got them too wet, and that the views
will suit."

"Any views will suit," retorted Hyman. "My kid brothers and cousins have
never been out here and one view will please them as well as another."

A few more soldiers came forward to ask about errands that the young
sergeants had undertaken. No one's commissions had been forgotten.

"Your leave didn't do you two so much good this afternoon," grinned
Corporal Hyman.

"Why not?" Sergeant Overton wanted to know.

"On account of the weather we didn't have parade, anyway."

"I'm no parade shirker," retorted Hal. "On the busiest day we're not
being overworked here. We may strike something hard in the tropics yet,
but so far, since reaching Manila, the men of this regiment haven't been
worked more than a quarter as hard as in barracks at home. But I wonder
when we go south?"

"Haven't you heard?" asked Corporal Hyman.

"Not a word," Hal declared.

"I haven't, either. But we heard that the 'Warren' came in this
afternoon."

The "Warren" was the United States Army transport vessel that was much
used in carrying troops between the different islands.

"We ought to be under way soon, then," Hal replied thoughtfully. "I
suppose we're still slated to go down among the Moros."

"That's the talk in the regiment, anyway," replied Corporal Hyman.

"I hope it's true."

"You're one of the few that does, then," retorted Hyman, with a grimace.
"In these islands the real fine place for a regiment to be stationed is
right here on the outskirts of Manila. Plenty of grub, kitchen-cooked;
little work to do, and no danger of anything except guard duty to call
us out of our bunks."

"That's altogether too lazy for a soldier," objected Hal, with spirit.
"I don't want to see any trouble start in these islands, but if there's
going to be any campaigning, I want to see the Thirty-fourth right in
the thick of it."

"You'll get over that, by and by, Sergeant," responded Corporal Hyman.
"More than half of the fellows in the Thirty-fourth have been out here
in other years, and have seen plenty of fighting. Now, getting shot at
by a lot of strangers is all right enough for a soldier when it has to
be done; but you'll find that the older men in this regiment are not
doing any praying that 'Ours' will get more than its share of fighting."

"Perhaps I won't, when I've seen as much fighting as some of you fellows
have," Hal nodded. "I've never been in a real battle yet."

"You've been under