United States or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !


Out went the eight Brighton boys to the sergeant-major, their work begun. They too felt it a fine thing to be boys, though their feeling was just unconscious, natural, effervescent -the sparkle of the real wine of youth and health and clean, brave spirit.

All kinds of rumours were afloat; one that we were to go at once to France, disembarking at Rouen, and then by train to the south of France; others said that we were to go to Egypt; and many said that was all right, if the Turks got into the war. I went ashore with Company Sergeant-Major Radcliffe of my regiment, who is a Plymouth man.

"I’ve never been on Venus." "It’s the way the water-hole people fight," Koa explained. "They’re like a bunch of rubber balls when they get to fighting. They ram each other with their heads." Rip searched his memory for data on Venus. He couldn’t recall any mention of fleedling. Venusians, if his memory was right, had a sort of blowgun as a main weapon. He told Koa so. The sergeant-major nodded.

The horse was the most ignoble, malevolent beast that ever walked, except the sergeant-major in the riding-school. Peggy was filled with admiration for his philosophic endurance of hardships. It was real courage. His letters contained simple statements of fact, but not a word of complaint.

Four of the strongest companies garrisoned the Porc-Espic; ten weak companies and nine cannon loaded with musket bullets defended the Helmond. These posts were commanded by Sergeant-major Carpenter and Captain Meetkerk; the rest of the force were disposed at the other threatened points.

It is true that this form of punishment is a part of the so-called discipline of our army. But it was not meted out for offences of the nature of this man's and if it had been, the obvious thing for the sergeant-major to have done would have been to have lied like a man; instead of which he piled horror on horror for his own countrymen. I have the facts and names of these cases.

"The large wall tents over there on the hill," directed the sergeant-major. "It's a long way to Frederick, but Lord! with that horse " He hesitated for a moment, then spoke up in a courageous, middle-aged, weather-beaten fashion, "I hope you'll have a pleasant ride, lieutenant! I guess I was a little stiffer'n good manners calls for, just at first.

He might like to do his young relative a smart soldier evidently, or he would not be a sergeant-major so early a good turn." The spy, whatever his nationality, and however questionable his antecedents, was right in the intelligence he had communicated. A large Russian force was even then on the march from Tchorgorum, pointing straight for the Balaclava plain.

We marched to the Long Valley, where we were drilled for several hours, and when we returned to camp it was difficult to tell who was who. It was an extremely hot day, and the dust stuck to our faces and made us look like negroes. During the summer I was detailed to escort a deserter to Plymouth. The sergeant-major gave me an opportunity to see my relatives there.

"Perhaps you'd like to go," said the sergeant-major. "I don't mind," said the young man; "and perhaps you'll think a little better of me, Mr. Ward. If I do what you're afraid to do " Mrs. Ward and her daughter flung themselves hastily between the sergeant-major and his intended sacrifice. Mr. Farrer, pale but determined, stood his ground.