Chapter 9

           We’vegotnoplaceinthisoutfitforgoodlosers.Wewanttoughhombreswhowillgointhereandwin!

           AdmiralJonasIngram,1926

           Whenwehaddoneallthatamudfootcandoinflatcountry,wemovedintosomeroughmountainstodostillrougherthings—theCanadianRockiesbetweenGoodHopeMountainandMountWaddington.CampSergeantSpookySmithwasmuchlikeCampCurrie(asidefromitsruggedsetting)butitwasmuchsmaller.Well,theThirdRegimentwasmuchsmallernow,toolessthanfourhundredwhereaswehadstartedoutwithmorethantwothousand.HCompanywasnoworganizedasasingleplatoonandthebattalionparadedasifitwereacompany.Butwewerestillcalled"HCompany"andZimwas"CompanyCommander,"notplatoonleader.

           Whatthesweat-downmeant,really,wasmuchmorepersonalinstruction;wehadmorecorporal-instructorsthanwehadsquadsandSergeantZim,withonlyfiftymenonhismindinsteadofthetwohundredandsixtyhehadstartedwith,kepthisArguseyesoneachoneofusallthetime—evenwhenhewasn’tthere.Atleast,ifyougoofed,itturnedouthewasstandingrightbehindyou.

           However,thechewing-outyougothadalmostafriendlyquality,inahorridsortofway,becausewehadchanged,too,aswellastheregiment—theone-in-fivewhowasleftwasalmostasoldierandZimseemedtobetryingtomakehimintoone,insteadofrunninghimoverthehill.