“Guns!” roared Purvis, as the men broke off and panted. “Number off from the right. Fourteen is one, three is two, eleven’s three, twenty and thirty-nine are four and five, and five is six.” He was giving them their numbers at the guns as they struggled into their uniforms. In like manner he told off three other guncrews, and the remainder left at the double, to return through the further doors with four light quick-firers jerking at the end of man-ropes. “Knock down and assemble against time!” Purvis called. The audience closed in a little as the crews flung themselves on the guns, which melted, wheel by wheel, beneath their touch. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” I whispered. “Huh!” said Matthews scornfully. “They’re always doin’ it in the Line and Militia drill-halls. It’s only circus-work.” The guns were assembled again and some one called the time. Then followed ten minutes of the quickest firing and feeding with dummy cartridges that was ever given man to behold. “They look as if they might amount to something—this draft,” said Matthews softly. “What might you teach ’em after this, then?” I asked. “To be Guard,” said Matthews. “Spurs,” cried Purvis, as the guns disappeared through the doors into the stables. Each man plucked at his sleeve, and drew up first one heel and then the other. “What the deuce are they doing?” I asked. “This,” said Matthews. He put his hand to a ticket-pocket inside his regulation cuff, showed me two very small black box-spurs: drawing up a gaitered foot, he snapped them into the box in the heel, and when I had inspected snapped them out again. “That’s all the spur you really need,” he said. Then horses were trotted out into the school barebacked, and the neophytes were told to ride. Evidently the beasts knew the game and enjoyed it, for they would not make it easy for the men. A heap of saddlery was thrown in a corner, and from this each man, as he captured his mount, made shift to draw proper equipment, while the audience laughed, derided, or called the horses towards them. It was, most literally, wild horseplay, and by the time it was finished the recruits and the company were weak with fatigue and laughter. “That’ll do,” said Purvis, while the men rocked in their saddles. “I don’t see any particular odds between any of you. C Company! Does anybody here know anything against any of these men?” “That’s a bit of the Regulations,” Matthews whispered. “Just like forbiddin’ the banns in church. Really, it was all settled long ago when the names first came up.” There was no answer. “You’ll take ’em as they stand?” There was a grunt of assent. “Very good. There’s forty men for twenty-three billets.” He turned to the sweating horsemen. “I must put you into the Hat.”