ORINGI CAMP SCENES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1362, 13 February 1912, Page 6

ORINGI CAMP SCENES.

THE FIRST DAY. UNDER Orit MILITARY LAAV, (By Telegraph—Special Ueporter.l Dannevirke, February 12. To-day fho Territorial gunners of the AVcllington Field Artillery Brigade, and their brethren in , (he field engineer corps, had their first taste of active soldiering. It was a blistering day—a day for shirt sleeve- and ice cream. Shirt sleeves (acre were, for instructors nru making school as comfortable as possible for "the rookies," as raw recruits are called, but there, is no ic:; errant. The "dry" canteen did a roaring trade in hop ijeer, lemonade, and other "soft stuff, , ' m Hie rushes between parades, and before midday reported a drought. Thereupon a consuming thirst held the camp in torment until the advent of reinforcements from the soft drink headquarters, lair-skinned youths aro peeling at the no=e, and looking generally healthy, while tho tanned faces and arms of tho dark-skinned ones are deepening to a generous bronze. The school has now been organised and griidrd into classes. Among the Artillery Brigade are men who arc quite raw anil gunners who have never taken part in shell practice, drivers who have never driven, and so on. The gun park diving the forenMn made a busy scene. Two riding classes were formed, SergeantMajors Wilson and Petersen being the ring masters. A string of horses, saddled and bridled, were brought up, and soon, under the direction of the ring masters, unpraetisol fingers were fumbling with reins, learning the first lessons of horsemanship in the service. There are no liappy-ga-lucky methods—no grabbing the horse by the mane and wriggling up on to the raddle. Tho reins must bo held "so," the saddle grasped "so," etc. Tho result is that, on the word' "Mount," it looks—and really is—an easy stop from the ground to the saddle. All the little rules of getting ready to mount are really "wrinkles" picked up in long years of experience, but a recruit does not often till the end realise that as ho fumbles with reins with fingers which are all thumbs, the probable conclusion is that he could do the thing much quicker if lie were left to himself. Then conies the order to mount, and the breeze wafts him a few compliments from the riding master. "Whv don't you mount I'" "The horse is waiting for you to get up!" "Keep your back straight! It's like the dome of St. Pauls!" "Heels down and toes up!" "Flat of the thighs; close to the. saddle!" and so on. And these, and other precepts, bring him to the business of the moment, and as he bumps up and down on the service saddle, he begins to forget that ho ever had a liver. There are equine recruits as well. A pair of these were hitched to an artillery wagon and, having no blinkers—they disdain blinkers in tlic army—took fright at the thing behind them, and bolted along the gun park, took a steep declivity at "the double," racing towards the engineers' lines, and fetched up in nu entanglement of tents and ropes. One tent in the path of tho bolters was levelled as if a blizzard had hit it, but nobody was hurt. The horses were unscathed, and the wagon survived the giddv flight but it was verv sensational while it lasted. Their greatest trial, however, is their first introduction to the gun team. Imagine a recruit gun horse, supposedly well broken to harness, shoved into a sixl.orse team with a horrid rattling springless "thing" in the shape of a 15-pounder at its tail and told to "Gee-up" for the first: time!

He has no blinkers, and can see everything—too much, in fact, for his nerves. So, when the 15-pounder rattles forward oiir the boulders, he wheels round to fice it Tilt others do the same, and in a trice, the team is lied in a knot. One of the frightened animals tries , to buck his tamers off, and the rest of the battery moves on. leaving tho "rookies" to follow when they can.

As the morning, wore on, however, tho most festive-of the recruits among the horses was glad to settle down, and do his work qujetly for a lii-poundcr on an up-jjradc- hikes some pulling. ■ The scholars in tho riding classes also began to "feel" themselves in the saddle, and gained cei fideuce. They ceased to wear an expression which conveyed the idea that they were "sitting on ii biler" which was in imminent danger of bursting, and looked more like animate men than limp cornsacks. There were also classes in infantry, drill signalling, and so on. Home of the held engineers, were sent across tho, river tc construct some works required in connection with the shell practice which is to be carried out by the gunners later on, while the others were put through a riding lesson, infantry drill, and signalling work. In a big camp like this it has to be remembered that "beys will be boys," and that exuberant spirits must have an outlet. There is ample opportunity for recreation after tho day's work is finished, and, with the prospect of a reveille at o.HO a.m. on the morrow, all concerned arc glad to get to bed early after a day in tho broiling sun. stalks at the heels of the bad boys. When the Territorials came into cainp on Saturday night three of the bad boys wero haled to the guard tent on the very serious charge of bringing liquor into camp. This morning they were "sat upon" by a Military Board, and due inquiry made into tho circumstances surrounding the allegations which were set forth in the "Crimes Sheet." Their names need not be mentioned, as they may live it down during the week by good work and satisfactory behnviour, but it will interest would-be roysterers at future military camps of instruction to learn that No. 1 of the trio was fined 305.. No. 2 had to disburse 20s. of his capital in order to appease, the demands of justice, while No. .'I (who was proved to have been a "laiub" which had gotten into bad company, and had no inherent wickedness) was severely cautioned.

Everyone is agreed that prohibition in military camps is an essentially good thing for all concerned, and that the lines imposed upon the aforesaid delinquents, though not unduly severe, were richly deserved.

Having now got tho liquor traffic in camps by the nape, of the neck, as it were, the next thing—and a very necessary thing—will be to expel it from the troop trains. Discipline demands it, public opinion insists upon it, and the foolish youths who smuggle beer into tho railway carriages—mare i'or the purpose of "sho'ving off" than for the gratification which tho liquor itself affords—should bo prevented from contaminating others. It is time that these matters were spoken of (as much iu the interests of tho new defence scheme as in those of the general public), for , there have been "incidents" as in the case of th<. delinquents referred to. No corps need be mentioned with regard to what has been said concerning the troop trains—at least, not yet. This is a plain hint on a very serious question.

Mr. H. N. M'Leod (of the Boys' Scout organisation) is here as representative of the Wellington Y.M.C.A., and has fitted up a largo marquee as a writiu™ and reading room, There is plenty of current literature, in the shape of periodicals, and so on, and a piano is to be installed also.

Tho health of all concerned is very satisfactory. Tho gunners say that they are getting plenty to eat, a'nd good iii quality, but the Engineers beg to differ as to ijuintity, and their f|uarte.rmastcrSMgeant is doing some hard thinking. Tlu! t|iiartermn.ster-sergeant ha.s an unenviable position, for ho is liable either to by blessed or to bo cursed. He H Iho pnntry pei-sonilieil. and hi-, pautrv arithnieli;' must err on Ih? tide of a'surplus luilior than a deficit.

The (4.0.0. (Mai.ir-Genoral A. .T Godley, C.8.) will l;f here mi Wednesday, by which time some of die rough corners will have from the roeruits. and the nitillerymcn and engineers made more or less presentable.