He strode off in the direction of the series of obstacles commonly referred to as “The Pits,” with the rest of the company crowding along behind him. Reaching the first station, he turned back to the Legionnaires, and this time the front ranks dropped down without his signaling to them.
The obstacle consisted of a trench about four meters across filled nearly to the top with an evil-looking mixture of slime, algae, and muddy water. There was a framework constructed over the trench from which three heavy ropes hung. The Legionnaires were to swing across the trench on the ropes and continue on their way, a maneuver which was, in reality, much more difficult than it looked.
“I noticed that there was always a bottleneck at this station,” Phule said. “While some of you had the right idea in giving your buddies a push to get their swing started, the real problem is that three ropes aren’t enough to keep the traffic moving.”
He paused and peered into the trench at the water.
“Now, I know you’re all proud of your new uniforms, but these are supposed to be combat conditions, and combat is no time to worry about keeping your clothes clean. Does anyone know how deep this trench is?”
The Legionnaires looked at each other, but the CO didn’t bother waiting for an answer.
“The most valuable thing in combat besides initiative is information. Intelligence. “Sergeant Brandy!”
“Sir?”
“Would you demonstrate for the company the fastest way to find out how deep this trench is?”
The company blinked in astonishment at the captain’s audacity, but the much-feared top sergeant only hesitated the barest heartbeat before springing into action. Crisp uniform, spit-shined boots; and all, she took one long stride and leaped boldly into the trench. Then, finding that the muck barely reached the bottoms of her substantial breasts, she waded to the far side with as much dignity as she could muster, looking not unlike the Bismarck coming into port.