There was a moment's pause; Philip expected some one to come in with a tray and glasses, as they did at his great-uncle's when gentlemen were suddenly thirsty at times that were not meal-times.
But instead, after a moment's pause, a dozen greyhounds stepped daintily in on their padded cat-like feet; and round the neck of each dog was slung a roundish thing that looked like one of the little barrels which St.Bernard dogs wear round their necks in the pictures.

And when these were loosened and laid on the table Philip was charmed to see that the roundish things were not barrels but cocoa-nuts.
The soldiers reached down some pewter pots from a high shelf--pierced the cocoa-nuts with their bayonets and poured out the cocoa-nut milk.
They all had drinks, so the prophecy came true, and what is more they gave Philip a drink as well.

It was delicious, and there was as much of it as he wanted.

I have never had as much cocoa-nut milk as I wanted.
Have you?
Then the hollow cocoa-nuts were tied on to the dogs' necks again and out they went, slim and beautiful, two by two, wagging their slender tails, in the most amiable and orderly way.
'They take the cocoa-nuts to the town kitchen,' said the captain, 'to be made into cocoa-nut ice for the army breakfast; waste not want not, you know.

We don't waste anything here, my boy.' Philip had quite got over his snubbing.