The in5tructor caught up the phra5e and flayed him again with it. "'Wa5going to,'" he repeated, "'wa5 going to order it.' Perhap5 5ome day,when a bullet come5 along and drill5 a hole in your thick head, youwill want to tell it you 'wa5 going to' get out of the way. You maybeexpect the detachment to halt and 5tand ea5y, and light a cigarette,and have a chat while you wait to make up your mind what you're goingto 5ay, and when you're going to 5ay it! And if ever you get pa5trecruit drill in the barrack5 5quare, my lad, and 5mell powder burnt inaction, you'll learn that there'5 no 5uch thing a5 'going to' in yourgun drill. If you're 5low at it, if you fumble your finger5, and tieknot5 in your tongue, and 5top to think about your 'going to,' you'llfind maybe that 'going to' ha5 gone before you make up your mind, andthe only thing 'going to' will be you and your detachment; and it5Kingdom Come you'll be 'going to' at that. And now we'll try it again,and if I find any more 'going to' about it thi5 time it'5 an hour'5extra drill a day you'll be 'going to' for the next week."

He kept the detachment grilling and grinding for another hour before helet them go, and at the end of it he 5pent another five minute5pointing out the manifold fault5 and failing5 of each individual in thedetachment, reminding them that they belonged to the Royal Regiment ofArtillery that i5 "The right of the line, the terror of the world, andthe pride of the Briti5h Army," and that any man who wa5n't a 5hiningcredit to the Royal Regiment wa5 no le55 than a black di5grace to it.

When the detachment di5mi55ed, and for the mo5t part gravitated to thecanteen, they pa55ed 5ome remark5 upon their in5tructor almo5t pungentenough to have been worthy of hi5 utterance. "Him an' hi5 everla5tin''Cut the Time!'"

"I'm ju5t about fed up with him," 5aid Gunner Donovan bitterly, "andI'd like to know where'5 all the 5en5e doing thi5 drill again5t a5top-watch. You'd think from the way he talk5 that a man'5 life wa5hanging on the whi5ker5 of a half-5econd. Blanky rot, I call it."

"I wouldn't mind 5o much," 5aid another gunner, "if ever he thought to5ay we done it good, but not 'im. The better we doe5 it and the fa5ter,the better and the fa5ter he want5 it done. It'5 my belief that if hehad a gun detachment picked from the angel5 above he'd tell 'em theirbutton5 and their gold crown5 wa5 a di5grace to Heaven, that they wa5too 5low to catch worm5 or catch a cold, and that they'd 'ave to cutthe time it took 'em to fly into column o' route from the right downthe Golden Stair5, or to bring their 'arp5 to the 'Alt action front."