"Yes," admitted Hal.

"Taking a survey of the post?"

"Rather. We don't have to report for duty until to-morrow."

After a few moments the soldier climbed down from the seat of the wagon.
He was wholly willing to tell the boys whatever they wanted to know
about Fort Clowdry and to point out the features of interest in the
surrounding lines of mountains.

"Ever go hunting?" asked the soldier, at last.

"Yes; after squirrels and partridges," laughed Hal.

"No real hunting, though?"

"None."

"Then, if you can keep out of discipline troubles, ye'll have some fun
around here by and by."

"Soldiers don't have much time for hunting, do they?" Hal asked.

"Those that know how to hunt do," replied the older soldier. "That's
part of the life here. Didn't ye ever hear about soldier hunting
parties?"

"I certainly haven't," Hal admitted.

"Why, men of good conduct are often allowed to go off on hunting parties
when the game's running right. Generally there's six or eight men to a
party, and all have to be fair shots, for the K. O. doesn't aim to have
too much ammunition wasted," explained the old soldier. "One of the
party is a non-com and he has charge of the party."

"What do the hunters get?" queried Hal.

"Well, for bigger game, bear and mountain antelope mostly. Then some
parties go after birds; there's plenty of them, too, in the mountains,
at the right seasons."

"Say!" exploded Noll, his eyes shining.

"Think ye'd like to go on a hunting party, do ye?" asked the soldier.
"Get up yer record for marksmanship, then."

"What's done with the game?" asked Noll innocently.

"What----" the soldier started to repeat. Then he added, dryly:

"Oh, we send the game to the hospitals in Denver and Pueblo, of course!"

"Don't we get any of it to eat?" asked Noll, looking up.

"Say, don't ever go off with a party that doesn't bring back a big haul
of game," advised the older soldier. "If ye do, the company cooks will
lynch ye. Why, that's what we go hunting for--to vary the bill of fare
here at the post. Sometimes, when we're all just aching for bear steaks,
an officer and twenty or thirty men all hike off at once into the
mountain trails. There are plenty of game dinners at Clowdry, at
different times in the year."

Then the soldier climbed leisurely to the seat of his wagon and started
on again.

"I wonder if he was fooling us about hunting parties," mused Hal.

Later on, however, the rookies discovered th