Said Matthews as we withdrew, "Each company does Trials their own way. B
Company is all for teaching men how to cook and camp. D Company keeps 'em
to horse-work mostly. We call D the circus-riders and B the cooks. They
call us the Gunners."
"An' you've rejected _me_," said the man who had done sea-time, pushing
out before us. "The Army's goin' to the dogs."
I stood in the corridor looking for Burgard.
"Come up to my room and have a smoke," said Matthews, private of the
Imperial Guard.
We climbed two flights of stone stairs ere we reached an immense landing
flanked with numbered doors.
Matthews pressed a spring-latch and led me into a little cabin-like room.
The cot was a standing bunk, with drawers beneath. On the bed lay a
brilliant blanket; by the bed head was an electric light and a shelf of
books: a writing table stood in the window, and I dropped into a low
wicker chair.
"This is a cut above subaltern's quarters," I said, surveying the photos,
the dhurri on the floor, the rifle in its rack, the field-kit hung up
behind the door, and the knicknacks on the walls.
"The Line bachelors use 'em while we're away; but they're nice to come
back to after 'heef.'" Matthews passed me his cigarette-case.
"Where have you 'heefed'?" I said.
"In Scotland, Central Australia, and North-Eastern Rhodesia and the North-
West Indian front."
"What's your service?"
"Four years.
Pages:
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266