On generals who are suddenly in doubt whether to flee or to stand their ground.

OFTEN scouts return from the enemy camp fewer than when they were sent out, the rest, that is to say, having been killed or intercepted, and they are in a desperate hurry to tell their generals not only that they have been hard put to it to escape from the enemy's hands, but also that these adversaries, ready to fight, are making an unexpected advance in great force, and are to be dreaded for their numbers and vigour.