Free William the Good by Richmal Crompton

the result did not take place quickly enough, they hastened it by a few discreetly placed stones. A scarecrow, as an enemy,
possesses the supreme advantage (to its assailant) of not being able to do anything back. From two or three of the fields they were chased by irate farmers which gave the game the piquant edge of
excitement they had all hoped for.
    William would have liked his men to shoot at the farmer enemy as they retreated but even he had to admit that this was more difficult than it sounds. He tried it, hit Ginger by mistake and fell
over a ploughed furrow at the same time. William had never heard of the Parthians but if he had, would have had a deep, deep respect for them. They retired, however, fleetly and in good order,
leaving none of their number in the hands of the enemy who finally gave up the chase, and purple-faced with breathlessness and fury, contented themselves with standing and shaking their fists at
them till they were out of sight. It was altogether a glorious and thrilling day. But William realised with something of apprehension that it could not be repeated indefinitely. It was doubtful
even whether it could be repeated once. The scarecrows were completely demolished and if new ones were set up it was pretty certain that they would be closely guarded. No, the band must not expect
a day like this every day. They must be content with routine work for some time after this – with drilling and shooting at targets. Before they disbanded William delivered one of his stirring
speeches.
    ‘Now we’ve seen today,’ he said, ‘what we can do to a foreign enemy if one lands an’ comes right into the middle of England. We can knock ’em to pieces same
as we did the scarecrows,’ he ignored the convenient passivity of the scarecrow enemy which had assured the victory, and continued, ‘an’ then if they start runnin’ after us
we can get out of their way same as we did out of Farmer Jenks’ an’ Farmer Hodges’, and then when they’re too tired to run any more, we can shoot at ’em again same as
we could have done at Farmer Jenks an’ Farmer Hodges if it hadn’t been teatime. An’ – an’ now we’ve gotter go on practising quietly for a bit so’s to be
ready, ’cause – ’cause we never know when we’ll wake up one mornin’ an’ find all the fields full of foreign enemies what have come over in the night.’
    The band of archers, inspirited by the events of the day, cheered enthusiastically.
    The next morning William woke early and looked out of the window. His eyes opened wider and wider and wider. He rubbed them and looked again. It was true. The fields near the
house were full of soldiers and tents. He dressed himself in a state of stupefied amazement. It had really happened. A foreign enemy had really crossed over in the night and had entrenched itself
in the fields about his home. William descended to breakfast still feeling dazed.
    ‘I say,’ he said, ‘there’s soldiers. All over the field.’
    ‘It’ll be the manoeuvres,’ said his sister Ethel casually.
    ‘How do you know it’s the mou – what you said?’ said William sternly. Ethel looked at him.
    ‘There’d be a fortune,’ she said, ‘for anyone who would invent a hairbrush that would make a boy’s hair look tidy.’
    ‘But they’d never use it even if anyone did,’ said William’s mother gloomy.
    William snorted and sat down before his porridge plate. That was just like his family. A foreign enemy only a few yards away and all they could talk about was his hair. Probably when the foreign
enemy started shooting at them and killing them they’d still be going on at him about his hair or his face or something. Nothing – nothing – could ever stop them. Bitterly William
wondered whether such people were worth saving.
    After a hasty breakfast he hurried out to his archer band. He found them mildly excited.
    ‘But they’re English soldiers,’ said one with a certain disappointment in