I can thump and pound and count your teeth." With that Gully made a physical examination of Kettle, and declared that no surgeon who ever lived would turn down such a magnificent specimen of robust manhood as Kettle.
All this was very disheartening to Kettle but seemed of great interest to Sergeant Halligan and his side partner, Sergeant Gully, and also to the orderly, who grinned sympathetically with the two sergeants.
"I say," said Sergeant Gully, "there's nothing doing here this morning and I'll just leave the orderly in charge and step in with you and introduce Private Pickup to the drill sergeant.

The sergeant is a honey, but the bees don't know it." Then, with Sergeant Halligan on one side of him and Sergeant Gully on the other, Kettle started across the plaza in the clear morning light for the great riding hall.

By this time Kettle was thoroughly alarmed.
The sight of the class in riding, smart young privates, marching gaily into the drill hall, made Kettle feel very uneasy about the riding.
"How 'bout the milkman's hoss ?" asked Kettle anxiously.
"The milkman's horse?
The milkman's horse ?" sniffed Sergeant Halligan, "D'ye think I'm an infernal fool to put such a proposition up to the orficer in charge of mounts?
He'd kick me full of holes if I did." "But I say," replied Kettle, spurred by fear, "you is a deceiver, suh--a deceiver, and I'm a'goin to tell the Kun'l on you and he'll do for you--that he will." "Look-a-here, Solomon Ezekiel Pickup," shouted Sergeant Halligan savagely, "it's against the regulations to talk to your superior orficers so damned impudent, and I'm a going to prefer charges against you, and you can face three months in the military prison for it.

And I'm a-thinkin' that Briggs, the drill sergeant, will put you on the kickingest horse in the regimental stables.

Sergeant Gully here says the drill sergeant is a honey, but he's awful mistaken.