"Of course I don't know a blamed thing about it," said Caspar frankly
and modestly to a circle of his fellow staff officers. He was referring
to the duties of his office.
Their faces became expressionless; they looked at him with eyes in
which he could fathom nothing. After a pause one politely said, "Don't
you?" It was the inevitable two words of convention.
"Why," cried Caspar, "I didn't know what a commissary officer was until
I _was_ one. My old Guv'nor told me. He'd looked it up in a book
somewhere, I suppose; but _I_ didn't know."
"Didn't you?"
The young man's face glowed with sudden humour. "Do you know, the word
was intimately associated in my mind with camels. Funny, eh? I think it
came from reading that rhyme of Kipling's about the commissariat
camel."
"Did it?"
"Yes. Funny, isn't it? Camels!"
The brigade was ultimately landed at Siboney as part of an army to
attack Santiago. The scene at the landing sometimes resembled the
inspiriting daily drama at the approach to the Brooklyn Bridge. There
was a great bustle, during which the wise man kept his property gripped
in his hands lest it might march off into the wilderness in the pocket
of one of the striding regiments. Truthfully, Caspar should have had
frantic occupation, but men saw him wandering bootlessly here and there
crying, "Has any one seen my saddlebags? Why, if I lose them I'm
ruined. I've got everything packed away in 'em. Everything!"
They looked at him gloomily and without attention. "No," they said. It
was to intimate that they would not give a rip if he had lost his nose,
his teeth and his self-respect. Reilly's brigade collected itself from
the boats and went off, each regiment's soul burning with anger because
some other regiment was in advance of it. Moving along through the
scrub and under the palms, men talked mostly of things that did not
pertain to the business in hand.
General Reilly finally planted his headquarters in some tall grass
under a mango tree. "Where's Cadogan?" he said suddenly as he took off
his hat and smoothed the wet grey hair from his brow. Nobody knew. "I
saw him looking for his saddle-bags down at the landing," said an
officer dubiously. "Bother him," said the General contemptuously. "Let
him stay there."
Three venerable regimental commanders came, saluted stiffly and sat in
the grass. There was a pow-wow, during which Reilly explained much that
the Division Commander had told him. The venerable Colonels nodded;
they understood. Everything was smooth and clear to their minds. But
still, the Colonel of the Forty-fourth Regular Infantry murmured about
the commissariat. His men--and then he launched forth in a sentiment
concerning the privations of his men in which you were confronted with
his feeling that his men--his men were the only creatures of importance
in the universe, which feeling was entirely correct for him. Reilly
grunted. He did what most commanders did. He set the competent line to
doing the work of the incompetent part of the staff.
In time Caspar came trudging along the road merrily swinging his
saddle-bags. "Well, General," he cried as he saluted, "I found 'em."
"Did you?" said Reilly. Later an officer rushed to him tragically:
"General, Cadogan is off there in the bushes eatin' potted ham and
crackers all by himself." The officer was sent back into the bushes for
Caspar, and the General sent Caspar with an order. Then Reilly and the
three venerable Colonels, grinning, partook of potted ham and crackers.
"Tashe a' right," said Reilly, with his mouth full. "Dorsey, see if 'e
got some'n else."
"Mush be selfish young pig," said one of the Colonels, with his mouth
full. "Who's he, General?"
"Son--Sen'tor Cad'gan--ol' frien' mine--dash 'im."
Caspar wrote a letter:
"_Dear Father_: I am sitting under a tree using the flattest part
of my canteen for a desk. Even as I write the division ahead of us
is moving forward and we don't know what moment the storm of battle
may break out. I don't know what the plans are. General Reilly
knows, but he is so good as to give me very little of his
confidence. In fact, I might be part of a forlorn hope from all to
the contrary I've heard from him. I understood you to say in
Washington that you at one time had been of some service to him,
but if that is true I can assure you he has completely forgotten
it. At times his manner to me is little short of being offensive,
but of course I understand that it is only the way of a crusty old
soldier who has been made boorish and bearish by a long life among
the Indians. I dare say I shall manage it all right without a row.
"When you hear that we have captured Santiago, please send me by
first steamer a box of provisions and clothing, particularly
sardines, pickles, and light-weight underwear. The other men on the
staff are nice quiet chaps, but they seem a bit crude. There has
been no fighting yet save the skirmish by Young's brigade. Reilly
was furious because we couldn't get in it. I met General Peel
yesterday. He was very nice. He said he knew you well when he was
in Congress. Young Jack May is on Peel's staff. I knew him well in
college. We spent an hour talking over old times. Give my love to
all at home."
The march was leisurely. Reilly and his staff strolled out to the head
of the long, sinuous column and entered the sultry gloom of the forest.
Some less fortunate regiments had to wait among the trees at the side
of the trail, and as Reilly's brigade passed them, officer called to
officer, classmate to classmate, and in these greetings rang a note of
everything, from West Point to Alaska. They were going into an action
in which they, the officers, would lose over a hundred in killed and
wounded--officers alone--and these greetings, in which many nicknames
occurred, were in many cases farewells such as one pictures being given
with ostentation, solemnity, fervour. "There goes Gory Widgeon! Hello,
Gory! Where you starting for? Hey, Gory!"
Caspar communed with himself and decided that he was not frightened. He
was eager and alert; he thought that now his obligation to his country,
or himself, was to be faced, and he was mad to prove to old Reilly and
the others that after all he was a very capable soldier.