n the case of the average hunting party of men from civil
life it must be hard to find a lot of really good fellows, who'll keep
their good nature all through the hardships of camping. For instance,
where, in civil life, could you get together seventeen fellows, all of
them as fine fellows and as agreeable as we have here? But I beg the
lieutenant's pardon. I didn't intend to include him as one of the crowd,
for the rest are all enlisted men."

"I want to be considered one of the crowd," replied the young officer
simply.

"But you're not an enlisted man, sir."

"No; but I've cast my lot with the Army for life, and so, I trust, have
most of you enlisted men. Therefore we all belong together, though not
all can be officers. For that matter, I imagine there are a good many
men in the ranks of our battalion who wouldn't care to be officers.
Many soldiers are of a happy-go-lucky type, and wouldn't care to burden
themselves with an officer's responsibilities. Yet I certainly want to
be, as far as good discipline will permit, one of the crowd along with
all good, staunch and loyal soldiers, whatever their grades of rank may
be."

This was seeing the commissioned officer of Uncle Sam's Army in a
somewhat different light, even to one as keen and observing as Hal
Overton.

In garrison life it is very seldom that the enlisted man gets a real
glimpse of the "man side" of the officer. The requirements of military
discipline are such that officers and enlisted men do not often mingle
on any terms of equality. This fact, as far as the American Army goes,
is based on the military experience of ages that, when officers and men
mingle on terms of too much equality, discipline suffers sadly. It is
this intimacy of officers and men that keeps many National Guard
organizations from reaching greater efficiency.

Men have served through a whole term of enlistment in the regular Army
without realizing how friendly a really good and capable officer always
feels toward the really good enlisted men under his command. The captain
of a company, is, in effect, the father of his company, and his time
must be spent largely in looking after the actual welfare and happiness
of his men. In this work the captain's lieutenants are his assistants.

Soon the night grew much colder in this high altitude. Now the wood was
heaped on one fire, and around this blazing pile soldiers sat or
stretched themselves on blankets and ponchos. It is at such a time