Just before dark forty United States doughboys started down the trail, bent on pleasure and sight-seeing. Being on leave, none of these men were allowed to carry their arms with them. Nothing, for that matter, could be much more awkward to a soldier than his rifle when on leave to visit town. "Be careful, men, that none of you overstay your leave," Lieutenant Hampton called warningly, as the town party started down the trail. "We won't, sir," came the chorused answer. This is always the promise of men on leave. Sometimes, in the excitement of pleasures, the promise is forgotten, or ignored, and then trouble is sure to follow. CHAPTER XVII ROUNDING UP THE MISSING LEAVE MEN Camp police, which means the care and tidying of camp, and the carrying out of hygienic precautions, occupied the soldiers in camp most of the time between breakfast and nine o'clock. Then the toilers were dismissed for rest. "Mr. Hampton," called Captain Cortland, "you may notify Sergeant Gray that assembly will sound at 10.15. Just before that, at 10.10, roll-call of the men on town leave will take place." Some minutes before ten o'clock a lot of the men of both companies began to straggle in. "There will be some of the boys who won't be here on time, though," Private Hyman confided to Hal. "A soldier who gets leave and doesn't respect it is either a fool or too mean a shirker to be in the service," Hal returned. "That's what I tried to tell some of the fellows in town," laughed Hyman lightly. "You ought to have heard them thank me! But, oh, what's the use? A fellow who is going to make a good soldier of himself always does the nearest he can to right, and the other kind seldom get back on a second enlistment, anyway." A few minutes later Sergeant Gray's voice could be heard calling: "B Company men returned from town leave fall in here for roll-call." Further down the camp, C Company's first sergeant could be heard giving the same summons. Instead of twenty men, only fourteen of B's fell in. Sergeant Gray looked them over with disgust written on his fine, bronzed, soldiery old face, for Gray had served twenty-four years with the colors. Then he began to call the roll. "Dismissed," he announced as soon as he had finished reading. Turning on his heel, a look of deep concern on his face, Sergeant Gray reported to Captain Cortland. "Well, Sergeant?" "Six men absent from roll-call, sir." "Who are the six men?" "Burt, Coy, Dowley, Hooper, Landers and Corporal Minturn, sir." "Direct Sergeant Hupner to report to me at once." "Very good, sir." Sergeant Hupner came up at a brisk stride, saluting. "Sergeant," continued Captain Cortland, "I am very sorry to say that six of B Company's men have violated their pledge and have not returned from leave. Doubtless all of them are in Mason City at this moment." "Yes, sir." "Take a detail of six men, reporting their names to Sergeant Gray, and start with as little delay as possible for Mason City."