the first day’s march was very hard on the soldiers, for the sun was hot and the little fellows were not used to such long tramps. when the order came for the army to break ranks and make camp ready for the night, the soldiers worked with a will unloading the wagons and putting up the tents. the kitchen tent was put up first so the cook and the chinaman would lose no time in getting dinner ready for the hungry army.
the mice that pulled the army wagons were given a good feed of cheese and they were quartered in a hollow tree for the night. the airplane ate ten grains of bird seed and hopped onto the limb of the bush under which the tiny camp lay.
when the camp had been put in order for the night, mess call was sounded and the soldiers formed in line with their tin plates. the cook had prepared two boiled beans and a thimbleful of corn soup for the army. each man was given a plate of soup, a big spoonful of bean and a large piece of bread.
after dinner the little soldiers gathered on the bank of a puddle of water, where they bathed their aching feet, while others took off their uniforms and enjoyed a good swim. the foolish dunce dived head first into the pool without first testing the water to see how deep it was and he nearly broke his silly neck, for the hole was only three teenie weenie feet (a little over an inch and a half) deep.
“believe me!” exclaimed the dunce after he was pulled out of the water and sat on the bank rubbing a big bump on his head, “i’m through diving. i wouldn’t dive into a teacup full of water even if i could see the bottom.”
the general decided to let the army rest for a day, as the soldiers all complained of sore feet and, besides, one of the horses was bothered with a lame leg, which had been hurt in a mouse trap a few days before. the men were given a little light rifle practice, while paddy pinn tried out the cannon at long range shooting, bringing down a dandelion in three shots at the remarkable range of four hundred and twenty teenie weenie feet (17 feet in our measurement).
the noise of the cannon attracted the attention of many birds, squirrels, bugs and field mice, who gathered around the edge of the camp with wide-open eyes.
“what’s the trouble?” asked a bright-eyed chipmunk. “is there a war or somethin’?”
“no,” answered the general kindly. “we are on our way to rescue a couple of teenie weenies who have been stolen by the wild men who live in the heart of the big woods.”
“well, you’d better go back,” warned the chipmunk. “those wild men are a bad lot and they are as thick as bees in clover time.”
“we are not afraid,” answered the general. “we will keep on until we have rescued our friends.”
“all right! all right!” said the chipmunk solemnly. “i wouldn’t give a wormy chestnut for your lives, but that’s your choosing, not mine. let me tell you one thing—don’t forget that i warned you.”
“thank you just the same for your advice,” said the general, “but we must go on.”
“all right!” muttered the chipmunk. “but remember i warned you.” and shaking his head wisely he scampered off into the thick weeds.
the little soldiers rolled themselves up in their tiny blankets almost immediately after supper and almost before the sun had disappeared over the western hills they were sound asleep, for they were to be up and well on the march before daylight again would appear.
