“We are waiting for you to move off, Captain Rozario,” stated Colonel Dearman.

“Sir, how can I move off with oll the rest in my front?” inquired Captain Rozario reasonably.

“Form fours, right, and quick march,” prompted the Sergeant-Major, and Captain Rozario shrilled forth: 

“Form right fours and march quick,” at the top of his voice.

Many members of “G” Company turned to their right and marched towards the setting-sun, while some turned to their left and marched in the direction of China.

These latter, discovering in good time that they had erred, hurried to rejoin their companions—­and “G” Company was soon in full swing if not in fours....

There is a limit to all enterprise and the march of “G” Company was stayed by a high wall.

Then Captain Rozario had an inspiration.

“About turn,” he shrieked—­and “G” Company about turned as one man, if not in one direction.

The march of “G” Company was stayed this time by the battalion into which it comfortably nuzzled.

Again Captain Rozario seized the situation and acted promptly and resourcefully.

“Halt!” he squeaked, and “G” Company halted—­in form an oblate spheroid.

Some of its members removed their helmets and the sweat of their brows, some re-fastened bootlaces and putties or unfastened restraining hooks and buttons.  One gracefully succumbed to his exertions and fainting fell, with an eye upon the General.

“Interestin’ evolution,” remarked that Officer.  “Demmed interestin’.  May we have some more?”

“Get on, Captain Rozario,” implored Colonel Dearman.  “Let’s see some company-drill.”

“One hundred and twenty-five paces backward march,” cried Captain Rozario after a brief calculation, and “G” Company reluctantly detached itself from the battalion, backwards.

“Turn round this away and face to me,” continued the gallant Captain, “and then on the left form good companee.”

The oblate spheroid assumed an archipelagic formation, melting into irregularly-placed military islands upon a sea of dust.

“Oll get together and left dress, please,” besought Captain Rozario, and many of the little islands amalgamated with that on their extreme right while the remainder gravitated to their left—­the result being two continents of unequal dimensions.

As Captain Rozario besought these disunited masses to conjoin, the voice of the General was heard in the land—­

“Kindly order that mob to disperse before it is fired on, will you, Colonel?  They can go home and stay there,” said he.

Captain Rozario was a man of sensibility and he openly wept.

No one could call this a good beginning—­nor could they have called the ensuing battalion-drill a good ending.

“Put the remainder of the battalion through some simple movements if they know any,” requested the General.