaltern was busily [pg 164] pedalling back on a borrowed bicycle with his report.
"Well," said the Territorial colonel, as his chief scout arrived.
"I've bagged all their scouts, sir, and we can decimate the whole regiment."
"Good," said the C.O., avoiding unnecessary inquiries in anticipation of future trouble with headquarters.
"You can double the regiment, sir, to within five hundred yards of the enemy. One company might engage their observation post; the remainder might make a detour with our Maxim guns and annihilate the regiment."
"Right—lead the way," ordered the colonel, signalling the advance. Quickly they covered the ground. In half an hour they arrived at the point to deploy. Leaving a company to engage the enemy in front, the others circled round, then moved into long skirmishing lines. Down on their knees they went, and up the hill all quietly crawled to bag the Glesca Mileeshy.
"Where are those scouts?" said Colonel Corkleg in a furious manner.
"Can't understand, sir—most annoying," replied the adjutant.
[pg 165] "It's worse—it's damned annoying," raved the colonel, looking at his watch. "But we can't wait. We had better move out to——"