Narration: Before Trurl could say another word, he found himself wedged firmly in one of the columns with his friend and compelled to march and drill for the rest of the day.

Narration: The main maneuver seemed to consist of making oneself as miserable as possible while furthering the welfare of the next in line,

Narration: which in practice proved to be unbelievably burdensome.

Narration: all to the rhythm of “Left! Right! Left! Right!” The drillmasters were Felicemen, known as the Guardians of Good and Gladness and thus commonly called G-men, and their task was to see that each and every one, both separately and together, participated wholeheartedly in the general beatitude,