to prevent any private or other common person trespassing on the
hallowed ground sacred to the cigarette-ash and footprints of officers.
This last sentry was expected to salute the O. C. troops and commander
of the ship, all other salutes being dispensed with, as on board ship
we saw our officers some five hundred and ninety times a day, and their
arms would have been whirling like windmills had they been compelled to
return our salutes. I remember one sentry failing to recognize the
Commander-in-chief, and presently the colonel spoke to him thus: "What
are you doing here, my man?" "I'm supposed to be a ---- sentry."
"Well, do you know that I am supposed to be the ---- colonel?" "Oh!
Well, I'm supposed to give you a ---- salute!" And the sentry
forthwith performed his belated duty.

On this ship the officers were all pretty popular, especially one who
was never known by any title or other designation than "Jerry." Jerry
had more self-confidence than any man I have ever met. He could not
correctly put a platoon through its formations, but would not hesitate
to take charge of a battalion. When he had given some orders and had
hopelessly mixed up a company, he would look at the mess with an air of
superiority that proclaimed to all and sundry that he was commanding a
lot of imbeciles, and then he would calmly throw the responsibility of
disentangling themselves upon the men by the order: "As you were!"

It was a puzzle to all as to how he got his commission. He was tall
and spruce, most scrupulous in the fit of his uniform, but absolutely
too lazy to learn his job. He was something of a joke as an officer,
yet his men got to like him for his good humor and absolute
indifference to the censure of his superiors. In instructing a squad
he would quite calmly read aloud out of a drill-book right under the
eyes of the colonel, and his air of calm assurance under rebuke would