University of Virginia Library

II.

'OF course, I don't know a damn thing about it,' said Casper, frankly and modestly, to a circle of his fellow staff officers. He was referring to the duties of his office.

Their faces became expressionless; they looked at him with eyes in which he could fathom nothing. After a pause, one politely said: 'Don't you?' It was the inevitable two words of convention.

'Why,' cried Casper, 'I didn't know what a commissary officer was until I was one. My old guv'nor told me. He'd looked it up in a book somewhere, I suppose. But I didn't know.'

'Didn't you?'

The young man's face glowed with sudden humour. 'Do

you know—the word was intimately associated in my mind with camels. Funny, eh? I think it came from reading that rhyme of Kipling's about the commissariat camel.'

'Did it?'

'Yes; funny, isn't it? Camels!'

The brigade was ultimately landed at Siboney, as part of an army to attack Santiago. The scene at the landing sometimes resembled the inspiriting daily drama at the approach to the Brooklyn Bridge. There was a great bustle, during which the wise man kept his property gripped in his hands lest it might march off into the wilderness in the pocket of one of the striding regiments. Truthfully, Casper should have had frantic occupation; but men saw him wandering fecklessly here and there, crying: 'Has any one seen my saddle-bags? Why, if I lose 'em, I'm ruined. I've got everything packed away in 'em—everything.'

They looked at him gloomily and without attention. 'No,' they said. It was to intimate that they would not give three whoops in Hades if he had lost his nose, his teeth, and his self-respect. Reilly's brigade collected itself from the boats and went off, each regiment's soul burning with anger because some other regiment was in advance of it. Moving along through the scrub and under the palms, men talked mostly of things that did not pertain to the business in hand.

General Reilly finally planted his headquarters in some tall grass under a mango tree. 'Where's Cadogan?' he said suddenly, as he took off his hat and smoothed the wet grey hair from his brow. Nobody knew.

'I saw him looking for his saddle-bags down at the landing,' said an officer dubiously.

'Bother him!' said the General contemptuously. 'Let him stay there.'

Three venerable regimental commanders came, saluted stiffly, and sat in the grass. There was a pow-wow, during which Reilly explained much that the division-commander had told him. The venerable colonels nodded; they understood. Everything was smooth and clear to their minds. But still the colonel of the 44th Regular Infantry murmured about the commissariat. His men— And then he launched forth in a sentiment concerning the privations of his men, in which you were confronted with his feeling that his men—his men—were the only creatures of importance in the universe, which feeling was entirely correct for him. Reilly grunted. He did what most

commanders did—he set the competent line to do the work of the incompetent part of the staff.

In time Casper came trudging along the road, merrily swinging his saddle-bags. 'Well, General,' he cried as he saluted, 'I found 'em.' 'Did you?' said Reilly. Later an officer rushed to him tragically. 'General, Cadogan is off there in the bushes eatin' potted ham and crackers all by himself.' The officer was sent back into the bushes for Casper, and the General sent Casper with an order. Then Reilly and the three venerable colonels, grinning, partook of potted ham and crackers. 'Tashe a' right,' said Reilly with his mouth full. 'Dorsey, see if 'e got some'n else.'

'Mush be selfish young pig,' said one of the colonels, with his mouth full. 'Who's he, General?'

'Son—Sen'tor Cad'gan—ol' frien' mine—damn 'im.'

Casper wrote a letter:

'Dear Father,

—I am sitting under a tree using the flattest part of my canteen as a desk. Even as I write the division ahead of us is moving forward, and we don't know what moment the storm of battle may break out. I don't know what the plans are. General Reilly knows, but he is so good as to give me very little of his confidence. In fact, I might be part of a forlorn hope from all to the contrary I've heard from him. I understood you to say, in Washington, that you at one time had been of some service to him; but, if that is true, I can assure you he has completely forgotten it. At times his manner to me is little short of being offensive; but, of course, I understand that it is only the way of a crusty old soldier who has been made boorish and bearish by a long life among the Indians. I dare say I shall manage it all right without a row. When you hear that we have captured Santiago, please send me by first steamer a box of provisions and clothing— particularly sardines, pickles, and light-weight underclothing. The other men on the staff are nice quiet chaps, but they seem a bit crude. There has been no fighting yet, save the skirmish by Young's brigade. Reilly was furious because we couldn't get in it. I met General Peel yesterday. He was very nice. He said he knew you well when he was in Congress. Young Jack May is on Peel's staff; I knew him well in College. We spent an hour talking over old times. Give my love to all at home.'

The march was leisurely. Reilly and his staff strolled out to the head of the long sinuous column, and entered the sultry gloom of the forest. Some less fortunate regiments had to wait

among the trees at the side of the trail, and, as Reilly's brigade passed them, officer called to officer, class-mate to class-mate, in which rang a note of everything from Westpoint to Alaska. They were going into an action in which they, the officers, would lose over a hundred in killed and wounded—officers alone; and these greetings, in which many nicknames occurred, were in many cases farewells, such as one pictures being given with ostentation, solemnity, fervour. 'There goes Gory Widgeon! Hello, Gory! Where you starting for? eh, Gory?'

Casper communed with himself, and decided that he was not frightened. He was eager and alert; he thought that now his obligation to his country, or himself, was to be faced, and he was mad to prove to old Reilly and the others that after all he was a very capable soldier.