The morning call., 1893-03-19

u uaru mounting S.OO
ASsembl .-..........,.., $50
I'm cal $50
Assembly. ......,....-... ..............-. 900
DrilI call boots and saedles............. $500
Recall from fatigue aud driii.
FIRST sergeanPs ca L,............ ........ll:I 40
OlHceIs eau ID
Mess call Gunner 200 NJ
Eatlsue cal 800 p. N.
School cal OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 200
atdDie caII- 4;9O
FIRST call for retreat. .... 6:45
nsseHOiy -.-...-......--- -..-.......... 600
Mess call lsupner). ............. 6:D5
!atton.---. 900
Iaps
This was all Greek to me- except the mess
| calls, which thought did not come quite
| often enough. However, as there were
| only two stable calls in the day guessed
| that could manage TO exist for five years
| with these calls
AT about 8 O'clock a corporal found me 10
| the troops reading-roOm and told me to 90
| upstairs ana make my bed. | told him that
| | was not used to such work, but lie laughed
and told me that l could not learn any
! younger, and then it dawned on my mind
| that my netghbOr on the right had been
| making game of me when he told me that
the Chnaman had been discharged the dny
| before. Under the direction OF the non
| conn.," sholt for n0n-cOmmissiOned officer,
| did my chamberwOrk and fell into the aWk-
ward squad for instruction.
l expected 10 be instructed how to ride
! horse at this interesting stage of the pro-
! ceedings. but instead of being marched TO
| the stable | ana three other miserable be-
| ings in the trOOu were commanded te take
off our blOuseS and slip off our suspenders
Are we to learn how TO dress according
! to tactics p was the question that | asked
myself, but as there was nobody there who
would answer the question l did not ask it
aloud.
Tighten up the back buckles in your
trousers and spread cut about three yards
apart" was the next command, and
breathed free because | knew that L was
not 10 he examined again as | was at the
recruiting otiice-Stark naked.
Now L Will instruct you in the calls
thenlc exercises of the army" said the cor
poral, and he did with vengeance. He
started IN very easily, merely having us
raise our hands straight out in front Of the
body and then dropping them at the sides
again. Then he got little mO'5 excited
and gave us motion which reminded me
of a windmill in distress. After this he
contented himself for few moments by
tying our arms up into knots of all kinds
from the bow knot to the slip moose, and
then having us to unite them as best We
could.
Next he allowed us to strike the air very
f0rcIby, taking good care TO keep out o
reach of our fists, and then gave US an imi-
tatlOn of a water wheel at different speeds
He tried neck exercises next, and nearly
twisted himself out OF joint and expected
US TO do the same, but W did not suit him
and he made us bend our heads over back
wards and sideways to timber our necks.
l do not know whether the corporal eX-
pected 10 train us for the pulpit, Senate or
merely for campaign speakers, but he
taught us to bow in all the most outlandish
positions that be could think OF, including
one where | bent so tar over forward that /
began 10 see the back Of my shirt, when |
| lost my balance and turned a complete
somersauit, landing with my feet on top Of
the WindOW-sill.
he did not stop the exercise to see whether
| was killed or not, but changed TO the next
and l rot up just in time to see one of my
companions in misery, who was standing
near an open window, turn over backward
and 20 out, taking the whole sash with him.
He landed safely on the grass and came
around to the front door and into the room
again just as II nothing had happened. He
took his place in the set, narrowly escaping
a kick on the shins from another recruit
when the commander gave a kicking eX-
| ercise.
An exercise in squatting. followed by one
| in which we walked around the room bow
| legged, knock-kneed cross-legged, and in fact
| almost every way except on our ears, came
| next in the order of business. but we were
! getting used TO the matter and were sur
| prised at nothing.
He gave US lot of exercises which tended
| to make Us candidates for the Murgue and
nltdlll tiItu lIt ltSeUU ny giving us several
| steps IN ciog-dance and left us standing in
| position which was combination OF a
skating rink exhibition ana a knockout
| blow In a prlze-hght 1t is needless 10 say
| that we were all ready for dinner after so
much exercise as this.
| We were given a short rest after dinner
| aud then taken to the stable for our first
| lesson IN saddling and brding a horse
| This was easy, but 1t got tiresome whea we
| had done 1t about twenty times and we
| were given a change of programme.
| | thought that the worst part of soldering
| was the calisthenic exercises of the morn
| ing, but | appreciate now that it is one of
! the easiest things in the service.
At the direction of the "nOn-cOm," we re-
moved the saddles from the horses hacks
| and took the blankets off with them. and
| stood at the heads of our animals The
| command then came. Prepare to mount"
| and the necessary instructions came with
| it. The correct way. according to the drill
| regulations, is to place the left hand on the
| horses neck and the right upon his withers.
| the reins in the right hand, and spring lightly
| from the ground and raise the BODY keen
| ing it erect and supporting the weight on
the hands; carry the right leg, knee bent,
| over the horse and sit down quietly on the
horses back.
The next command was, Mount" and
we attempted TO do so. One man ATTEMPTED
to spring clear over the horse, bnt lit on his
stomach across the horses back. and tho
IL might have resulted seriously had not the
CORPORAL captured the animal before lie left
the corral As far as l myself was con-
cerned, managed to get into the first posi-
ton without any trouble, but when it came
to putting my right leg over the horses
back that was out of the question, and |
slid down the horses front leg TO the
ground, like small boy coming down
tree
After two or three attempts we got on
horses backs. mupb "a 10
Of the old soldiers who had coagregated to
see the sport. Now came the fun of getting
off again. 1t was easy enough to get off.
but TO do 1t in scientific manner, and ali
four together, was another matter. But
after many falls we satisfied our officer and
we were allowed 10 rest for the remainder
of the daY.
had just got myself fixed comfortably in
the readng-room and had found the latest
city paper when the first sergeant called me
into the headquarters office and told me
that the rest OF my outfit had arrived and |
had better put them in my chest.
This Is what he gave me: One dress coat
and helmet with yellow plume, which
needed an application of hair restorer be-
fore it would look well; fatigue suit of
brown canvas two pieces; one pair of
ghuntlets for riding; two pairs of white
gloves for dismOunted drills; one saddle.
blanket and bride Il had been using bor-
rowed ouifD; pair Of spurs, carhine and
earbine sling, pistol (sixshooteT and
holster, saber and belt. field belt Of brown
canvas, saddle pockets q was glad that
some part Of the equipment was to have
pockets; mess kit. composed OF plate,
knife, fork, spoon, cup, etc; a canteen,
lariat and picket pin; and one rubber
poneho TO keep the water from nv bed
clothing while in the field.
carried my arsenal upstairs, packed nv
extra clothing in my chest and on the
shelves above my bed and delivered INV
mess kit over to the COOK. who told me that
was 10 DO detailed to wait upon the tables
the next day, or, as he more gracefulIv ex
| pressed it, ito be dning-r room orderly"
Sure enough before bedtime the first SER
geant detailed me to be a waiter, and after
the same ceremonies as the night before /
retired, to sleep like a log until the cook
awoke me jus. before the first call TO come
down into the dining-room aud begin
work"
| waited at the tahla fnr three nnnls md