nts a few more
boys like you to fill it up. He'll treat you white and give you twice
as much bounty as you'll git anywhere's else, and he's goin' to keep his
regiment back in the fortifications, where there won't be no fightin',
and hard marches, and starvation--"

"But we enlisted to fight and march, and--" interjected Harry.

"Well, you want a good breakfast just now, more'n anything else, judgin'
from appearances. Come along with me and I'll git you something to eat."

"But we waz enlisted for the 200th Injianny Volunteer Infantry, and must
go to that rijimint," protested Monty Scruggs.

"Well, what's that got to do with your havin' a good breakfast?" said
the newcomer plausibly. "You need that right off. Then we kin talk about
your regiment. As a matter of fact, you're only enlisted in the Army of
the United States and have the right to go to any regiment you please.
Tyrannical as the officers may be, they can't take that privilege of an
American freeman away from you. Come along and git breakfast first."

The man's appearance was so impressive, his words and confident manner
so convincing, and the boys so hungry that their scruples vanished, and
all followed the late Lieut.-Col. Billings, as he gave the word, and
started off through the mazes of the camp with an air of confident
knowledge that completed his conquest of them.

Ex-Lieut.-Col. Billings strode blithely along, feeling the gladsome
exuberance of a man who had "struck a good thing," and turning over in
his mind as to where he had best market his batch of lively recruits,
how he could get around the facts of their previous enlistment, and how
much he ought to realize per head. He felt that he could afford to
give the boys a good breakfast, and that that would be fine policy.
Accordingly, he led the way to one of the numerous large eating houses,
established by enterprising sutlers, to their own great profit and the
shrinkage of the pay of the volunteers. He lined the boys up in front of
the long shelf which served for a table and ordered the keeper:

"Now, give each of these boys a good breakfast of ham and eggs and
trimmings and I'll settle for it."

"Good mornin', Kunnel. When 'd you git down here?" said a voice at his
elbow.

"Hello, Groundhog, is that you?" said Billings, turning around. "Just
the man I wanted to see. Finish your breakfast and come out here. I want
to talk to you."

"Well," answered Groundhog, wiping his mouth, "I'm through.