“Drills?” repeated Stovall. “An’ what for, I’d like to know?”
Captain Braddock, with a laugh at the scorn expressed in the Ranger’s voice, now excused himself, a proceeding which Dave promptly took advantage of by starting toward the nearest bench.
“I’m uncommonly tired, fellows,” he explained.
“Drills!” remarked Jack a second time, when all were comfortably seated. “No siree! An’ why? ’cause no chap ever gits appointed to the force unless he’s shown beforehand he’s got the goods!”
“How many men are in this company?” asked Bob.
“Besides the cap’n and sergeant, there’s fifteen privates. Altogether we have four companies o’ Rangers. One quartermaster acts as commissary an’ paymaster for the whole business.”
“That’s a pretty big job, eh?”
“You can just believe it is. He has to make his accounting to the adjutant-general of the state. An’ of course the company commanders send in their reports to him, too. Whenever a detail from a company or detachment headquarters is forced to be away longer’n twenty-four hours the cap’n must report the object of the expedition, the reasons for it and the name of the Ranger in charge.”
“Yes; an’ this company is about as busy as any,” put in Chaney. “You see, onct in a while, when Mexican bandits find it gettin’ too hot for ’em in their own country they take a little trip over the Rio Grande, an’ our job is to see that they don’t stay here long.”
“How much authority have you?” asked Tom.