RICHARD BECOMES FIRST SERGEANT OF COMPANY D.
The next morning Richard was discharged from guard duty, and returned
to the battalion. From the moment he opened his eyes he carefully
observed the actions of his companions, and even studied the glances
which were bestowed upon him. All his watching seemed to be in vain,
for he could not obtain a particle of information that would aid him in
solving the mystery of the Regulators.
Among the boys there were several with whom he had become quite
intimate, particularly Bailey, who occupied the next bed to his in
Barrack B. So eager was he to fathom the mystery, that he was tempted
to make some inquiries of them; but they might themselves be members of
the Regulators. Even Bailey might belong to the potent organization,
and he did not care to expose himself in the slightest degree to their
jeers or their malice. Though, as he had been informed, there were
fifty boys who had become his enemies, and who were pledged to annoy
him to the utmost of their ability, every one seemed to be his friend.
Hardly had he been discharged from guard duty before his arrest was
ordered, and he found himself accused of sleeping at his post. He was
conducted to the tent of Colonel Brockridge, where the charge was
distinctly recited to him.
"What do you say to this charge, Grant? Are you guilty or not guilty?"
demanded the principal.
"Who are my accusers, sir?" asked Richard, thinking only of the task he
had laid upon himself of discovering the Regulators.
"That does not answer my question, Grant. I asked you whether you were
guilty or not guilty," added the colonel, sternly.
"Not guilty, sir!" replied Richard, promptly and firmly.
"Then you wish to have the charge proved?"
"I do, sir."
"That is rather inconvenient," said the colonel, biting his lip. "If
you are guilty, I should prefer to have you say so."
"I am not guilty, sir."
Colonel Brockridge had had too much experience with boys to neglect the
looks and actions of the accused while he questioned him, for the
expression often reveals more than the words. Richard's communication,
on this occasion, was "yea, yea; nay, nay." He had the look of one who
speaks the truth, and the principal was duly impressed by the
appearance and manner of the prisoner.
"You speak very decidedly," added the colonel. "Were you at your post
at half past nine o'clock?"
"I was not, sir."
"Where were you?"
Richard hesitated; there were several teachers and several company
officers present. He did not like to tell the story before them, and he
did not think it would be prudent to do so. Probably some of the
Regulators were within hearing, and he preferred to unearth them in
some other way.
"Your answer, Grant," said the principal.
"Without intending any disrespect to you, sir, I would rather not
answer," replied Richard, glancing at the officers present.
A slight curl on the lip of a cadet by the name of Redman attracted his
attention. It was a kind of suppressed sneer, which Richard interpreted
that he dared not expose the doings of the secret society. His answer
had been a virtual admission of the charge, and the case seemed to have
gone against him. Richard concluded that the boy who could rejoice at
that moment must be a Regulator.
"The penalty of sleeping at your post and deserting it would be the
same; and as you admit the charge in substance, it will not be
necessary to proceed any further," said Colonel Brockridge.
Richard was tempted to make a full explanation of the events of the
night, but he had some doubts whether he would be believed if he did
so. Besides, he was curious to know what the Regulators would do. The
penalty for the offence with which he was charged could not be very
heavy, and he determined to submit to it, for the purpose of exposing
the Regulators at some future time.
The principal then gave him a lecture on the impropriety of deserting
his post, when placed on guard, explaining the consequences that might
result from such unfaithfulness in time of war. Richard listened
patiently to the reproof, and was sentenced to be confined in the guard
tent for twenty-four hours.
Richard possessed his soul in patience, and slept off a good portion of
his imprisonment. He devoted all his wakeful hours to a consideration
of the doings of the Regulators, and in devising plans for
"ventilating" their secret proceedings.
When he was relieved from arrest, and permitted to join his comrades,
he kept a close watch upon Redman, and also upon the two privates who
had been next to him in the line on guard. They must have been his
accusers, and he was satisfied that they belonged to the obnoxious
association. Nevers, no doubt, was also a member, and he believed him
to be the "Dobbin" of the party that had whipped him. Here were four
whom he suspected, and during the week the battalion remained in camp,
their words and their actions were carefully scanned; but they were too
adroit to expose themselves, though Richard's close scrutiny was not
entirely fruitless.
Our soldier entered heartily into the spirit of the occasion, and
performed his duty with the utmost fidelity. Though he was made the
victim of various petty tricks, such as smearing the stock of his
musket with grease, cutting the straps of his knapsack, and hiding his
blanket, he bore all these things with politic patience, and treated
his comrades with the most scrupulous fairness. He was the champion of
the weak, and, being the conqueror of Nevers, no one ventured to carry
their opposition to his will beyond a few respectful words. He would
not let a small boy be insulted or bullied; and a frown from him was
generally a sufficient protection. He was foremost in all the sports of
the boys, and every day increased his popularity.
If the Regulators said or did any thing to his injury, they did it very
slyly, for Richard could not discover that there was any one who was
not his friend. On the last day of the encampment, the election of
officers was to take place, and during the week, of course there was a
great deal of electioneering done for various candidates.
On the day before the election, a petition was circulated among the
boys, requesting the principal to reinstate Nevers in the office from
which he had been degraded. There were about fifty names on the paper
when Bailey brought it to Richard. It was not very favorably received
by the boys generally. Nobody could tell when or where the fifty names
had been obtained; no one had seen the signers place their autographs
upon the document. Richard heard Bailey and a dozen others refuse to
sign it, and some of them even proposed to get up a remonstrance.
"I am going to sign the petition," said Richard, to the astonishment of
his companions.
"You, Grant?" exclaimed a dozen boys, in the same breath.
"I am; just to show the fellows that I bear him no ill will," replied
Richard. "Nevers was degraded for that affair with me; and, as I licked
him, I think I can afford to do the handsome thing."
"Then he will be elected captain of Company D," said Bailey.
"I don't know about that," added Richard. "I am willing to see him
restored to the place he was in before I came, but I shall not give him
my vote for captain, or any thing else."
The victim of the Regulators took out his pencil and wrote his name
upon the petition. Though he fully believed that Nevers was the
"Dobbin" of the party that had assaulted him, he could not prove it and
he was disposed to give him a fair chance, so that neither he nor his
friends should have any good ground for complaint. His example was
followed by all the boys present, and from that moment the number of
names on the paper increased very rapidly.
At dress parade, Colonel Brockridge, to whom the petition had been
presented early in the afternoon, called Nevers forward, and after a
few remarks, restored him to his former position as first sergeant of
Company D, observing at the same time that the name of Richard Grant on
the paper had had more influence upon his mind than that of all the
others. It was a magnanimous act, which he heartily approved.
"Three cheers for Nevers!" shouted some friend of the first sergeant,
when the company broke ranks.
They were given, but it was only a partial demonstration, evidently
confined to about a dozen of the company.
"Three cheers for Grant!" said Bailey, when those for the first
sergeant had been given.
The call was promptly responded to, and though the cheers seemed to
proceed from the entire company, there were probably about a dozen who
did not join.
"Tiger!" added Bailey, with an earnestness that assured Richard he was
not a member of the Regulators.
The "tiger" was added, together with a volley of applause by clapping
the hands. Richard's position in Company D was not to be doubted, and
the Regulators present must have felt that their influence was not very
powerful.
On the following day they had a further proof of the popularity of
Richard, and if they had not been very stupid, they might have seen
that he had more influence than the whole band of Regulators put
together. On the first ballot in Company D, the first lieutenant was
elected captain; the second sergeant was elected first lieutenant. The
second lieutenant was believed to be a strong friend of Nevers, and no
promotion was awarded to him.
Richard Grant was elected second sergeant, and when the vote was
declared, the result was greeted with a round of hearty applause. The
other places were all filled, as the inclination of the majority
dictated, subject only to the healthy rules of the Institute. If there
had been no limit to the choice of the boys, we have no doubt their
favorite would have been elected captain.
The face of Nevers was as dark as a thunder cloud after the election.
The remark of Richard that he would not vote for him had been
circulated through the company, and had been influential in defeating
the aspirations of the first sergeant. Nevers knew very well that he
owed his defeat and his restoration to his rival, whom he hated with
ten fold greater vigor than before--hated him for what he had done, and
hated him for what he had left undone.
Of course, Richard felt very good-natured, and snapped his fingers at
the Regulators. He sat upon a stool alone after supper, thinking of his
good fortune, and congratulating himself upon the skill with which he
had conquered his enemies. He was satisfied that in being true to
himself he had won the respect and confidence of his companions. The
good resolutions he had successfully carried out had rendered him
worthy of the favor bestowed upon him. In conquering himself he had
conquered others.
While Richard sat on the stool thinking of the pleasant events of the
day, and perhaps wondering how long it would be before he became the
major of the battalion, his vanquished rival sauntered up to him, his
face still looking dark and malignant.
"You have beaten me again, Grant," said he, sourly, "but your day will
come soon."
"Eh, Dobbin?" replied Richard, with a good-natured smile, as he glanced
at his fellow-sergeant.
"What's that?" growled Nevers. "What do you mean by calling me Dobbin?"
Richard was satisfied from the appearance of Nevers, that the name was
not wholly unfamiliar to his ears. It was the first time he had ever
ventured to hint at the proceedings of his first night in camp; and it
was the first time that his rival had ever dared to speak to him in a
surly tone.
"If you don't understand it, no matter," added Richard, with a merry
twinkle of the eye.
"If you call me by that, or any other improper name, you shall suffer
for it."
"How many of you will it take to punish me for it, eh, Dobbin?"
"Dobbin again?"
"Do you know a fellow by the name of Kennedy?" added Richard. "If you
don't, I'll introduce you some day."
Nevers concluded that Richard was a tough customer, and he made no
further allusion to any suffering in store for his defiant rival. But
Richard's taunt about Kennedy, and his promises to introduce him, were
not pleasant to the bully, and he walked away. He feared that the
victim had been making dangerous discoveries.
On the following morning the battalion took up the line of march for
the Institute, and arrived without incident or accident; and that night
the boys exchanged the hard ground for the iron bedsteads in the
barracks.