Uncle Sam's Boys with Pershing's Troops: Or, Dick Prescott at Grips with the Boche — John Shaqi
Uncle Sam's Boys with Pershing's Troops: Or, Dick Prescott at Grips with the BocheHancock, H. Irving (Harrie Irving)
History
Uncle Sam's Boys with Pershing's Troops: Or, Dick Prescott at Grips with the Boche
Hancock, H. Irving (Harrie Irving)
United States. Army -- Juvenile fiction; World War, 1914-1918 -- Juvenile fiction
"All right, then; I won't---unless you give me new reason to think
it necessary," smiled Kelly. Then his hand, still resting on the
younger man's shoulder, he walked back to where the squad waited.
"I'll tell you more about it any time you want to know," was Kelly's
last statement before he turned away.
"Attention!" called Corporal Barrow briskly. "Saluting is one
of the things a new soldier is likely to do badly at first. I'm
going to put you through a few minutes of it."
This time Barrow patiently singled out the soldier giving the
poorest salute.
"You don't bring your hand up smartly enough," Barrow explained
patiently. "Try it again. No; don't bring it up with a jerk.
Do it like this---smartly, without jerk. No; that's not right,
either. Hold your hand horizontally when it touches your hat-brim.
Hold it the way I am doing. Don't be in a hurry to let hand
fall, either. When saluting an officer, keep the hand at the
hat-brim until he has returned the salute, or you've passed him.
There, you have it right now, Rindle. Do it three times more,
dropping your hand when I see you and return the salute. That's
it. Good work. Try it again, all together. Squad, salute!"
"Well done, Corporal," chimed in the voice of Captain Prescott,
who had come up behind the instructor, "Be sure that the squad
has drill enough in the salute, for a man is never a really good
soldier until he can render a salute smartly. Let the men break
ranks, Corporal, and have each man pass me in turn, saluting the
best he knows how."
As Captain Dick stood there, receiving and returning the salute
of each rookie as he passed, the young company commander noted
each man's performance with keen eyes.
"First rate for recruits, Corporal," Prescott said, as he turned
away. "Give them daily drill at it, however."
Corporal Barrow gave his own most precise salute as he received
his captain's orders. Then he called:
"In double rank, fall in! Mark time, march! Step more smartly,
Pelham. Hip, hip, hip! Squad halt! One, two!"
From the corner of the building Dick had paused an instant to
glance back. Then he went into the company office.
"I've just been watching Corporal Barrow and his new recruit squad,
Sergeant," Dick announced. "The men are doing first-rate for
new men. Corporal Barrow is a patient and competent drill-master."
"Yes, sir," Kelly replied, without trace of a smile.
"The patient instructor is the only one who can teach a recruit,
Sergeant. If you ever see a non-com in this company losing his
temper set him straight at the first chance."
"Yes, sir."
"But don't make the correction in hearing of the squad unless the
case is a flagrant one."
"No, sir," Sergeant Kelly promised, his eyes smileless.
"How near is the company to full strength this morning?"
"Only twelve men short, sir. A new draft, coining in on the 4.10
train this afternoon is expected to fill all companies to strength,
sir."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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