"I’ll be glad to leave that crazy bunch, anyway," he continued as they stopped for a moment under the barracks arcade and watched the apprentices racing wildly across the parade ground after being dismissed from their drill. "I don’t reckon they ever will learn anything. They are only mischief-making children, and seem to have no sense of responsibility at all. Sometimes I wonder why they take such babies into a crack organization like this. Do you reckon it ever pays in the long run? They try to fuss ’Old Grumpy’ the entire time, and never make the least attempt to learn their lessons at school." "I guess you’ve still a great deal to learn about the marines," remarked Dick drily. "In the first place, those boys seldom fool Gunnery Sergeant Miller with their tricks. He has been handling boys for such a long time in the capacity of ’N.C.O.[#] in Charge’ that they have to get up pretty early in the morning to put one over on him. He has been through the mill himself, for he is a graduate from this very school. It’s just because they are kids, that’s all, and most of them have not had the advantages you and I have enjoyed, Hank, in the way of schooling and home training and associations. They get the spirit of the Corps sooner or later, I guess. You see, we were fortunate; we both went through high school, and that is why we were excused from taking the lessons those boys have to labor over. Some of those chaps never got beyond the primary schools till they came here." [#] Non-commissioned officer. "Where did you get all your dope, Dick?" inquired Henry, rather curious to know how his friend found out so many things. "Well, you see, Hank, I’m in the Marine Corps to learn all I can about it. I want to be familiar with its history in every way, and I’ve had several talks with Miller and other N.C.O.’s about service things. In this way I get quite a little valuable information not put down in the rules and regulations; and it may come in handy some day." "Oh yes, I reckon so, and you may be right; but for my part the N.C.O.’s are such an ignorant lot themselves, and more or less vulgar too, that I avoid all of them as much as possible. Until you came along, Dick, I hardly spoke to anyone in the barracks. It goes against the grain to have too close an intimacy with them."