Captured Author:Charles King Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: time. Blake, colonel commanding, was gone for a fortnight at least and possibly longer. Forrest, major commanding the squadron, was gone in all probability for a... more »s long a time. Fethers, the cavalry adjutant, with his precious regimental band, was here to be sure, and not too happy were the bandsmen at having to play for the ceremonies of an alien command. Stanhope, the chaplain, and his amiable consort were still at the post, and best of all, Colonel Blake's wise and winsome wife was there to befriend Mr. Ray if, as had been many a time the case in the past, the young officer tumbled into trouble. But while all predicted that it couldn't be long, under such rule and conditions as Crabtree had started, before trouble came, no one of their number began to predict or indeed to imagine the source from which trouble was destined to come, as come it speedily did, again to Lieutenant Sanford Ray. CHAPTER II. It was the late autumn of the year of our Lord the nineteen hundred and third and of the new uniform the first. The 42nd Infantry being stationed in the States long months after the issue of G. O. No. 132 on the fateful 31st of December, had found itself compelled, so far as its officers were concerned, to purchase much of the new outfit—that much of it, too, which could hardly be worn in the tropics. The 42nd had been at a big eastern garrison, a fine and showy regiment much in requisition for parades, expositions and monument unveilings and monumental sham battles. It had to get the new full uniform, even though it could get nothing for the old. An optimistic inspector had said, in reply to the rueful question of certain subalterns who had not yet succeeded in paying for the overcoat and the double- breasted frock, the handsome, costly belt, sword, shoulder-knots and helmet pu...« less