Fortunately for Dick and his brothers, Captain Putnam had cadet uniforms to fit them, and the three were now dressed in true military style.  The other boys had to wait until uniforms could be made for them.

The first day at Putnam Hall was spent in assigning the newcomers to the various classes, according to their knowledge.  On the second day the three Rover boys were placed in the awkward squad, to learn the military drill.

The squad was presided over by Corporal Mark king, a youth who was cut out to be a soldier, although his father was a sea captain.

“Now then, line up!” he called out to the newcomers.  “All of you will please toe that crack in the floor; now turn out your toes like this, and put your shoulders back, hands with the palms to the front.”

His instructions were followed to the letter, for all were anxious to learn as fast as possible.

“Now the first thing to remember is to say nothing, but obey orders promptly,” exclaimed the corporal.  “When an order is given the first part is a warning, while the conclusion is the time when that order must be executed.  For, instance, I tell you ’Eyes right!’ I say ‘Eyes,’ and you get ready to move your eyes; I add ‘Right,’ and you instantly turn them to the right, and keep them there.  Now we’ll try.  Eyes-right!  Great smoke! number four, you turned them to the left!  Now again:  Eyes right!  Good!  Eyes-front!  That’s first-class.  Now:  Eyes — left!  Eyes —­ front!  That couldn’t be better.”

And so it went on for an hour, during, which the boys learned not alone how to use their eyes, but also to “left face,” “right face,” “front face,” and “about face” —­ that is, to turn directly to the rear.  Then they learned how to mark time “with their feet, starting with the left foot.”

“Tomorrow you shall learn how to march,” said Corporal King when the drilling was over.  “And then each of you will get a gun and go through the manual of arms.”

“Will we learn how to shoot? asked Tom.  “I can shoot a little already.”

“We have target practice once a month, and during the annual encampment,” concluded the corporal.

“I wish that encampment was already at hand!” sighed Sam.  He imagined that life under a tent would just suit him.

As soon as the boys “got the run” of the institution they began to feel at home.  They made friends rapidly, especially when it became known that Sam was a fine runner and Tom a capital baseball player.  There were several baseball teams in the school, and they frequently played matches on Saturday afternoons.

The gymnasium pleased Dick as much as it did his younger brothers, and nearly every day, he spent a quarter of an hour or more in the building, using one apparatus or another, for the building was fitted up with rings, parallel bars, wooden horses, pulling machines, and other paraphernalia of athletic usage.