I cried out, 'You, sir, what are you doing ?' 'Advancing as you ordered.' 'I never ordered you to advance alone,' I retorted, 'the order was given to the whole company.' At which he turned right round and addressed the ranks: 'Don't you hear the officer abusing you?
The orders are for all to advance!' Whereupon the rest of them marched right past their captain and up to me.

[8] Of course the captain called them back, and they began to grumble and growl: 'Which of the two are we to obey?
One tells us to advance, the other won't let us move.' "Well, I had to take the whole matter very quietly and begin again from the beginning, posting the company as they were, and explaining that no one in the rear was to move until the front rank man led off: all they had to do was to follow the man in front.

[9] As I was speaking, up came a friend of mine; he was going off to Persia, and had come to ask me for a letter I had written home.

So I turned to the captain who happened to know where I had left the letter lying, and bade him fetch it for me.
Off he ran, and off ran my young fellow at his heels, breast-plate, battle-axe, and all.

The rest of the company thought they were bound to follow suit, joined in the race, and brought my letter back in style.
That is how my company, you see, carries out your instructions to the full." [10] He paused, and the listeners laughed to their hearts' content, as well as they might, over the triumphant entry of the letter under its armed escort.