Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-03

mands Smith. You can't leave camp after
taps and the darby half scared to death
walks rapidly back to the horses.
Two o'clock and all is well.' calls out
sentry No. !. and the cry. taken up by Nos
and 3, is repeated by four and then grows
fainter and fainter in the distance as it
passes around the camp.
Now one of the boys who has missed roll
call and gone to Chattanooga. tries to steal
through the lines.
Halt! Who goes there?"
A dark form springs from the ground and
attempts to rush through the lines. but the
sharp click, click Of the sentinels gun as
he cocks it brings the offender to halt
and Corporal of the guard No. A." rings
out upon the still night air. and the pris
oner is taken to the guard house after the
corporal arrives upon the scene.
Just as No. grows weary and sleepy once
more light comes bobbing along the line
and again the challenge, Halt Who goes
there?" and the reply, Officer of the day"
and the order, Advance, officer of the day
and be recognized is given by the sentry.
After recognition the officer stepping up
closely scanning the face of the recruit,
says, What are your general orders2"
MY general orders are to take charge of
this post and all government property in
view; to walk my post in a military man
ner, keeping constantly on the alert. OBJ
serving everything which takes placeswith-
in sight or hearing; to report every breach
There, that will do. 1 see you know
them. But how close DO you allow me -
come to you before challenging" queries
the officer
Thirty feet" answers the guard
And before being recognized?"
Not within eight feet"
Well, see that you do that in the future,
then" and thus CURLY reprimanding the
sentry. the officer passes on his round.
At last the welcome relief appears, and
after challenging and being recognized,
Smith, now thoroughly tired. passes on to
no rom. iyiu xxrh hn oil af am
ing to the rear of the camp the corporal,
after passing along one post and failing to
be challenged, calls out, Where are you?
Why don't you challenger" And new re-
cruit. stepping out from behind a tree. re-
marks: II saw you. l knew you couldn't
find me-" It seems the commanding officer
had told him not to expose himself unnec-
essariiy on sentry duty in the enemys
country, and he adopted this mode of prac-
ticing the officers admonition.
At 6 o'clock Smith. with the rest of his
relief, goes off for. breakfast, and from Z
to he has guard duty again. with the
same monotonous round of saluting COM
missioned officers. stopping wagons from
going faster than a walk and preventing
soldiers crossing the line Then a rest until
u, when the relief goes to dinner, and
they return from dinner Smith notices with
disgust that a thunder shower is rapidly
coming up, and as he goes out upon his last
guard duty, from to 3, the storm breaks
with full fury, and, drenched to the skin.
he is obliged to walk his post with his gun
at secure arms, barrel pointing downward
and the trigger resting under the hollow of
his shoulder. AT last 5 O'Clock arrives. and
with it the end of the rain and guard duty
but not the end of his troubles, for until >
o'clock he is obliged to clean his gum to
prevent the rain from rusting it.
At last it is o'clock. and with it come
the new guard, and as the tired sentry
moves away to his quarters he can feel
thankful that he knew enough about guard
duty to prevent him from being court-mar-
tailed and fined for presenting arms to the
officer of the day as he approached and
calling out. Turn out the whole push,
Here comes the main guyi" instead of
Corporal of the guard, turn out the guard
officer of the day" as sentry on No. post
in New York regiment did