e work
strenuous, I answered that so far I had not found it strenuous at all.
Since when we have had our heaviest day's work.

The weather was showery and chilly, and the non-coms returned from their
conference with orders for us to wear sweaters and ponchos. Being put
into close battalion formation, we were informed by the major that an
enemy had landed at Keesville, some twenty-odd miles south, and that we
were to march out and get in touch with him. So our three companies
followed the first battalion along the road to AuSable, having out the
proper patrols--point and communicating files and rear guard, with combat
patrols--and we found ourselves on a real hike.

It was tramp, tramp, tramp on the hard macadam all the way. Now remember
that though we have been on hard roads some part of every day, we have
mostly been on gravel or the turf of the fields and the parade ground. So
we weren't really toughened to the work. The weather bothered us also.
The ponchos came off after a while, then we got heated in the sun, and
were feeling the weight of our sweaters when the clouds closed in and a
shower came. Thus it changed most of the time. Every forty-five to fifty
minutes we stopped to rest, spread our ponchos, and lay down. To be
exact, after the first forty-five minutes we rested fifteen, and after
each succeeding fifty we rested ten. We marched nearly four miles, then
turned back. Our company was now second in the column, but none of the
patrol duty fell to me, for which I was rather glad, as a heel began to
bother me.

A man from Squad Seven fell out from the column. "This finishes the camp
for me," he said ruefully as he left us. He has rigid arches, and it
seems that the doctors have warned him that he could not stand the
marching. He sat and waited for some kind motorist, and after an hour
passed us, comfortable in a limousine. There were others among us who got
pretty weary; but on the other hand there were plenty, I am glad to say,
who were not tired, and whistled and sang most of the way, to the
advantage of those who felt weary. Some of these blades spying a couple
of bold damsels, cried "Eyes Right!" at which they giggled. But the
captain made us march at attention, and explained, when we got back to
camp, that we were expected to mind our manners in the presence of the
other sex (or as he put it, persons in female attire) else we might be
sure of marching at attention for the whole of the way.

We were back