ok. "Instead, the meat had
simmered so long in its own juices that a thin pewter fork would pick it
to pieces."

"How much meat is there?" asked Private Johnson, whereat all the men
laughed as happily as schoolboys on a picnic.

"Never ye fear, glutton," retorted Kelly. "There's more meat than any
seventeen giants in the fairy tales could ever eat at one sitting."

And then on it came--great hunks of roast bear meat, flanked with
browned potatoes and gravy; flaky biscuits, huge pats of butter, bowls
heaped with canned vegetables. Pots of steaming coffee passed up and
down the table.

Hunters in the wilds get back close to nature, and have the appetites of
savages. These men around the camp table ate, every man of them, twice
as much as he could have eaten back at company mess at Fort Clowdry.

Then, to top it all, came more coffee and mince pie in abundance. Nor
did these hardy hunters, after climbing the mountain trails all day,
fear the nightmare. Their stomachs were fitted to digest anything
edible!

It was over at last, and pipes came out here and there, though not all
of the soldiers smoked.

Hal Overton was one of those who did not smoke. He had brought out his
rubber poncho and a blanket, and had placed these on the frosty ground
at some distance from one of the campfires.

"You are looking rather thoughtful, Sergeant," observed Lieutenant
Prescott, strolling over to Overton. "I hope I am not interrupting any
train of thought."

"No, sir."

"May I sit down beside you?"

"Certainly, sir."

Sergeant Hal moved over, making plenty of room on his blanket. Officer
and non-com. stretched themselves out comfortably, each resting on one
elbow.

"Nevertheless, Sergeant," continued Mr. Prescott, "you were thinking of
something very particular when I came along."

"I was just thinking, sir, how jolly this life is, and for that matter,
how jolly everything connected with the Army is. I was wondering why so
many young fellows let their earlier manhood slip by without finding
out what an ideal place the Army is."

"But what is especially jolly just now, Sergeant," replied the
lieutenant, "is the hunting. Now, men don't have to enter the Army in
order to have all the hunting they want."

"But we're drawing our pay while here," returned Overton. "And we are
having our expenses paid, too. The man in civil life doesn't get that.
If he hunts, he must do it at his own expense. Then there's another
point, sir. I