lves in intelligence, courage, and military skill, and
in all the other substantial qualities of a good soldier.

"I know not how that may be," replied one of the officers. "How they
will prove when they come into action with the enemy, I can not tell;
but a more perverse and churlish set of fellows in camp, than these I
have got in my regiment, I never knew. The other day, for example,
when there had been a sacrifice, the meat of the victims was sent
around to be distributed to the soldiers. In our regiment, when the
steward came in with the first distribution, he began by me, and so
went round, as far as what he had brought would go. The next time he
came, he began at the other end. The supply failed before he had got
to the place where he had left off before, so that there was a man in
the middle that did not get any thing. This man immediately broke out
in loud and angry complaints, and declared that there was no equality
or fairness whatever in such a mode of division, unless they began
sometimes in the center of the line.

"Upon this," continued the officer, "I called to the discontented man,
and invited him to come and sit by me, where he would have a better
chance for a good share. He did so. It happened that, at the next
distribution that was made, we were the last, and he fancied that only
the smallest pieces were left, so he began to complain more than
before. 'Oh, misery!' said he, 'that I should have to sit here!' 'Be
patient,' said I; 'pretty soon they will begin the distribution with
us, and then you will have the best chance of all.' And so it proved
for, at the next distribution, they began at us, and the man took his
share first; but when the second and third men took theirs, he fancied
that their pieces looked larger than his, and he reached forward and
put his piece back into the basket, intending to change it; but the
steward moved rapidly on, and he did not get another, so that he lost
his distribution altogether. He was then quite furious with rage and
vexation."

Cyrus and all the company laughed very heartily at these mischances of
greediness and discontent; and then other stories, of a somewhat
similar character, were told by other guests. One officer said that a
few days previous he was drilling a part of his troops, and he had
before him on the plain what is called, in military language, a
_squad_ of men, whom he was teaching to march. When he gave the order
to advance, one, who was at the