Page:The Strand Magazine (Volume 2).djvu/241

 about a quarter of an hour, and from 6 o'clock to a quarter to 8 we were furbishing up our uniforms, and paring the potatoes for the mess, the allowance being a pound for each man. We found this work rather irksome, and would have shirked it. Dapper wanted to know why they could be not cooked with their jackets on. Our sergeant was most sympathetic, and generally called one or both of us off to send us on some errand like fetching the letters, which was more to our tastes, and Dick was able now and then to add to his miniature sketch book—he was very clever with his pencil.

We had breakfast at a quarter to 8. The orderlies went to the kitchen and fetched the coffee in pails. They also drew the day's rations, consisting of 1lb. of bread, three-quarters of a pound of boneless meat, and potatoes for each.

The orderly afterwards put the meat into a twine net, if for boiling, and if for roasting, into a baking tin. The cook put a number on the joint, which varied in weight according to the number of men in the mess to which it belonged.

We paraded in drill order at a quarter to nine, and had an hour's drill under the sergeant major, a good-tempered but blustering Irish-man. It was his privilege to pick out the men for promotion, and both Dick and I did our best to gain his good opinion. We found our volunteering experience a wonderful help, and we were not long before we were promised promotion.

The commanding officer's parade was from 11 till 12, and all fell in in full dress and the bands attended.

At 12.45 the dinner bugle sounded, which seemed to be better understood than many