the new cadets at west point are housed in barracks for two weeks after their admission. during this time "squad drill" is the daily rule, and the strangers learn to march and stand and face—everything a new soldier has to learn, with the exception of the manual of arms. after that they are adjudged fit to associate with the older cadets, and are marched up to "camp mcpherson." this usually takes place about the first day of july.
our friends, the seven, had been measured for uniforms along with the rest of the plebe company during their first days in barracks. the fatigue uniforms had been given out that morning, to the great excitement of everybody, and now "cit" clothing, with all its fantastic variety of hats and coats of all colors, was stowed away in trunks "for good," and the plebes costumed uniformly in somber suits of gray, with short jackets and only a black seam down the trousers for ornament. full dress[pg 249] uniforms, such as the old cadets up at camp were wearing, were yet things of the future.
that morning also the plebes had been "sized" for companies.
of "companies" there are four, into which the battalion of some three hundred cadets is divided, "for purposes of instruction in infantry tactics, and in military police and discipline." (for purposes of "academic instruction," they are of course divided into the four classes: first, second, third, or "yearlings," and fourth, the "plebes".) the companies afore-mentioned are under the command of tactical officers. these latter report to the "commandant of cadets," who is, next to the superintendent, the highest ranking officer on the post.
the companies are designated a, b, c and d. a and d are flank companies, and to them the tallest cadets are assigned. b and c are center companies. mark and texas, and also the parson and sleepy, all of whom were above the average height, found themselves in a. the remainder of the seven devils managed to land in b; and the whole plebe class was ordered to pack up and be ready to move immediately after dinner.
the cadets are allowed to take only certain articles to[pg 250] camp; the rest, together with the cit's clothing, was stored in trunks and put away in the trunk room.
right here at the start there was trouble for the members of our organization. texas, it will be remembered, had a choice assortment of guns of all caliber, sixteen in number. these he had stored up the chimney of his room for safety. (the chimney is a favorite place of concealment for contraband articles at west point). but there was no such place of concealment in camp; and no way of getting the guns there anyhow. there are no pockets in the cadets' uniforms except a small one for a watch. money they are not allowed to carry, and their handkerchiefs are tucked in the breasts of their coats.
it was a difficult situation, for texas, with true texan cautiousness, vowed he'd never leave his guns behind.
"why, look a yere, man," he cried. "i tell you, t'ain't safe now fo' a feller to go up thar 'thout anything to defend himself. you kain't tell what may happen!"
the parson was in a similar quandary. his chimney contained a various assortment of chemicals, together with sundry geological specimens, including that now world-famous cyathophylloid coral which had been discovered "in a sandstone of tertiary origin." and the[pg 251] parson vowed that either that cyathophylloid went to camp or he stayed in barracks—yea, by zeus!
there was no use arguing with them; mark tried it in vain. texas was obdurate and talked of holding up the crowd that dared to take those guns away; and the parson said that he had kept a return ticket to boston, his native town, a glorious city where science was encouraged and not repressed.
that was the state of affairs through dinner, and up to the moment when the cry, "new cadets turn out!" came from the area. by that time texas had tied his guns in one of his shirts, and the parson had variously distributed his fossils about his body until he was one bundle of lumps.
"if you people will congregate closely about me," he exclaimed, "i apprehend that the state of affairs will not be observed."
it was a curious assembly that "turned out"—a mass of bundles, brooms and buckets, with a few staggering plebes underneath. they marched up to camp that way, too, and it was with audible sighs of relief that they dropped their burdens at the end.
a word of description of "camp mcpherson" may be[pg 252] of interest to those who have never visited west point. it is important that the reader should be familiar with its appearance, for many of mark's adventures were destined to happen there—some of them this very same night.
the camp is half a mile or so from barracks, just beyond the cavalry plain and very close to old fort clinton. the site is a pretty one, the white tents standing out against the green of the shade trees and the parapet of the fort.
the tents are arranged in four "company streets" and are about five feet apart. the tents have wooden platforms for floors and are large enough for four cadets each. a long wooden box painted green serves as the "locker"—it has no lock or key—and a wooden rod near the ridge pole serves as a wardrobe. and that is the sum total of the furniture.
the plebes made their way up the company streets and the cadet officers in charge, under the supervision of the "tacs," assigned them to their tents. fortunately, plebes are allowed to select their own tent mates; it may readily be believed the four devils of a company went together. by good fortune the three remaining in b company, as was learned later, found one whole tent left over and so[pg 253] were spared the nuisance of a stranger in their midst—a fact which was especially gratifying to the exclusive master chauncey.
having been assigned to their tents, the plebes were set to work under the brief instructions of a cadet corporal at the task of arranging their household effects. this is done with mathematical exactness. there is a place for everything, and a penalty for not keeping it there. blankets, comforters, pillows, etc., go in a pile at one corner. a looking-glass hangs on the front tent pole; a water bucket is deposited on the front edge of the platform; candlesticks, candles, cleaning materials, etc., are kept in a cylindrical tin box at the foot of the rear tent pole; and so on it goes, through a hundred items or so. there are probably no more uniform things in all nature than the cadet tents in camp. the proverbial peas are not to be compared with them.
the amount of fear and trembling which was caused to those four friends of ours in a certain a company tent by the contraband goods of texas and the parson is difficult to imagine. the cadet corporal, lynx-eyed and vigilant, scarcely gave them a chance to hide anything.[pg 254] it was only by mark's interposing his body before his friends that they managed to slide their precious cargoes in under the blankets, a temporary hiding place. and even when the articles were thus safely hidden, what must that officious yearling do but march over and rearrange the pile accurately, almost touching one of the revolvers, and making the four tremble and quake in their boots.
they managed the task without discovery, however, and went on with their work. and by the first drum beat for dress parade that afternoon, everything was done up in spick-and-span order, to the eye at any rate.
dress parade was a formality in which the plebes took no part but that of interested spectators. they huddled together shyly in their newly occupied "plebe hotels" and watched the yearlings, all in spotless snowy uniforms, "fall in" on the company street outside. the yearlings were wild with delight and anticipation at having the strangers right among them at last, and they manifested great interest in the plebes, their dwellings, and in fact in everything about them. advice and criticism, and all kinds of guying that can be imagined were poured upon the trembling lads' heads, and this continued in a volley[pg 255] until the second drum changed the merry crowd into a silent and motionless line of soldiers.
mark could scarcely keep his excitable friend texas from sallying out then and there to attack some of the more active members of this hilarious crowd. it was evident that, while no plebe escaped entirely, there was no plebe hotel in a company so much observed as their own. for the three b. j.-est plebes in the whole plebe class were known to be housed therein. cadet mallory, "professional hero," was urged in all seriousness to come out and rescue somebody on the spot, which oft-repeated request, together with other merry chaffing, he bore with a good-natured smile. cadet stanard was plagued with geological questions galore, among which the "cyathophylloid" occupied a prominent place. cadet powers was dared to come out and lasso a stray "tac," whose blue-uniformed figure was visible out on the parade ground. and mr. chilvers found the state of "craps" a point of great solicitude to all.
it was all stopped by the drum as has been mentioned; the company wheeled by fours and marched down the street, leaving the plebes to an hour of rest. but oh![pg 256] those same yearlings were thinking. "oh, won't we just soak 'em to-night!"
and, strange to say, the same thought was in the minds of seven particular plebes that stayed behind. for mark had a plot by this time.