"B Company fall in!" rang the order, this time from Captain Cortland.
But the march was to be a short one. The command was led into the grove and halted. The order to pitch camp was given. Now a lively scene followed.
As the outer covering of his blanket roll each soldier carries a flap of canvas, which constitutes one half of a shelter tent, as it is officially termed. The soldier's name for it is dog tent or pup house. Each man also carries two jointed sticks. One pair of sticks is jointed to form the front pole of the tent, the other the rear pole. In front of the tent site a peg is driven, and a cord passed from this peg up over the front pole, across to the rear pole, and down to a peg at the rear. Now the two flaps of canvas are fitted over this frame and the tent is up.
"Let's beat the company to it, Noll?" breathed Hal in his bunkie's ear. In the Army the "bunkie" is the man with whom the tent is shared. Usually two bunkies become close chums, even if they were not before joining the service.
"We've done it," breathed Hal, as he and Noll straightened up and gazed about them. "That takes the crimp out of a few veterans."
"Get a hike on, some of you men!" called First Sergeant Gray briskly. Then he turned to glare mildly at Hooper and Dowley, who were finishing last.
Corporal Cotter, his own tent up with Corporal Reynolds, turned to look down the company street.
"Hooper, you and Dowley are going to hear something," predicted the corporal dryly.
"That's done well enough," grumbled Dowley, glancing at his tent.
Captain Cortland stood at the head of the company street glancing down.