As Harry had said, more than a hundred of the men had already given in their names. Next day a still larger number volunteered, and when the medical tests had been applied, it was found that the recruits from the Randall works were enough to form a company. This accordingly was scheduled as No. 3 Company in the 17th Service Battalion of a regiment which, for reasons which will appear in the course of this narrative, we shall know as the Rutland Light Infantry. Colonel Appleton, the officer commanding, sent for Harry and Kenneth in the course of the day. "Look here, young fellows," he said, "you’re both O.T.C. men, aren’t you?" They confessed that they were. "Well, I’m short of officers. They’ve sent me several boys without any experience at all, who’ll want a thundering lot of licking into shape. I’ll put you both down, glad to have somebody who knows something about company drill." "Thank you, sir," said Harry, "but we only got the men to enlist by promising to go in with them." "That’s all very well, but nobody can object to promotion. The men will think it the most natural thing in the world for you to officer them." The boys, however, persisted in their refusal. "Nonsense," said the colonel. "I’ll give you twenty-four hours’ leave to think it over. There’ll be nothing doing for a day or two. It’s chaos at present: no uniforms, no boots, no earthly thing. Come and see me this time to-morrow, and tell me you’ve changed your mind." As they left, they saw Ginger and two or three other men on the opposite side of the street, evidently on the watch for them. Ginger took his hands out of his pockets, wiped his mouth, and came across the road. "Beg pardon, sir," he said to Harry, "but we only want to know where we are. The question is, have we got to salute you, or ain’t we?" "Of course not. That’s a silly question. We’re all Tommies together." "There you are, now, what did I say?" Ginger called to his mates. "Unbelieving Jews they are," he added, addressing Harry. "Said it was all kid, and you’d come out majors or lootenants or something. I knowed better." "Make your minds easy on that score, Ginger. We’ve given our word." "That’s a bob lost to Stoneway." "By the way, Stoneway hasn’t enlisted, of course." "Not him! He bet you’d get yourselves turned into officers as soon as you’d raked us in. That’s a day’s pay extra for me." "That fellow Stoneway is a bit of a riddle," said Kenneth as they passed on. "Judging by his speech the other day, he’s better educated than most--a Scot perhaps; there’s a sort of burr in his accent." "I daresay," replied his friend. "A fellow who likes the sound of his own voice, I fancy. Cantankerous: always agin the Government; you know the sort." "Well, old chap, as we’ve got twenty-four hours’ leave I’ll run up to town and explain things to the mater, make a few business arrangements and so on. I’ll be back to lunch to-morrow."