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“Aren’t you even a corporal?”

“We haven’t corporals, or lances for that matter, in the Guard. As a senior private I’d take twenty men into action; but one Guard don’t tell another how to clean himself. You’ve learned that before you apply. … Come in!”

There was a knock at the door, and Burgard entered, removing his cap.

“I thought you’d be here,” he said, as Matthews vacated the other chair and sat on the bed. “Well, has Matthews told you all about it? How did our Trials go, Matthews?”

“Forty names in the Hat, Sir, at the finish. They’ll make a fairish lot. Their gun-tricks weren’t bad; but D company has taken the best horsemen– as usual.”

“Oh, I’ll attend to that on ‘heef.’ Give me a man who can handle company- guns and I’ll engage to make him a horse-master. D company will end by thinkin’ ’emselves Captain Pigeon’s private cavalry some day.”

I had never heard a private and a captain talking after this fashion, and my face must have betrayed my astonishment, for Burgard said:

“These are not our parade manners. In our rooms, as we say in the Guard, all men are men. Outside we are officers and men.”

“I begin to see,” I stammered. “Matthews was telling me that sergeants handled half-companies and rose from the ranks–and I don’t see that there are any lieutenants–and your companies appear to be two hundred and fifty strong. It’s a shade confusing to the layman.”

Burgard leaned forward didactically. “The Regulations lay down that every man’s capacity for command must be tested to the uttermost. We construe that very literally when we’re on the ‘heef.’ F’r instance, any man can apply to take the command next above him, and if a man’s too shy to ask, his company officer must see that he gets his chance. A sergeant is given a wing of the battalion to play with for three weeks–a month, or six weeks–according to his capacity, and turned adrift in an Area to make his own arrangements. That’s what Areas are for–and to experiment in. A good gunner–a private very often–has all four company-guns to handle through a week’s fight, acting for the time as the major. Majors of Guard battalions (Verschoyle’s our major) are supposed to be responsible for the guns, by the way. There’s nothing to prevent any man who has the gift working his way up to the experimental command of the battalion on ‘heef.’ Purvis, my colour-sergeant, commanded the battalion for three months at the back of Coolgardie, an’ very well he did it. Bayley ‘verted to company officer for the time being an’ took Harrison’s company, and Harrison came over to me as my colour-sergeant. D’you see? Well, Purvis is down for a commission when there’s a vacancy. He’s been thoroughly tested, and we all like him. Two other sergeants have passed that three months’ trial in the same way (just as second mates go up for extra master’s certificate). They have E.C. after their names in the Army List. That shows they’re capable of taking command in event of war. The result of our system is that you could knock out every single officer of a Guard battalion early in the day, and the wheels ‘ud still go forward, not merely round. We’re allowed to fill up half our commissioned list from the ranks direct. Now d’you see why there’s such a rush to get into a Guard battalion?”

“Indeed I do. Have you commanded the regiment experimentally?”

“Oh, time and again,” Burgard laughed. “We’ve all had our E.C. turn.”

“Doesn’t the chopping and changing upset the men?”

“It takes something to upset the Guard. Besides, they’re all in the game together. They give each other a fair show you may be sure.”

“That’s true,” said Matthews. “When I went to N’Gami with my–with the half-company,” he sighed, “they helped me all they knew. But it’s a gift– handling men. I found that out,”