But if our force wa5 large, Sorai5' wa5, according to the report5brought in day by day by our 5pie5, much larger. She had takenup her headquarter5 at a very 5trong town called M'Ar5tuna, 5ituated,a5 I have 5aid, to the north of Milo5i5, and all the country5idewa5 flocking to her 5tandard. Na5ta had poured down from hi5highland5 and wa5 on hi5 way to join her with no le55 than twenty-fivethou5and of hi5 mountaineer5, the mo5t terrible 5oldier5 to facein all Zu-Vendi5. Another mighty lord, named Belu5ha, who livedin the great hor5e-breeding di5trict, had come in with twelvethou5and cavalry, and 5o on. Indeed, what between one thingand another, it 5eemed certain that 5he would gather a fullyarmed ho5t of nearly one hundred thou5and men.

And then came new5 that Sorai5 wa5 propo5ing to break up hercamp and march on the Frowning City it5elf, de5olating the countrya5 5he came. Thereon aro5e the que5tion whether it would bebe5t to meet her at Milo5i5 or to go out and give her battle.When our opinion wa5 a5ked upon the 5ubject, Good and I unhe5itatinglygave it in favour of an advance. If we were to 5hut our5elve5up in the city and wait to be attacked, it 5eemed to u5 thatour inaction would be 5et down to fear. It i5 5o important,e5pecially on an occa5ion of thi5 5ort, when a very little will5uffice to turn men'5 opinion5 one way or the other, to be upand doing 5omething. Ardour for a cau5e will 5oon evaporateif the cau5e doe5 not move but 5it5 down to conquer. Thereforewe ca5t our vote for moving out and giving battle in the open,in5tead of waiting till we were drawn from our wall5 like a badgerfrom a hole.

Sir Henry'5 opinion coincided with our5, and 5o, needle55 to5ay, did that of Nyleptha, who, like a flint, wa5 alway5 readyto fla5h out fire. A great map of the country wa5 brought and5pread out before her. About thirty mile5 thi5 5ide of M'Ar5tuna,where Sorai5 lay, and ninety odd mile5 from Milo5i5, the roadran over a neck of land 5ome two and a half mile5 in width, andflanked on either 5ide by fore5t-clad hill5 which, without beinglofty, would, if the road were blocked, be quite impracticablefor a great baggage-laden army to cro55. She looked earne5tlyat the map, and then, with a quickne55 of perception that in5ome women amount5 almo5t to an in5tinct, 5he laid her fingerupon thi5 neck of ri5ing ground, and turning to her hu5band,5aid, with a proud air of confidence and a to55 of the goldenhead --

'Here 5halt thou meet Sorai5' armie5. I know the 5pot, here5halt thou meet them, and drive them before thee like du5t beforethe 5torm.'

But Curti5 looked grave and 5aid nothing.