‘Oh, there is another of you?’ The Regal turned and scanned the ground. They had drifted some way off in the fighting, and Devastatio had tried to drag himself under some trees, for concealment, but Regal Coppers had only tolerable eyesight from a sufficient distance, and after a bit of scanning about he said, ‘Ha, there he is,’ and flew over to the hiding place, landing with a tremendous thump. ‘You lot were all told this morning not to come round here,’ the big dragon said severely, nosing over Devastatio's wounds. ‘I said those big Frenchies were going to be going up and down carrying soldiers about all this way, didn't I? This is going to be nasty healing.’

‘We were told nothing of the sort!’ Miller said, having to lean rather frantically away to keep from being squashed by the prodding.

The Regal jerked his head back in surprise, and then put it further back, squinting at them rather uselessly. ‘Is that a man? Why, you are under harness,’ he said, exclaiming, and turned to squint at Elsie too. ‘Both of you!’

‘Of course they are,’ Miller said, and added, with what Laurence had to admit was marked courage, if not much sense of gratitude, ‘Why are you flying about wild like this? Why have you departed from the breeding grounds?’

‘Hum,’ the Regal Copper said. ‘I am no good hand at explaining things, so I suppose you had better come along with me and talk to the commander.’

‘What do you mean, commander—’ Miller said, bewildered. ‘—are you fighting with the militia?’

‘Yes, all those fellows are with us,’ the Regal Copper said. ‘Come on then, up you get,’ he added, to Devastatio. The Winchester sniffed a little, still licking at his wounds, but obeyed, climbing awkwardly up onto the enormous dragon's back. The Regal Copper went up with a tremendous propelling leap, took on a little height, and ponderously began to flap away, with Elsie darting after him anxiously.

The flight was short, despite his slow pace, and astonishingly he landed them just outside the edges of a vast and neatly organized camp. Laurence caught a glimpse of many dragons lying about in the clearing as they descended, and also a large pen full of enormous black pigs.

The Regal padded along a broad cleared lane through the trees towards the heart of the camp, only to pull up short when a little Winchester, also without any harness, popped up on the border and said loudly, ‘Stop and give the watchword!’

‘It's me, isn't it?’ the Regal Copper said. ‘And these two are with me, so they are all right, too.’

‘That don't matter,’ the Winchester said, stubbornly. ‘Everyone must give the watch-word, or else I am to yell, but,’ he said hastily, as the Regal Copper lowered his head, snorting, ‘I suppose that don't mean you,’ and hopped aside.