" "Yes, you artillerymen especially are scarce there," said Katavasov.
"Oh, I wasn't long in the artillery, maybe they'll put me into the infantry or the cavalry.
" "Into the infantry when they need artillery more than anything?" said Katavasov, fancying from the artilleryman's apparent age that he must have reached a fairly high grade.
"I wasn't long in the artillery; I'm a cadet retired," he said, and he began to explain how he had failed in his examination.