There was a laugh that broke the tension, and before long they reached the district that had been chosen for their intensive training.
It was a wide stretch of rolling country several miles in extent, and it had been chosen because it resembled in its main features the actual territory where the fight was going on.
There were brooks and hills, valleys and quarries, woods and meadowlands with a few small hamlets of scattered houses.
There were no spacious barracks such as they had been used to in the cantonments at home. The troops were quartered here and there as opportunity offered.
Thousands of dog tents had been erected on the level places and in these the majority of the men were sheltered.
Every cottage and chateau also had its quota, and farmhouses with their outlying barns and stables were utilized to the utmost.
"Hope they don't separate us, fellows," said Frank, as he watched the corporals and sergeants picking out various squads and assigning them their billets.
"Gee, so do I," echoed Bart. "The old bunch has been together ever since we left Camport and I have a hunch our luck's going to continue."
The "hunch" proved to have a solid foundation, for the four army boys were all sent off together with about forty more of their comrades to an old mill that stood near the edge of the camp.
It was a low, rambling structure with plenty of windows that gave it ample light and an air of homely comfort that delighted the young soldiers.