The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-27
A War Office Secret


harding. ''Of course he can. A man on
the staff at Hythe has a rife in his
hand all day and every day. Even you
could shoot under such-well, perhaps not
you. for you never know what you can't
do until you try. Do know the School
OF Musketry? I do know ft-lock, stock,
barrel and cleaning rod, or, should say,
In these Lee-Metford days, clearing rod,
for the cleaning rods as dead as Queen
Anne or the pigtails for which the
Welsh fusiliers still wear the flash
though the powder and pomatum from
Which the flash protected the coatee
has been gone for the best part Of a cen
fury.
Now, you all know why foreign mill
tary attaches are In England. They are
here to see the rights Of all improve
ments in the army-in men, in tools, in
the handling of either. They notice
new explosive or a new drill movement,
and If the Horse guards gave me com
mission 1 reckon they would notice that,
and would tell their respective war Off
ces that they had better look out now.
Our military attaches are abroad for the
same purpose. They're just spies in
peace time. Why, 1 remember when
cordite came out how one Of the CONT
mental war offices sent gunner officer
over here-they said to learn English.
know the man at WOolW1ch who gave
him the cordite, and how much he got
for it. I know the Englishman who
found the man at Woolwich who would
do the job. I know how much more he
got for 1t. But would I breathe the
name Of that continental power to make
interna tionaf complications? Not me.
know better what's due to my country.
All which leads up to this. When L was
at Hythe qualifying for two guns and
{riv
a great mystery about the Maxim; IN
fact, we who were undergoing instruc-
ton, as instructors were never SHOWN
the mechanism Of the block. The IN
structor of the Hythe staff used always
to take that out of the gun and hold 1t
behind him while he explained the other
parts. And that was what made me Gu
rious to see the block. I was working
very hard In the evenings; yet for my
heaIth's sake l had to walk now ana
then into FoIkestone and along the Leas.
And there l met q young foreign person,
who told mo she was ladys mala
How did I make her acquaintance II
YOU don't know simple little tnlnS IKE
that you ought to. We learn In the
army the art of mixing grace1uly IN
female society. And the young foreign
person, who spoke English beautifully
said to me one evening, as we were SIT
ting in g. quiet spot away from otheE
people and from gas lamps:
az do love to hear about all that con-
Germs you. Tell me all about what you 90
at the School Of Musketry."
ooh, it's all very simple, Mam-selle'
said I. Then, Just to show her what
clever fellow I was, I began to give her
a full account of all the difficult things
we had to do. And, Of course, among
other things, I spoke of the machine guns.
Those are the horrid things that go
rk-c1k-crk-crk, are they notT asked sle'
as she initiated perfectly the venomous
spit of the beats.
That's It.
Tell me about them. think they are
wonderfully interesting. How well edu-
Gated a soldier has to be nowadays TO
understand such things!
"It's quite true that a first-class certif-
icate of education, which sergeant is
now bound to have, is not got for the
asking Then I went on to tell her the
mechanism of the Maxim.
But the funniest thing about it all Is
that they won't let us see the works OF
the block, although we are to qualify for
musketry instructors
"'And of the most important part Of the
gun you know nothing?'
I have general Idea.
GA man who is as clever as you in
mechanics and mathematics ought to
know all about It, I should be curious
to know if 1 were you
IT could easily find out all about 1t If
I cared to take the trouble.
Trouble! What is trouble to a scien-
tihc man? If 1 were you I should think
nothing of any little trouble. Now, will
spur you for your own good and to adj
vance you in the service. 1 am curious,
for your sake, to know about this gun.
I'll betN you what you like you don't ex-
plain the mechanism of the block to me
within month. Your explanations make
even dry old figures interesting
And I can name the stakes?'
Certainly
IA kiss, then
I" I can't bet you that
But I was to name the stakes
"'Oh, I couldn't think Of IT.
There's no need for you to think of
1t, Mamselle. You're only to do it. I
have your word, you know. If you are
honorable
Sir!
Then the bet is off,
'''No. gave you my word. It is an
noying. But I will keep my word
And 1 can give you my word that 1
shall win. So, perhaps, in case you
change your mind, had better have the
kiss now
do with the story
NOW, had been working hard at the
mechanics of guns before went to the
school Of musketry, so that I might do
We'll And [ had a natural taste for such
things in the blood, probably because my
aunt married a smith, to whom 1 was to
have been apprenticed, only I would
none of him and his smithy. So you only
had to show me the cocoanut In gunnery
mechanics and I tumbled to what kind
Of milk was inside. The next Maxim
day We were gathered round the instruc-
tor who was Keeling out his Maxim yarn
He had taken out the block, and was
holding in in his fingers behind his back.
1 had my notebook in my hand, and I
slipped behind him. In q very few
moments I had a sketch of all that APP
peared on the surface, and a very good
Idea of what was beneath it.
'"That evening I was sitting among q
lot of other men who were swotting for
the exam. I had sheet of fooIscap
and was busy making sketch of the &C
ton in Indian ink
Halo, young man. said the instruc-
tor, who had been looking over my
shoulder unbeknown to me, what have
you got there?'
You ought to know as well, If not
better than I. sergeant instructor
4 90 knew. But where did you get
it.?
That's my business
Well. you must give it up
20, no, shan't.'
But you must
+" It's mine, and you can't take 1t away
from me-