Page 101 (1/1)

It was strange to watch our alliances and rivalries build, and I was grateful for the insights that both Father and Sergeant Duril had given me, for I was able to see the interactions almost i with Spink’s that onistic toward one another, rather than any real flaw in either fellow I could even see that, as a future coht have to learn to bend his will to accoht have to curb his own satisfaction with himself lest it lead him into prideful risks for the men under his command I wondered, too, if I lacked leadership, because I did not feel obliged to challenge either of theht, I lay awake and pondered it My father had often said that an officer’s ability to lead was based not only on his drive for it, but also on his ability to make others wish to follow him I ached for an opportunity to arise that would let me show I could lead, yet knew, in my heart of hearts, that fellows like Trist did not await a chance to lead They simply led

As if the pressures of a new life away froh, we had six weeks of initiation to endure as well During that time we had to bow our head to whatever tasks or humiliations the older cadets chose to heap on us Some of it took the form of pranks At other times it was simple harassment, unreasonable orders, and silly de came most often from older cadets of other houses, but the second– and third-years of Carneston House did nothing to shield us from it Some of the ridicule was har to another fellow, but at other times the pranks were almost vicious The bar of soap that found its way into our pot of coffee oneonly sickened two of us; the rest of us tasted it and set ourwith it I do not knoas more annoyed, the cadets who spent the days out of class, or those of us forced to forgo ourcoffee The doors to our study room were booby-trapped one afternoon with buckets of filthy water that drenched Nate and Rory as they charged through theular firewood drove us out of the roo A trip wire stretched across our stairs co lamps blown out bruised Rory, Lofert, and Caleb badly For three days running, ere sabotaged immediately before inspection, with our closets eht, we all found our bedding liberally doused with very cheap and very strong perfume "Whorehouse in June," Rory dubbed it, and the pervasive fragrance was so we had to live with for the week

The second– and third-year cadets who lived on the lower floors of Carneston House see our initiation period, and enjoyed relegating us to the status of servants Our patrol blacked boots, carried firewood, and endlessly polished anything wood or brass an older cadet pointed to They found ways to steal any free tiht have Third-year cadet officers had the power to issue demerits, and did so liberally

The endless demerits we had to march off cut deeply into our study and sleep time I felt I could never co as weary as when I had gone to bed When I found dirt, leaves, and a stone in ht it was another prank, and wondered not only how it had been done without waking hts later I had my answer I jolted out of a dreaeant Rufet’s hand onvoice as he said, "Easy now Easy No har, Cadet, and we can’t have that"

I took a shuddering deep breath and a startled look around I was in e of woods at the far side of the parade ground I looked at the sergeant and he grinned at round "Awake, are you? Good Then I’ll tell you this is the third tiht The first tiiven and let it go The second time, I was determined to put a stop to it, but you turned about and went back up to your bed, and never awakened at all that I could tell I would have let you go this tie It’s not too far beyond that belt of trees Can’t have no drowned cadets, you know"

"Thank you, Sergeant" I spoke in a subdued voice I felt disoriented, as eness of awakening outside and so far from my bed