Evening star., 1896-11-07

Is always one soldier who never fails to
hear the very first 'G note Of this first
call of the day. His "bdnkies" will always
swear that this man does not sleep at ALL
but lies awake all night in order that he
may be the first to hear the trumpeter's
summons, and to delight in the delirious
joy Of hopping up on his bunk and bowling
out "FirS-s-st caWl-l.
The black looks of the non-comm:ssionad
officers who sleep in each squad room never
deter this eXuberant soldier from indulging
In this electrifying howl in the gray dawn
of morning. He has a right to emit sounds
and to test his voice in the barracks al any
time between first call in the morning and
lights out at night, and. after the nights
necessary vocal restraint, he takes advan-
tage of his first opportunity. In truth, he
often serves a good purpose, for many SOL
diers are such heavy sleepers that they
rarely or never hear first CALL and the
termed, let's out yowl and simply lifts
them to sitting posture on their hunks.
Answer to Their Names.
After looking bewilderedly about for q
moment, the fact begins to dawn upon
these somnolent ones that morning has ar
rived, and they hustle into their uniforms
to stand revelle roll call. Assembly goes
within five minutes after first call, and the
men Of each battery fall in in front Of their
respective quarters and answer to their
rames as called by the first sergeant, who,
o
the officer of the day, who clanks along the
lines, Battery present or accounted
for" or "Privates So-andSo absent from
Ievelle.' as the case may be. If 1t IS the
latter case there is an immediate investiga-
ton as to what has prevented the absentees
from standing reve!lle-an investigation
which very frequently lands the lagsards
in the "Cink."
While the men are yet standing in line
the bang of the morning sunrise gun comes
laundering over the parade ground, the
stars and stripes, under the manipulation
of one of the corporals of the guard. fiut
ter from the top OF the hagStan, ana the
military day is begun.
The men barely have time to get their
heads under the cold water spigots in the
wash rooms. and to dry themselves with
crash towels, before the fitting will-o the
wisp of a trumpeter of the guard blares out
mess call. 1t should be explained that at
Washington barracks there are battery
messes-that is. the batteries have each a
separate dining room and Kitchen presided
over by permanent cook chosen from
each outfit. The cook of each battery. to-
gether with the two men detailed each day
to assist him-they are known as Kitchen
poice"-is awakened every morning about
an hour before reveille by one of the men,
bers of the guard, in order to give him
plenty Of time to prepare the battery's
breakfast.
The cook Is always regarded by the men
as a deSpot of the rankest- kind. All of the
men given their regular ''whack' at
the kitchen police job. and they all hate 1t
with equal deadiness, for. as "dog-rob-
bers' of dish-washerS and table-cleaners,
they are good deal more absolutely un-
der the subsection of the cook-''the black
hearted tyrant Is the term usually ap-
piled to rhim-than general prisoners under
provost sergeant on, a still hunt for
laures.
The Cooks Snrcasm.
In the battery messes the men are fed
with good, substantial food, served on
white pine tables and without any frills.
The most common breakfast dish of the
army, next to beans, is not unappetZing
compound, like Irish stew, briefly called
"slum'' by the soldiers. The men drink
two or three big bowls of good coffee with
out milk, and eat several slabs Of unbuttered
bread, moiStened by the ''Sum" gravy, and
they get through the meal with phenome-
nal quickness. They do not bolt their break
fasts from preference, but because the
cook, If they appear to linger a trife over
the meal glares in from the kitchen and
tells them that there's going to be a din
ner in this shack today, usual" Thus
adjured, they do not waste much time In
showing the cook their backs.
Anyhow. there are duties to be performed
Immediately after breakfast. The mat
tresses on the hunks and the blankets must
be rolled up and the quarters arranged for
the inspect tion of the battery commander,
who, in the detection Of dirt slovenliness
sides, fatigue call is sounded by the un-
relentirg wind pusher' about half an hour
after breakfast. A large portion of each
battery reports to the provost sergean: at
fatigue call. There is ''Cld guard fatigue
for men who have come off guard on the
day previous. "quartermasters" fatigue and
commissary's" fatigue for all hands, and
there is never any lack of work In a mil
| 1tary post to keep the fatigue parties busy
The Provost Sergeant.
Provost sergeants. who are the dir ,ctors
of military chores like to stand well with
their commanding officers, and they have
an unerring instinct In picking out Jobs
for the men, the successful performance of
which Is likely to catch the eye of the post
commander No chicken coop that needs a
coat or Whitewash will escape the provost
sergeants eye, no brush wood that needs
clearing away, no sewers to be flushed, no
coal to be carted no wood to be sawed and
spnt, no roads to be patched, no weeds to
De picked, that ne does not see. For OBJ
vious reasons, provost sergeants are not
popular with the buck privates, the only
men who do any actual work in these ia
tlgue parties, the non commissioned OFF,
GERS, down to the acting lance jacks" only
doing the directing and the heavy standing
around.
The garrison prisoners-soldiers dong
guard-house terms for minor offenses-fre-
quently work alongside the fatigue parties
When the men are all jumbled together at
work, the prisoners cannot be distinguished
from the free soldiers, for all are dressed in
the brown canvas fatigue uniforms, with
the broad-brimmed white campaign hats
used Tor working clothes. The only differ
ence IN the condition Of the working pris-
oner and the working member of the fa-
tlgue party Is that the former Is constantly
followed around by a sentry-who may
quite likely be the prisoners ''bunkie"-in
whose campaign belt, are jammed three
baH cartridges to be inserted into the pris-
oners system In case he attempts to run
away
Sentries are instructed to shoot to kill in
SN sucn cases. and they have often doae So
Ohiy IeW years ago a private in Battery
y, otn Aruilery, snot and killed his bos om
coHlrade when the latter, a prisoner doing
month and a month"; tried to make his
escape at the Preside. He was made a
sergeant shortly afterpara A man doing
month and a month";" by the way. is a
solder who, usually fqr canteen- generated
oHenses, has been sentenced by a summary
court-martial to passa69e month in the
guard mouse and to dona4e one month of
ms pay to the ge leral wealth of the United
States.
For Guard Duty.
Immediately after breakfast the men
whose names have been read out at re-
treat the previous night for tour of
guard duty begin their elaborate prepara-
lions Tor going on guard It is necessary