on was due to arrive that morning and he had
orders to be on hand, along with other flight commanders, to meet his
superior. O'Malley yawned. Meeting brass hats always bored him. He was
not sure that he was going to like being one of them. O'Malley
considered even a flight commander a brass hat.

Colonel Benson was late in arriving. He was exactly three hours late and
that made O'Malley exactly two hours late for his dinner. Dinner was a
very important item in O'Malley's day, and he was in a very dour mood
when an orderly called the boys in to meet the new commander.

The commander's room once had been a lounge and music room. It was part
of a huge old mansion located on an estate. An Italian political boss
had taken it over from a native prince. O'Malley crowded in behind the
first man entering the room. At once the man ahead of O'Malley clicked
his heels and snapped a smart salute. O'Malley looked the colonel over,
then dabbed at the front of his cap with a big hand.

Colonel Benson was a big, rawboned man, standing six feet two inches and
weighing two hundred and ten pounds. His red face looked as though it
had just been scrubbed with soap and water. It had a pink and white
smoothness under the sunburn which reddened it. The eyes of the colonel
took away the softness of his smooth face. They were green and hard as
agate. At the moment they were looking Lieutenant O'Malley over with a
decidedly unfavorable glint.

The other boys shoved in and lined up. There was no mistaking the
atmosphere in the room. It fairly vibrated with military correctness.
The colonel's uniform, his carefully parted hair, his smooth, freshly
scraped chin, all added to the feeling of tightness.

Most of the boys in the room were used to dirt and dust and bearded
faces. They recently had come through a dusty, dirty, and bloody
battle. During those months on the desert they had forgotten all about
military correctness. The colonel's expression plainly indicated that he
thought them a sloppy outfit. He remained standing as he talked, and the
men remained at attention.

"I have been sent here to teach you men some of the combat tricks
developed recently." His eyes roved over the men and stopped upon
O'Malley.

"I am not going to insist upon strict military observance, but there are
a few details I will insist upon." The colonel's voice was rising and
his face was getting a bit redder.

"You." He stabbed a finger toward O'Malley.

"Lieute