Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-08
RECRUIT HAD THE DROP.

RECRUIT HAD THE DROP.
Sometimes a raw recruit will put up
with AN sorts of abuse, and something's he
will wiggle and squirm and turn upon
his tOrmentor and make the torlnentor
sorry. The tOrmentor in his instance
was a lieutenant who did not like raw
recruits. He did not see why such pests
should ever be permitted to get into the
army. When they shot eadh other in
the foot, or invariably fired a salute at
guard mount when the command "open
chambers and cartridge boxes, was Civ
en-, the lieutenant rejoiced, because then
he could descend on them like a storm
out of the clouds and fill their young
lives with gloom. 1t was on he alam-
ba expedition, and the dismounted cav
airy regiment had been alternately fight
Ing; and hiking all day. First, they would
hike for awhile through rice puddles and
across bamboo jungles. Then the enemy
would bob up, and they would pause and
fight. At night they were tired. About
three-fourths Of the command were raw
recruits, and the day had been q trying
one to raw recruits. AT night they were
almost too tired to lie down and sleep,
and some would have slept standing up
If their friends had not pushed them
over, 50 that they lay upon the ground.
One of the recruits, the smallest
newest man in the regiment, had been
told off for post duty and sent to keep
watch on the edge of a river that flowed
some 600 yards away from the camp.
Across the river. somewhere In the dense
jungles of barnbOb, were the Insurgents
and the outpost had to move quietly and
speak in whispers so as not to become
too popular with the sharpshooters hid
den in the mysterious blackness across
the stream. At 9 O'Clock the officer Of
the day anne around inspecting the out
post. The recruit was sitting on the
bank of the river holding his feet straight
out in front of him. The corporal had
up he would not go to sleep. The re-
cruit was so busy holding out his feet
that he did not see the officer of the day
who happened to be the lieutenant who
scorned raw recruits. The recruit finally
| realized that the officer of the day had
come up, and he arose, clumsily enough,
| and tried to look as soldierly as the rest
of the men. But the officer of the day
looked at the little hoy in the khaki SOL
dier clothes with contempt. Then he
glanced across the river. and a happy
idea struck him.
'tsergeant,'' he said to the non-com-
missfoned officer of the outpost, "you
ought to have a man across the river;
If they come in on us there we could
be forming while they were coming
across, if we only had a man over there
ITO give the ALARM"
Yes, sir" said the sergeant.
you go over there" said the lieuten-
ant to the shivering little recruit. Get
behind the bushes and watch close. If
the gugies start for us, fire once, any
how. Then you can drop over the bank
and come back to the outpost"-the lieu
tenant paused for a moment, and then
concluded-"maybe."
The -little recruit shivered so that his
teeth ratified, n to hide his fear he
merely saluted and hastily waded into
the cold, dark river and across. The
current was swift, n at one time the
water came up to his armpits, but he
got safely over, and then, alone in the
enemy's country, he sat shivering through
the night, trying to make out the fam
tastic shapes that doomed up in the
darkness.
About midnight he heard some one
walking along the beach on the Ameri-
can side of the river. He raised his
rifle and challenged "halt." The figure
across the river halted.
who's there?" asked the recruit.
''Officer of the day." came back the
response in the unmistakable voice OF
that Individual.
Advance, officer of the day!' com
manded the recruit with all the dignity
of a brigadier general ordering the for
nation of his brigade, and be recog-
nized.'
"Oh, that's all right, my man." said
the offic,r of the day. II can't advance
across this muddy river. you know. How
is everything over there?"
Advance, officer of the day." came
from the recruit on the other side, land
be recognised" Then followed a pecu-
liar click such AS is made When the
safety catch is thrown back so as to per-
| init the firing of a Krag-Jorgensen rifle.
longer. He plunged into the cold water
ho.a and went in over his head. He
walked shore SO wet he could have been
wrung cut by hand. The recruit hooked
at him.
Its all right" he said, tossing his
gun to port. II recognize you. Every
thing is quiet, sir"
Then he stood waiting for the officer
OF the day to empty a via of wrath
upon his head. Blu nothing of the kind
happened. The lie utenant asked the
usual quesHOns, then waded back. And
he never showed by word or action that
ne remembered the thing afterward. Elk
cept that he seemed to have more re-
| srect for raw recruits, and for one raw
recruit in particular.