18 GALA DAY BOOKS.

And they did. Mr. Dinwiddie declared
that the British soldiers were driven out
of Springfield thoroughly demoralized
and astonished at their own defeat.

After the oration the band played
“ Hail to the Chief,’ and the sham battle
began.

Were I a soldier I would give all the
details of that bloodless war. I would
tell how the scouts came out to discover
exactly what the enemy was doing. I
would tell how both armies advanced
and retreated. I would tell how the old
cannon boomed away on the hill, and
how the rifles were loaded and unloaded
with harmless blank cartridges. I would
tell all about the real smoke, the real
racket, and the real enthusiasm that
accompanied this pretended battle, but
I am no soldier and, therefore, I could
never do the subject justice.