"I shall be properly fatigued by that time, no doubt," confessed Algy wretchedly.
"You'll soon understand what 'fatigue' is in the Army," smiled Lieutenant Prescott. "It's more work, but work that is done without arms."
"Without arms? With the feet, then?"
Lieutenant Prescott bit his lip, but answered:
"By arms this time I mean weapons. First call to guard mounting comes at 8.50, and guard mounting assembly at 9. At 10 another drill begins; at 11 the recall sounds, with recall from fatigue at 11.30. Mess call for enlisted men is at noon, and 1 p. m. fatigue call. Drill call goes again at 1.50, with drill assembly at 2 o'clock. The time spent at these drills varies according to the nature of the work and the orders. Recall from fatigue sounds at 5 o'clock. Parade assembly is at 5.30 at this time of the year, with retreat and evening gun-fire at 6.10. Then comes mess call to supper. With that ends, usually, the working day of the enlisted man. Tattoo sounds at 9 in the evening, with call to quarters at 10.45, and taps, or lights out, at 11 p. m. Except when on guard or special duty you're not likely to have to be with your men much after retreat."
"Oh, I should hope not," exclaimed Algy Ferrers fervently. "By supper time I can see myself a nervous wreck."
"Oh, you'll get used to it," laughed Prescott. "The rest of us all had to."
"And at all of those beastly things and jobs you enumerated, Prescott, I've got to be present and actually do a lot of work?"
"A big lot of work, you'll find."
"And yet they call being an officer in the Army a gentleman's life."