This shortage the drill-masters, in a spirit of compensation, attempted to make up by abundant severity.

The whip of soft, flexible, stinging leather, which seldom leaves the Turkish officer's hand, was never idle.

This was not surprising, for the Arab is a cunning fellow, whose only respect is for brute force.

He exercises it himself on every possible victim, and expects the same treatment from his superiors.
So far as my comrades and I were concerned, I must admit that we were generally treated kindly.

We knew most of the drill-exercises from the gymnastic training we had practiced since childhood, and the officers realized that we were educated and came from respectable families.