ir. Just look at it."

Cram resumed the carry with the sabre he had lowered in salute, calmly
reversed so as to face his battery, and, with preternatural gravity of
mien, looked along his front. There midway between his lead drivers sat
Mr. Doyle, his face well-nigh as red as his plume, his bleary eyes
nearly popping out of his skull in his effort to repress the emotions
excited by this colloquy. There midway between the lead drivers in the
left section sat Mr. Ferry, gazing straight to the front over the
erected ears of his handsome bay and doing his very best to keep a
solemn face, though the unshaded corners of his boyish mouth were
twitching with mischief and merriment. There, silent, disciplined, and
rigid, sat the sergeants, drivers, and cannoneers of famous old Light
Battery "X," all agog with interest in the proceedings and all looking
as though they never heard a word.

"I declare, sir," said Cram, with exasperating civility, "I can see
nothing out of the way. Will you kindly indicate what is amiss?"

This was too much for Ferry. In his effort to restrain his merriment
and gulp down a rising flood of laughter there was heard an explosion
that sounded something like the sudden collapse of an inflated paper
bag, and old Brax, glaring angrily at the boy, now red in the face with
mingled mirth and consternation, caught sudden idea from the sight. Was
the battery laughing at--was the battery commander guying--him? Was it
possible that they were profiting by his ignorance of their regulations?
It put him on his guard and suggested a tentative.

"Do you mean that you are right in being so far ahead of our line
instead of dressed upon it?" asked he of the big blond soldier in the
glittering uniform. "Where do you find authority for it?"

"Oh, perfectly right, colonel. In fact, for six years past I've never
seen it done any other way. You'll find the authority on page 562, Field
Artillery Tactics of 1864."

For a moment Brax was dumb; he had long heard of Cram as an expert in
his own branch of the service; but presently he burst forth:

"Well, in _our_ tactics there's reason for every blessed thing we do,
but I'll be dinged if I can see rhyme or reason in such a formation as
that. Why, sir, your one company takes up more room than my six,--makes
twice as much of a show. Of course if a combined review is to show off
the artillery it's all very well. However, go ahead, if you think you're
right, sir; go ahead! I'll