Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-03
CHAPTER II.

~ was III tulb tranSltlOn stage tnat came
across the new draft once more. Their off,
GERS. in the zeal Of youth, forgetting that the
old soldiers who stifened the sections must
suffer equally with the raw material under
hammering, had made all little stale and I'M
handy with continuous drill in the square, in
stead OF marching the men into the open and
supplying them with skirmishng drill. The
month OF garrison duty in the for. was nearly
at an end and b company were quite 1T for q
self-respecting regiment to drill with. They
had no style or spring, that would come in
time, but as far as they went sthey were passa-
ble met Maydew one day and inquired after
their health. He told me that young Ouless
was putting polish on o half company OF
them In the great square by the east bastion of
the fort that afternoon. Because the day was
Saturday went of to taste the full beauty Of
leisure in watching another man hard at work
The fat forty-pound muzzle leaders on the
east bastlon made very comfortable resting
place. You could sprawl full length on the
IRON, warmed by the afternoon sun to blood
neat ana command an easy view OF the parade
ground, which lay between the powder maya
zine and the curtain Of the bastiOn.
saw half company called over and told off
for drill; saw Ouless come from his quarters
Juggling at his gloves and heard the first "shun'
that locks the ranks and shows that the work
has begun. Then l went of on my own
thoughts, the squeaking Of the boots and the
rattle Of the rifles making a good accompani-
ment, and the line of red coats and black
trousers q suitable background to them all.
They concerned the formation Of a territorial
army for India. an army Of especially paid men
enlisted for twelve years service in her
majesty's Indian possessions, with the option
OF extending on medical certificates for another
five and the certainty of pension at
the end. They would be such an army as
the world had never seen-l0O, 900 trained
men. drawing annually 5000. no 5000 men,
from England, making India their home and
allowed to marry in reason Yes, l thought,
watching the line shift to and fro, break and
reform, We would buy back Kashmir from the
drunken imbecile who was turning it into
hell and there we would plant our much mar
ried regiments-the men who had served ten
years OF their time-and there they should
breed us white soldiers, and perhaps q second
lighting line of Eurasians. At all events
kashmir was the only place in India that the
Englishman could colonize, and il we had foot
hold there we would.
Oh, 1t was beautiful dream. left that terri
rial army swelled to a quarter Of million
men far behind and swept on as far as an indie
pendent India, hiring war ships from the
mother country. guarding Alden on the one
side and Singapore on the other; paying inter-
est on her loans with beautiful regularity, but
borrowing no men from beyond her own bor-
ders-a colonized, manufacturing India with q
permanent surplus and her own flag. had
just installed myself US viceroy and by virtue OF
natives to the Malayan Archipelago, where
labor is always wanted and the Chinese pour in
too quickly, when became aware that things
we're not going smoothly with the half COM
pany. There was great deal too much shut
fling and shifting and las you wereing" The
non-commissioned officers were swapping at
the men and fancied Ouless backed one of his
orders with an oath. He was in no position
to do this, because he was a junior who had not
yet learned to pitch his word of command in
the same key twice running. Sometimes he
grunted, and clear, full voice with ring in it
has more to do with drill than people think He
was nervous both on parade and in mess, be-
cause he was unproven and knew it. One of his
majors had said In his hearing: "Ouless has a
skin or two to slough yet, and he hasn't the
sense to be aware OF it. That remark had
stayed in Ouless mind and caused him to think
about himself in little things. which is not the
best training for young man. He tried to be
cordial at mess and became over ELUSIVE. Then
he tried to stand on his dignity, and appeared
sulky and boorish. He was only hunting for
the best medium and the proper note, and had
found neither because he had never faced
himself i'll big thing. With his men he was as
i'll at ease as he was with his mess and his voice
betrayed him. heard two orders and then:
Sergeant, what is that rear-rank man doing,
damn him?''
ought not to ask sergeants for information. He
commands, and commands are not held by
syndicates.
1t was too dusty to see the drill accurately,
but could hear the excited little voice pitch
ing from octave to octave and the uneasy rim
pie OF badgered or bad-tempered files running
down the ranks. Ouless had come on parade
as sick OF his duty as were the men Of theirs
The hot sun had told on everybody's temper
but most of all on the youngest mans. He
had evidently lost his self-control, and not
possessing the nerve or the knowledge to break
had recovered II
bad worse by ill-language. That il to say,
he was amusing his command.
The men shifted their ground and came close
under the gun l was lying on. They were
wheeling quarter-right and they did it very
badly in the natural hope OF hearing Ouless
swear again. He could have taught them
nothing new, but they enjoyed the exhibition.
Instead of swearing Ouless lost his head com
pletely and struck out nervously at the Wheel
ing flank man with little MaIacca riding cane
that he held in his hand for a pointer The
cane was topped with thin silver over LACQUER
and the silver had worn through in one place.
leaving triangular flap sticking up. 1 had
just time to see that Ouless had thrown away
his commission by striking u soldier when 1
heard the rip of cloth anu piece Of gray shirt
showed under the torn queens shoddy ON the
mans shoulder. 1t had been the merest
nervous flick OF an exasperated bow,
but quite enough to forfeit bis
commission, since it had been dealt in anger
w I" 'oiuhsoeT. ouo NJ pressed man, VINO could
not under the rules OF the service reply The
result Of it, thanks to the natural deprayity of
things was as though OVless had cut the mans
coat off his back. Knowing the new draft by
reputation was fairly certain that every one
OF them would swear with many oaths that
Ouless had actually rhrashed the man. In that
case Ouless would do well to pack his trunk.
His career as q servant Of the queen in any
capacity was ended. The wheel continued and
the men halted and dressed immediately oppo-
site my resting place. Ouless' face was per-
fectly bloodless. The danking man was dark
red, and could see his lips moving in wicked
words. He was Ortheris. After seven yesrs'
service and three medals he had been
struck by boy younger than him
self Further, no was my friend and
Q good man. proved man and an Englishman,
The shame Of the thing made me as hot as il
made Ouless cold, and il Ortheris had slipped
In cartridge and cleared the account ct once
should have rejoiced. The fact that Ortheris
OF all men had been struck proved that the boy
could not have known whom he was hitting
but he should have remembered that he was no
longer boy. And then I was sorry for him
and then l Was angry again, and Ortheris stared
In front OF him and grew redder and redder.
The drill halted for moment. No one knew
why, Tor not three men could have seen the
insult, the wheel being end on to Ouless at the
time. Then, led conceived by the hand Of
fate, Brander, the captain, crossed the drill
ground, and his eye was caught by not more
than square foot Of gray shirt over . shoulder
BLADE that should have been covered by Q we'll
dtting tunic.