\"Me？Well，Istartedhuggin’mudandsayingallthegoodwordsI
couldthinkof。EventheO。C。gotdownonhisknees，andthemajor，heneargotintothegrave，butthatdarnedPilotstooduptheregettingtallereveryminute，andgoin’onwithhisprayer，andtheboyssayin’’Amen！’thatloudandemphaticthatIthoughthe’dtakethehintandcutoutsomethin’，butcutoutnothin’！
Seemedasifhismemorywasworkin’overtime，thewayhekeptafetchin’upthingsthathecouldaeasilyforgot，andwhenhecomestothebenediction，thewhizbangsbegintocome。Upgoeshishand，thewaytheydo。Ithoughttomyselfthatthatwasakindofunnecessarydisplay。Ilooksupandtherehewas，morelikeatreethanever。Infact，Isaystomyself——it’squeerhowyouthinkthingsattimeslikethat——darnediftheywon’tthinkthedarnedfoolisatree，fornothin’butadarnedtreewouldstandupintheflarelightandlooksomuchlikeatreeanyhow。Iguessthat’swhatsavedhim。Henevermoveduntilhewasdone，andthendidn’thestaywithuspioneersaftertheresthadgoneuntilwefilledup。Say，he’sallright。\"
\"Youbethe’sallright，\"saidSergeantMackay，\"andhe’sgettin’
inhisworkwiththeboys。\"
\"Whatdoyoumean，’gettin’inhiswork’？\"enquiredthepioneersergeant。
\"Oh，well，youknow，\"saidSergeantMackayawkwardly，\"he’smakin’
’emthinkalotdifferentaboutthings。Iknowhehas’emtiedupallrightintheirlanguage。\"Andthiswasasneartoaconfessionoffaithasthesergeantcaredtogo。
\"Oh，Icanseeadifferencemyselfuptheline，\"saidthepioneersergeant。\"Theboysusedtogetoutofhisway。Heusedtojumpon’emsomethingfierce。Youremember？\"
\"Huh—uh！\"
\"Well，theyjustlovetohavehimdropinnowandtheytellhimthings。IsawCorporalThomtheothernightshowin’himhisgirl’spicture，andthePilotthoughtshewasafinegirltoo，andgotheraddressdown，andsaidhewasgoingtowriteherandtellherwhatafinechapthecorporalwas，andyououghttoseeCorporalThomswellupuntilhe’mostbusthistunic。\"
\"Oh，Iknowthecorporal’sdippyaboutthePilot，\"saidSergeantMackay。
\"Yes，andtheofficers，too，\"saidthepioneersergeant。\"There’sCaptainDuff。Well，youknowwhataholyterrorheis。\"
\"He’sallright，\"saidSergeantMackaystoutly。\"Hewasmychiefforaboutamonthhere，andhewasthefirstonetogetthistransportlickedintoshape，youbet。\"
\"I’mnotsayinganythingagainstCaptainDuff，buthewasaroughneck，youknowwellenough，andIguesshehadn’tmuchuseforthePilot。\"
\"Oh，Iknowallaboutthat，\"saidSergeantMackay。\"ThePilotusedtogoupwithusonthetransport。ItwasawfulhardonCaptainDuff，handlin’thecolumnandthemulesandalltherest，toholdinwhenthePilotwasalong。Thecaptain，hehadtocomeroundnowandthentotherear。Therehewouldhavealovelytimeforafewminutes，withthePilotsafeupinfront。ButthePilotcalmedhimdownallright。\"
\"Yes，andthere’sthatyoungCaptainFraser，\"saidthepioneersergeant，withanoteofenthusiasminhismonotonousvoice。
\"Thereasoldier。Hejustlovedfightin’。Irememberthenighthegothiswound。Itwasonaraidofcourse。Iftherewasaraidon，CaptainNeilwassuretobethere。Hejustaboutgothisarmblownoff，buttheysayhe’sgoin’tobeallright。Iwasattheregimentalaidpostwhentheyfetchedhimin。Oh，hewasadirtymess，faceallcutup，andhisarmhangin’，andnotawordoutofhimuntilthePilotcomesalong。ThenhebeginstochirpupandthePilotstartsjollyin’himalongoneminuteandsayin’Psalmstohimthenextminute，andlittleprayers，andtheboysaroundlistenin’，sometimesgrinnin’andsometimesallchokedup，butI’mawfulgladCaptainNeiliscomin’roundallright。\"
Bythistimethepioneersergeanthadhiscrossesfinished。
\"Well，\"hesaid，ashesetthecrossesagainstthewall，\"there’sthreeofthefinestofficersweeverhadinthisbattalion。Youtake’emupto—nightwhenyougo，sergeant。\"
\"We’renotgoingupto—night。Theboysarecomingoutthisevening，\"repliedSergeantMackay。
\"No？Isthatso？Ineverheardthat。GuessI’llhavetogoupwithsomeotheroutfit。Comin’outthisevening？Well，it’stimetheywere。They’vehadonehellallthetime，Ihear，thistour。\"
\"Yes，\"continuedSergeantMackay，\"andthehighlandersaresendinguptheirbandtomeetthemandplaythemout。Icallthatamightyfinethingtodo。Youknowourownbandhadtogoupwithwaterandrationslastnight，andtheycan’tgetoutuntilto—night。SotheHighlanders’band——\"
\"Prettygoodband，too，isn’tit？\"
\"Bestpipebandinthearmy，\"saidSergeantMackaywithenthusiasm。
\"Oh，apipeband！\"exclaimedthepioneersergeantinadisappointedtone。
\"Yes，apipeband，whatelse？\"enquiredSergeantMackaytruculently。
\"Whydon’ttheysenduptheirrealband，whenthey’redoin’it，anyway？\"
\"What！\"shoutedSergeantMackay。\"I’lltellyou。Forthesamereasonthattheydon’tmakeyouO。C。inthisbattalion，youdamnedfatlobster！Therenow，you’vestartedmeswearin’again，andI
wasquittin’it。\"
SergeantMackay’swrathattheslurcastuponthepipeband，theonlyband，inhisopinion，worthyofanyrealman’sattention，wasintensifiedbyhislapseintohishabitofprofanity，which，outofdeferencetothePilot，heforsomeweekshadbeenearnestlystrivingtoholdincheck。
\"Ohwell，Scotty，don’tspoilyourrecordforme。Iguessapipebandisallrightforthemthatlikesthatkindofmusic。Forme，Ican’tevertellwhentheyquittunin’upandbegintoplay。\"
SergeantMackaylookedathimwithdarkeningface，evidentlyuncertainastowhatcourseheshouldadopt——whetherto\"turnhimselfloose\"uponthisbenightedEnglishmanortoabandonhimtohisdeservedconditionoffatuousignorance。Hedecideduponthelattercourse。InportentoussilenceheturnedhisbackuponFattyMatthewsandwalkedthewholelengthofthelinetogetamulebackovertherope。Ittookhimsomelittletimeforthemulehadhisownmindaboutthemanoeuvreandthesergeantwasunwontedlydeliberateandgentlewithhim。Then，themanoeuverexecuted，hewalkedslowlybacktothepioneersergeantandinrestrainedandcarefullychosenspeechaddressedhim。
\"Lookhere，Fatty，I’maskin’you，don’tyoueversaythingslikethatoutsideoftheselines，forthesakeoftheregiment，youknow。I’dreallyhatetheotherbattalionstoknowwehadgotsuch——\"Hehaltedhimselfabruptlyandthenproceededmorequietly，\"Amanasyouinthisbattalion。MyGod，Fatty，they’dthinkyourbrainshadrundownintoyourpants。Iknowtheyhaven’t，becauseIknowyouhaven’tany。\"Hetookafreshbreath，andcontinuedhisaddressinatoneofpatientremonstrance。\"Why，man，don’tyouknowthatwherevertheBritishArmyhasgone，itsHighlandregimentshaveclearedtheway；andthatwhenthepipesgetplayin’thedevilhimselfcouldn’tholdthemback？\"
\"Idon’twonder，\"saidFattyinnocently。\"Theymakeamanfeellikefightin’allright。\"
SergeantMackayscannedhisfacenarrowly，uncertainastowhetherheshouldcreditthepioneersergeantwithintelligencesufficienttoproduceasarcasm。
\"WhatImeanis，\"exclaimedFatty，seekingtoappeasethewrathfultransportsergeant，\"whenyouhearthempipes，yougetsostirredup，youknow，thatyoujustfeellikekullin’somebody。\"
ThisapparentlydidnotimprovematterswithSergeantMackay。
\"Oh，darnit，youknowwhatImean！\"
\"No，Fatty，\"saidthesergeantsolemnly。\"Idon’tknowwhatyoumean，butI’llsuggestthistoyou，Fatty。YougodowntothatPetemule，downthereattheendofthelineandtalktohim。I
guesshe’llunderstandyou。I’mbusyjustnow。\"
\"Idon’tseewhatyou’resohotabout，\"saidthepioneersergeantinanaggravatedvoice，\"butI’mgoingtoseetheboyscomeinanyway。\"
Whenthedistantsoundofthepipescomingfromthedirectionofthefrontlinewasheardincamp，menofthevarioustransportlinesandbaseunitslineduptowatchthebattalioncomein。Fortherumourhadrunthattheyhadhadabadgo，thattheyhadbeatenbacknolessthanthreeratherformidableraidsoftheenemyandhadbeenbadlycutup。Morethanthat，byreasonofthelackofreinforcements，theyhadhadtodoadoubletour，sothattheywerereturningfromanexperienceofthirteendays，inwhatwasindeedtheveritablemouthofhell。
\"Iguesstheyareallprettywellallin，\"saidSergeantMatthews，who，standingwithhispioneers，hadbeencarefullyavoidedbyhisfriendSergeantMackay。ThatenthusiasticScothadforthetimebeingabandonedhistransport，andwasfraternisingwiththetransportmenoftheHighlanders，withwhomhewassurehewouldfeelhimselfinmorecompleteaccord。
\"Heretheycome，boys，\"saidaScot，asthesoundofthepipesgrewlouder。\"There’sadrummerforye。Listen’tilthatdoubleroll，wullye？\"
\"Ay，Danny，theboyswillbeshovin’outtheirchestsandhitchin’
theirhipsaboutsomethingawful。\"
\"Yemaysaythat，Hec。WillyelookatyoungAngusonthebigdrum，man，buthehasgotthegr—randstyleonhim。\"
\"Ay，boys，theyarethela—ads，\"saidSergeantMackay，yieldingtotheinfluenceofhisenvironmentandcasuallydroppingintothecadenceoftheHighlandersabouthim，which，duringhistenyearsinthewest，histonguehadwell—nighlost。\"It’saveryfinething，yourpipersaredoing，playingourboysoutinthisway，andwewon’tbeforgettingthatinahurry。\"
\"Whyforno？\"enquiredHec，insurprise。\"It’stheHighlandersthemselvesthatloveabonnyfighter。\"
Downtheroad，betweenlinesofsilentmen，camethepiperswithwavingkiltsandflyingtartans，swingingalongintheirlongswayingstride，youngAngusdoingwondersonthebigdrum，withhiswhirlingsticks，andeverypiperblowinghisloudest，andmarchinghisproudest。Behindthemcamethemenofthebattalionmarchingatattention，theircolonelattheirhead，graveoffaceandsteady。BehindthecolonelmarchedMajorBayne，inplaceoftheseniormajor，whomillnesshadpreventedfromaccompanyingthebattaliononthislasttour，nolongerrotundandcheeryaswashiswont，butwithfacegrey，seriousanddeeplined。AfterhimattheheadofACompanymarchedCaptainDuff，hisrugged，heavyfacelookingthinnerandlongerthanitswontbutevenfiercerthanever。Witheyesthatlookedstraightbeforethen，heedlessofthelineofsilentonlookers，themenmarchedon，somethingintheirset，haggardfacesforbiddingapplause。Attherearofthecolumnmarchedthechaplainalone，andeveryoneknewthathehadleftupintheSalientbehindhimhisfriendandcomrade，theM。O。，whoseplaceinallothermarchinghadbeenathisrighthand。Allknewtoohowduringthislastgo，inthefaceofdeathinitsmostterrifyingform，theyhadcarriedouttheirwoundedcomradesonebyoneuntilallwerebroughttosafety。Andallknewtoo，howthechaplaincarriedwithhimthatdayasoreandlonelyheartforthelossofonewhowasmoretohimthanbatman，andwhohadbecomehisloyalanddevotedfriend。Thechaplain’sfacewasgauntandthin，withhollowcheeks，butforallthat，itworealookofserenedetachment。
\"Say，helooksawfultough，\"saidavoiceinSergeantMackay’sear。
SergeantMackayturnedsharplyarounduponFattyMatthews。
\"Tough！Tough！\"heexclaimed，withachokeinhisvoice。\"You’readamnedliar，that’swhatyouare。Helooksfine。Helooksfine，\"headdedagainfuriously。\"Helooksasifhellitselfcouldn’tscarehim。\"
Inthesergeant’seyesstrangelightswereglistening。
\"Yes，you’reright，sergeant，\"saidFattyMatthewshumbly。\"You’reright，andthat’swherehe’sbeen，too，Iguess。\"
Bravelyandgallantly，withthehistoricandimmortal\"Cocko’theNorth\"shrillingoutontheeveningair，thepipersplayedthemontothebattalionparadeground，wheretheyhalted，silentstillandwiththatstrangeairofdetachedindifferencestilluponthem。
Theyhadbeenthroughhell。Nothingelsecouldsurprisethem。
Allelse，indeed，seemedpaltry。
Briefly，butwithheart—reachingwords，thecolonelthankedthepipersforwhathecalled\"anactoffineandbrotherlycourtesy。\"
Thenturningtohismen，hespokeafewwordsbeforedismissal。
\"Men，youhavepassedthroughalongandhardtimeoftesting。Youhavenotfailed。Iamnotgoingtopraiseyou，butIwantyoutoknowthatIamproudofyou。Proudtobeyourcommandingofficer。
Iknowthatwhateverisbeforeus，youwillshowthesamespiritofenduranceandcourage。
\"Wehavelostthistimetwenty—ninemen，elevenofthemkilled，andwiththesethreeverybraveandverygallantofficers，amongthemourmedicalofficer，averygreatlosstothisbattalion。Thesemendidtheirdutytothelast。Welovedthem。Weshallmissthem，butto—dayweareproudofthem。Letusgivethreecheersforourgallantdead。\"
Withnojoyousoutburst，butwithanoteoffierce，straineddetermination，camethecheers。Inspiteofallhecoulddo，Barrycouldnotpreventashudderasheheardthemenabouthimcheeringforthosewhomhehadsorecentlyseenlying，someofthemsorelymutilated，intheirgreyblankets。
\"Now，men，\"concludedtheO。C。，\"wemust’carryon。’Youwillhaveacoupleofhoursinwhichtocleanupandhavesupper，andthenweshallhaveto—nightacinemashow，towhichIhopeyouwillallcome，andwhichIhopeyouwillallgreatlyenjoy。\"
Thecolonel’slittlespeeches，asarule，elicitedappreciativecheers，butthisafternoontherewasonlyagravesilence。Afterdismissal，themenwenttotheirhutsandweresoonbusygivingthemselvesa\"highmarkscrub\"preliminarytothehotbathand\"junglehunt\"inwhichtheywouldindulgethemselvesto—morrow。
AsBarrywasmovingofftheparadeground，thejuniormajorcaughtuptohim，andtookhimbythearmandsaid：
\"Ihavesentaroundmybatmantoyourhut。HewilllookafteryouuntilIcanpickoutamanfromthenewdraft。WeallknowhowyoufeelaboutHobbs，oldman。\"
\"Thankyou，major，\"saidBarryquietly。\"Iappreciatethat。\"
\"Youwillbearoundto—night，\"continuedthemajor。
\"No，Ithinknot。Ihavealotofthingstodo。Allthoseletterstowrite。\"Barryshudderedashespoke。Fornothinginallhisministerialexperiencewastohimamoreexhaustingandheartbreakingtaskthanthewritingoftheseletterstotherelativesandfriendsofhisdeadcomrades。
\"Ithinkyouhadbettercome，\"saidthemajorearnestly。\"IknowtheO。C。wouldlikeit，andtheboyswouldlikeittoo。\"
\"Doyouthinkso？\"saidBarry。\"ThenI’llbethere。\"
\"Goodman，\"saidMajorBayne，pattinghimontheshoulder。\"That’sthestuffwelikeinthisbattalion。\"
Barryfoundhishutinorder，histhingsoutforairing，histubready，andsupperinpreparation。
\"Thanks，Monroe，\"hesaidtoMajorBayne’sbatman，ashepassedintohishut。
Asheenteredhishutandclosedthedoor，forthefirsttimetheresweptoverhissoulanappallinganddesolatingsenseofloneliness。
Itwashisfirstmomentofquiet，hisfirstleisuretothinkofhimselfforalmosttwoweeks。Withthelossofhisbatmantherehadbeensnappedthelastlinkwiththatoldhomelifeofhis，nowsoremotebutallthedearerforthat。Itcametohimthatwhileheremainedasoldier，thiswastobehiscontinualexperience。Uponhisreturnfromeverytournewgapswouldstareathim。Upinthelinestheydidnotsoterriblyobtrudethemselves，butbackhereinrestbilletstheythrustthemselvesuponhimlikehideousmutilationsuponawelllovedface。Hecouldhardlyforcehimselftoremovehismuddy，filthyclothes。Hewouldgladlyhavelaidhimselfdownuponhiscotjustashewas，andgivenhimselfuptotheluxuryofhisgriefandloneliness，untilsleepshouldcome，buthislifeasasoldierhadtaughthimsomething。Thesemonthsofdiscipline，andespeciallytheselastmonthsofcompanionshipwithhisbattalionthroughtheterribleexperiencesofwar，hadwroughtintotheveryfibreofhislifeasenseofunitywithandresponsibilityforhiscomrades。Hiseveryemotionofloss，ofgrief，ofheart—sicknesscarriedwithittheimmediatesuggestionandremembrancethathiscomradestoowerepassingthroughalikeexperience，andthiswashissalvation。Weary，sick，desolateashefelthimselfinthishour，herememberedthatmanyofhiscomradeswereashe，weary，andsickanddesolate。Hewonderedhowthemajor’sbatmanfelt。
\"Well，Monroe，\"hesaidwithanattemptatavoiceofcheer，\"prettytoughgothistime。\"
\"Yes，sir，verytough，\"saidMonroe。\"Ilostmychumthistime，\"
headdedafterafewmoments’silence。
\"Poorchap，\"saidBarry。\"I’mawfullysorryforyou。It’shardtoleaveafriendupthere。\"
\"Itisthat，sir，\"repliedMonroe，andthenheaddedhurriedlybutwithhesitation，\"andifyouwillpardonme，sir，weallknowit’sawfultoughforyou。Theboysallfeelforyou，sir，believeme。\"
TheunexpectedtouchofsympathywastoomuchforBarry’sself—
control。Arushofwarmtearscametohiseyesandchokedhisvoice。Forsomeminuteshebusiedhimselfwithhisundressing，butMonroecontinuedspeaking。
\"Yes，sir，theWapitibunchisgettingprettysmall。CorporalThomwaswithme——\"
\"CorporalThom！\"criedBarry。\"WasCorporalThomyourchum？\"
\"Yes，sir，forsixyearswewasontheBarU。M。together。Wewasawfulclosefriends。Hewasagoodchum。\"
\"CorporalThom！\"exclaimedBarryagain；\"hewasyourchum！Hewasagreatfriendofminetoo。Youhaveindeedsufferedagreatloss。\"
\"Hethoughtalotofyou，sir，\"saidMonroe。\"Hehasoftentalkedtomeaboutyou。\"
\"Butwhatasplendiddeath！\"criedBarry。\"Perfectlyglorious！\"
\"Ididn’thear，sir，\"saidMonroe；\"Icamedownthreedaysago，andonlyheardthatabombgothim。\"
\"Oh，splendid，\"saidBarry。\"Nothingfinerinthewar。Letmetellyouaboutit。Therewasanenemyraidcomingup。Thecorporalhadgotwindofitandcalledhismenout。Theyrushedintothefrontlinebay。Justastheygotthere，eightortenofthem，alivebombfellhissingamongthem。Theyallrushedtooneendofthebay，butthecorporalkickedthebombtotheotherend，andthenthrewhimselfontopofit。Hewasblowntopieces，butnooneelsewashurt。\"
Duringtherecitalofthistale，MonroestoodlookingatBarryandwhenhehadfinishedhiseyeswereshiningwithtears。
\"Ay，sir，hewasaman，sir，\"hesaidatlength。
\"Yes，youhavesaidit，Monroe。Hewasaman，justacommonman，butuncommonlylikeGod，forHedidthesamething。HegaveHimselfforus。\"
Monroeturnedawaytohisworkinsilence。
\"Monroe，\"saidBarry，callinghimback，\"lookhere，lad，itwouldnotberightforustogrievetoomuchforCorporalThom。Weoughttobethankfulforhimandproudofhim，shouldwenot？\"
\"Yes，sir，Iknow，sir，but，\"headdedwhilehisliptrembled，\"youhatetoloseyourchum。\"
OnlyundercompulsionofhisconsciencedidBarrygotothecinemashowthatnight，whichinthiscampwasrununderthechaplainserviceandbyachaplain。Heknewwhatthethingwouldbelike。
Hiswholesoulshrunkfromthesilly，melodramaticfilmswhichheknewwouldconstitutetheprogrammeasfromanauseatingdoseofmedicine。Thebillboardannouncedadoubleheader，atriteand，especiallytoCanadians，aridiculousrepresentationoftheexperiencesofJohnBullandhiswifeandprettydaughterasimmigrantstotheCanadianNorthwest，whichwastobefollowedbytheimmortalCharlieChaplin。
Thecinemahutwasjammed——thewholebattalion，nowmuchreducedinnumbers，officersandmenbeingpresent，andwiththemthemenofthebaseunitsandtransportsofotherbattalions。Itwasinsomesensesanunusualgathering。Therewasanentireabsenceofthewontedchaffanduproarioushorseplay；insteadagraveandalmostboredairresteduponthemen’sfaces。Theappallingexperiencesofthepastthirteendaysseemedtodwarfallotherthingsincomparison。TheyhadbeeninthepresenceoftheBigThing；allelseseemedpetty；theyhadbeenlookingintodeath’scoldeyes；
afterthatothersightsseemedtrivial。Manyofthemcarriedsoreheartsfortheircomradeswithwhomtheyhadatothertimesforegatheredinjustsuchcircumstancesasthese，butnevermoreagain。
Itwasthecustominthebattalion，astheofficerscameintosuchgatheringsasthis，toreceivethemwitharippleofapplause，butto—nighttherewassilence。Barryarrivedlate。Whenheappearedtherefelluponthemenahush，andthenashemovedtowardthefrontseatsreservedfortheofficers，themenbegantoriseuntilthewholebattalionwasstandingsilentandmotionless，andsoremaineduntilhehadfoundaseat。ItwasMajorBaynewhocalledhisattentiontothisunusualdemonstration，whichwasreservedonlyforgreatoccasionsandfornothinglessthanabattalioncommander。
\"Theyaresalutingyou，Pilot，\"saidMajorBayneinawhisper，himselfstandingwiththeotherofficers。
Barryquicklyliftedhiseyes，sawthemenstanding，withalleyesdirectedtowardhim，slowlylookedovertherowsoffaces，smiledabrightbutslightlywaveringsmile，turnedandsalutedtheCommandingOfficer，andsatdownalltremblingandshakenbythismosttouchingtributeofsympathyandaffection。
Theshowbeganwithsomepicturesofgreatalliedleaderswhichexcitedamildinterestanddrewsomeperfunctoryapplause。ThencamethetragiccomedyofJohnBull’sexperiencesasanimmigrant，whenjustastheinterestbegantodeepen，themachineblewup，andthepictureswereoffforthenight。
Ordinarilysuchacontretempswouldhavebeenbynomeansfataltotheevening’senjoyment，forinthebattaliontherewasnolackofmusicalandothertalent，andanimpromptuentertainmentwaseasilypossible。Ordinarily，too，insuchanemergencytherewouldatoncehavearisenademandforthechaplain，whohadcometoberecognisedasagreatstandbyintimesofneedsuchasthis。To—
night，however，everythingseemedchanged。Themildsuggestionofoneofthementhatthechaplainshouldtakethepianowaspromptlydiscouragedbythedissentinggrowlsoftheotherspresent。Theyknewwellhowtheirchaplainwasfeeling。
\"Whatshallwedo？\"askedMajorBayneofBarry。
\"GetColemantothepiano。Heisaperfectwizard，\"suggestedBarry，indicatingayounglieutenantwhohadcometothebattalionwiththerecentdraft，andwhohaddonesomeaccompanimentsforBarry’sviolinplaying。
LieutenantColeman，onbeingcalledfor，wenttothepiano，andbegantoplay。HewasindeedawizardasBarryhadsaid，withageniusforragtimeandpopularmusichallditties，andpossessedalsoofthefurthergiftofimprovisationthatmadehisservicesinvaluableonjustsuchanoccasionasthis。
Fromonepopularairtoanotherhewandered，eachexecutedwithgreaterbrilliancethanthelast，buthefailedtoexciteanythingmorethanamildinterestandapproval。Theoldsongswhichonotheroccasionshadbeenwonttoletloosethesongbirdsofthebattalionseemedtohavelosttheirpower。Itwasnotgloom，butasettledandimmovableapathywhichapparentlynothingcouldbreak。
\"Thisisgoingawfullyslow，\"saidMajorBaynetoBarry。\"Iwishsomethingcouldbedone。\"
\"Theboysaretiredout，\"answeredBarry，himselfwearyandsickoftheperformanceandlongingmorethananythingelseforsolitudeandhiscot。
TheCommandingOfficercameoverandsatbesidethem。Hewasobviouslyworriedanduneasy。
\"Idon’tlikethis，\"hesaidtothemajor。\"Colemanisdoinghisbest，andisdoingmightywell，butthereisnoheartintheboys，anditisn’tentirelyduetophysicalweakness。Iwishwecouldstartsomethingthatwouldwakethemupbeforetheyleave。Theywouldsleepmuchbetter。\"
\"ThePilotherecandoit，\"saidMajorBayneinanundertone，\"butIratherhatetoaskhimforheisprettymuchallin。\"
Theysatalittlewhilelongerlisteningtothemen’shalfhearteddrawlingof\"TheTulipandtheRose。\"
