usion and tried to
cross dry-shod. I am glad to say that Squad 8 hung together, hopped over
quickly, formed and went on. After a hundred yards we came up with the
captain, who was just sending back a sergeant with the message, "Help all
the girls across." When once we were assembled he gave us his solemn
promise never to try to save us work again.

What would prevent such blunders in future? I will admit that in each
such case non-coms from the regular army would have steadied us and kept
us right. Yet I am convinced that what will best control the Plattsburg
rookie is the Plattsburg non-com. All we need is to develop a body of
them. The regular may serve at a pinch, but in the cases where moral
control is more needed than a little knowledge or habitual steadiness,
the appeal comes strongest from a man of our own kind.

I suppose that only the shower saved us from an awful roasting at the
conference.

The camp is rather picturesquely situated in a broad field that stretches
down to swamps and woods, the cavalry at a slight distance across a
little swale. Our squad was on police duty for a while, and I was orderly
for an hour. The lady buzzards of the town have spread a chicken dinner,
at a dollar a head, in the town hall, and many of our fellows have
slipped away to it. Yet at dinner-time I saw poor Pickle sitting by the
water-barrel, a plate of beans in his lap. I asked innocently, "Why
aren't you at the chicken dinner?" "Don't ask foolish questions," he
snapped. "Can't you see I'm tied here to serve out water?"

I went for my bath down to our little river, which bears the imposing
name of the Great Chazy; it wanders idle from pool to pool along its half
dry bed. In one of the natural bath-tubs I had a fine wash, finding a
pool up to my knees, clear cold water where minnows swam trustingly
about, and where crawfish, the first I have ever seen, came like little
pink lobsters to investigate my toes. After the stagnant brooks at our
last two camps, it was delightful to find this clear water and actually
get _under_ it.

I was so trustful of the weather that I washed a pair of socks, but I had
not got into my clothes before a shower started. I took refuge, with
another man, in a cavalry officer's tent. We had a pleasant little chat
with him; he did not resent the intrusion of a couple of rookies, and we
talked of camp matters. Intermittently it has been raining ever since.

Written by the light of a great bon