Olney saluted, and went at once to the main floor, which, for drilling purposes, was shared by four companies. He stood still until his eye fell on Johnny Fairfax—him he called aside.
"You can get the whole sixty right here if you want to," Johnny told him. "But if you want to distribute things——"
"I do," said Olney.
"Then I'd take Keith, Carter, that teamster McGlynn, and Salisbury."
Together they went the rounds of the impromptu armouries, going carefully over the rolls, picking a man here and there. By eight o'clock the sixty, informed, equipped, and ready, were gathered at the hall. Olney dismissed all others, and set himself to drilling his picked body.
"I don't care whether you can do 'shoulder arms' or not," he said, "but you've got to learn simple evolutions so I can handle you. And you must learn one another's faces. Now, come on!"
At two o'clock in the morning he expressed himself as satisfied. From the stock of blankets with which the headquarters were already provided they selected, bedding, and turned in on the floor. At six o'clock Olney began to send out detachments for breakfast.
"Feed up," he advised them. "I don't know what this is all about, but it pays to eat well."
By eight o'clock every man was in his place, lined up to rigid attention as Coleman entered the building.
"There they are!" said Olney proudly. "Every man of them of good, tough courage, and you can handle them as well as any old soldiers!"