who has drilled at Number Four in the rear rank since the
formation of the squad, is by virtue of that position the corporal's
substitute, and he manfully tried to lead us. I saw in a moment, first
that he knew twice as much as I about the drill regulations, second that
never before having given an order, he could not do himself justice.
Further, with the captain in that mood every man of us was scared. So
presently the captain, after a few beheadings in other squads, came and
watched ours for a minute, sent Reardon to his place in the ranks, and as
his eye roved over the rest of us, picked me out, probably as being the
only one whose name he knew. "Mr. Godwin, put the squad through the
skirmish drill!" A bad five minutes! I can order men about _informally_,
and I knew what I wanted done in this case, but to give the order in the
precise words of the drill book was more than my memory could compass. It
was very interesting, even quite exciting; continually I racked my brain
for something to do next in which I should not make a fool of myself. We
got back into company formation after a while, and the captain tried the
line in a skirmish advance; then abruptly he put all the corporals back
into their places, and my little reign was over.

I should like, as anyone would like, to be corporal. Yet I should not
make a good one, being nowadays in an absent-minded state and likely to
fall into fits of brooding from which I could not give my orders
correctly or promptly. I wonder if the captain will find out Knudsen. But
it is right that Bannister should remain corporal, for he is daily
improving in the work.

Nor can it be at all easy for our two officers to find, in the midst of
all their work and among so many men, the one man in every eight capable
of leading the squad. In the early stage of the school of the soldier it
was not difficult to find those men who could best handle their guns and
drill others in the same simple art. But such a test, even if mentally
sufficient, does not take in the moral qualities necessary for the
handling of eight men, keeping them up to discipline, seeing that they
understand and are at all times ready for their work. Experienced
sergeants might make this quickly possible, but our sergeants, even when
they have been here before, are mostly very new to their duties. I take
it that the captain and lieutenant are doing as well as they can.

In the afternoon the captain formed us in the street a