f company parade grounds at eight, squad drill at
half past, and--"

"Hold on," exclaimed Lieutenant Percy. "You will have to put that in
writing. I never could remember it in the world."

"You'll have to, and a good deal more like it," replied the Barrington
boy. "It's nothing to what I had to keep constantly in mind while I was
at school. I had to walk a chalk-mark, I tell you, or I'd have lost my
_chevrons._"

"I suppose the hardest part of the work will be training our horses,"
observed Lieutenant Odell. "Mine is pretty wild."

"No matter for that if he is only intelligent. He'll learn the drill in
less time than you will, I'll bet you. But we'll not need our horses for
a month to come."

"What's the reason we won't? We're cavalry."

"I know it; but how are you going to teach your horses the movements
unless you know them yourselves? Suppose we were in line in two ranks
and the command was given "Without doubling, right face." The horses
don't know where to go but their riders must, in order to rein the
animals in their places. See? Oh, there's more work than fun in
soldiering."

"Well now, look here," said the captain again. "I don't want to take the
boys away from home and shut them up here for nothing, and yet I don't
want to waste any valuable time, for we may be called upon before we
know it. Will you drill a volunteer squad here every forenoon?"

"I will, and be glad to do it. I hope they will turn out strong, for you
will find that the workers are the men that make the soldiers. I am glad
we've got a drum and fife. You don't know how hard it would be for me to
drill a large squad without some kind of music to help them keep step."

And so it was settled that Camp Randolph (it had been named after Tom's
father when the Confederate flag was first run up to the masthead, and
sorry enough the Rangers were for it now), was to become a camp of
instruction, and that Sergeant Gray was to drill a volunteer squad every
pleasant forenoon, and spend two hours every afternoon in teaching the
company officers their duties.

The young soldier had undertaken a big contract, but he went about it as
though he meant business, and in less than a week succeeded in
convincing some of the members of his company that he was just a trifle
too particular to be of any use. The strict discipline in vogue at
Barrington was promptly introduced at Camp Randolph, and not the
slightest departure from the tactics was tolerated for