Part 17 (1/2)
”That it could,” said d.i.c.k shortly.
”Well!” e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Wyatt--and again, ”Well! this is a smack in the face.
I shall have to tell Hulton. Here have I been priding myself on our having broken you in to our ways, and made a gunner of you that we could be proud of, and you talk like that.”
”I don't see anything wrong in what I said,” said d.i.c.k wonderingly.
”Don't you? Then I do. It's very evident that you have not half learned your duty yet. Look here, my lad. We are emergency men, expected to go wherever our general orders, and we do it.”
d.i.c.k laughed.
”Worse and worse! Here, I give you up, d.i.c.k.”
”Nonsense! Suppose, the enemy was on the other side of a deep river.
We couldn't get through that.”
”We should, somehow.”
”But we couldn't. The guns would sink, and the cartridges be spoiled.”
”Like your new uniform.”
”Shouldn't be wearing it to fight in,” said d.i.c.k.
”But look here; we should make for the nearest bridge or ford.”
”Suppose there was none,” said d.i.c.k.
”Bah! I shan't suppose anything. I tell you we should go anywhere.
I'm not going to chop logic with you--you argumentative little beggar.”
”Then, again, we couldn't charge a fort or stone walls.”
”No, but we'd close up and batter them down. Look here, young fellow; you're one of us now, and what you've got to believe is that our troop of horse artillery can do anything, and do it.”
”Oh, all right,” said d.i.c.k merrily: ”I'll try. I suppose we've done for to-day. I'm hot and tired.”
”Rubbis.h.!.+” cried Wyatt. ”We're never hot and tired. Always ready's our motto. Talk like that after a field-day! What would you do if we went into action?”
”I don't know; get so excited, I suppose, that I shouldn't have time to think.”
”Of course you would. And now, look here; I'll tell you something if you promise not to chatter about it.”
”I don't chatter; but I'll promise. What is it?”
”There's something on the way.”
”Is there? What--war?”
”Oh, we don't call our little fights wars, and I can't tell you what is coming off, but Sir George dropped a hint to Hulton that he was to see that we were in perfect readiness.”