"Your bunkie ain't no dude, either, Sarge," continued Kelly. "Him and the lieutenant are two men of pretty near the same color."
"White isn't a color, anyway," laughed Noll.
"Maybe it isn't," assented Private Kelly.
Noll turned to look at the descending sun.
"My, I don't believe I've ever been as hungry as I am now," complained Noll.
"Nothing doing, Sarge, until the rest of the crowd comes in," grinned Slosson.
"Oh, that's easy enough for you fellows to say," grunted Noll. "You two have been in camp all day, and you had a big, filling, hot meal at noon. All I had at noon was a hard tack and a half."
"You could have carried more," insisted Slosson.
"I had more, but I didn't find water anywhere and hard tack is abominably dry stuff to get down without help."
"Go over to the bucket and help yourself to water now, Sarge," suggested Private Kelly teasingly.