way the
eight of them went, heading directly for the lake, the captain watching
them with amusement, the rest of us snickering. Over the edge of the
bluff they went, we heard crashes in the bushes, and presently, when the
rest of us were beginning our demonstration, we saw the sheepish return
of our lost squad. No one in our company will ever now forget that when
we begin our deployment at a halt, we advance those three paces and no
more.

You see now the real value of the corporal. He is of use in close order
formation, yet there, with a little drill, the company could get along
without him. But in extended order he is in independent command of the
squad, takes his orders from his superior, translates them according to
circumstances, and separately leads his little bunch of men to the place
where they are to deploy. Moreover, since his problem varies according as
we are marching or at a halt, in line or in column, and according as we
are to guide centre, right, or left, the corporal needs (we proved it
today) to have a cool head and a firm hold of his men. In one case we go
forward, in another we march to one side before deploying, in still
another we make a letter S, going backward and then forward again. There
was a wonderful confusion this morning, with all of us greenhorns trying
to learn this new work. Moreover, since we are volunteers, and men of
intelligence, and by this time pretty well acquainted, every man of us
thought he understood everything, and was bursting to tell the others how
it should be done.

And then began to appear which of our corporals were corporals indeed.
Some squads were little Babels, each man uttering forth his voice, with
the poor squad-leader either vainly trying to make himself heard, or
silently trying to make his own ideas square with the contradictions of
the other seven. Other squads may have been repressed volcanoes, but
still they were repressed, with the corporal making his mistakes in his
own way, but learning by blundering how the thing should be done. As for
Squad 8, Knudsen was guarding the corporal's peace of mind. Once when
Bannister had mistaken the order, and I burst out with a whispered "Too
far!" Knudsen snapped at me, "No speaking to the corporal!" Now since
once or twice he had given advice, that was a touch too much; but I
caught a significant twinkle in Corder's eye, and held my peace. I shan't
soon forget the puzzled expression on Bannister's round, honest face