I'd be glad if you'd take him out tonight, if it suits you." "Nothing could please me better, sir," Dick cried eagerly, for he dearly loved a horse.
"How soon will you be ready ?" "At once, Major." "Then I'll send around now for the horse." Just a few minutes later an orderly rode up, dismounted, saluted and turned the saddled animal over to A company's commander.
"This is luck, indeed!" Dick told himself, as he felt the horse's flanks between his knees and moved off at a slow canter.

"I wonder why I never tried to transfer into the cavalry." While waiting for the horse he had telephoned the adjutant, stating that for the next three hours he would be either in camp or in the near vicinity.
After being halted by three outlying sentries Prescott rode clear of the camp bounds, riding at a trot down a moonlit country road.
Vinton was the nearest town, where soldiers on a few hours' pass went for their recreation out of camp.

The road to Vinton was usually well sprinkled with jitney busses conveying soldiers to or from camp, so Prescott had chosen another road which, at night, was likely to be almost free of traffic of any kind.
"As this is the first evening I've had off in three weeks I don't believe I need feel that I'm loafing," Dick reflected.

"It's gorgeous outdoors to-night.

There will undoubtedly be plenty of moonlight in France, but there won't be many opportunities like this one." Finding that his horse was sweating, Dick slowed the animal down to a walk.