The poem “BOOTS” by Rudyard Kipling was published in 1903 and imagines the repetitive thoughts of a British Army infantryman marching in South Africa during the Second Boer War. It has been suggested for the first four words of each line to be read slowly, at a rate of two words per second, to match with the cadence, or rhythm of a foot soldier marching. Here, American actor Taylor Holmes does just that in this 1915 recording.

This will bring back memories to many of our readers who have graduated from one of America’s schools of higher learning in the craft of survival.