‘Which is, hieing themselves off towards the city,’ Requiescat put in. ‘They was all looking for us before then, as we had blacked their eye a couple of times, but soon as the orders came in, off they went; and they sent all the cattle on ahead,’ he finished, in gloomy tones.

‘Blacked their eye,’ Miller said, with a snort. ‘Yes, damned likely.’

‘Like enough,’ Hollin said, and pointed: an eagle standard jutted from the ground, the 13éme regiment blazoned on the banner. ‘I'll take the news, sir,’ Hollin added, looking at Laurence. ‘Me and Elsie can make the dash quick, on our own, and let them know—’

‘Damn nonsense,’ Miller cut in. ‘The news you ought to be taking is that there are sixty dragons that need rounding up, and herding back to the breeding grounds—’ He stopped abruptly, as Temeraire took a step towards him and lowered his head very close.

‘We are not going to be herded anywhere,’ he said, dangerously, ‘by Napoleon or by your admirals; and if you like to ask the other dragons of the Corps to try it, I expect they will soon see how very foolish it is to try, and if not, I will explain it to them; I dare say they will join us instead.’

Laurence had a fair notion of which dragons would be perfectly prepared to join Temeraire under such circumstances. That would bring their tally to two Longwings, even if one of them was surely past his real fighting days, and two Regal Coppers to join with the five other heavyweights Laurence could see, and a full complement of middleweights and couriers. It would make Temeraire's army very nearly the equal of the Corps in strength, at least those forces presently in England and under harness.

If he were not fully aware of these prospects, Miller was wise enough to blanch at the suggestion and to be quelled at least a little. He settled for writing a letter, in a quiet corner, while Temeraire dictated his own:

Gentlemen,
  I am very happy to accept your commission, and we should like to be the eighty-first regiment, if that number is not presently taken. We do not need any rifles, and we have got plenty of powder and shot for our cannons,

Laurence wrote with a vivid awareness of the reaction this should produce.

but we are always in need of more cows and pigs and sheep; goats would also do, if they are good deal easier to come by. Lloyd and our herdsmen have done very well, and I should like to commend them to your attention, but there are a lot of us, and some more herdsmen would be very useful.

‘Pepper, put in pepper,’ another dragon said, craning her head. She was a middleweight, yellowish striped with grey; some kind of cross-breed. ‘And canvas, we must have a lot of canvas—’

‘Oh, very well then, pepper,’ Temeraire said, and continued his list of requests adding,