e began. "Oh, it's you, is it, captain? Isn't Waring
back? I saw the light, and came up to chin with him a moment. Beastly
night, isn't it?"

"Waring isn't back yet. I look for him by the eleven-thirty car,"
answered the captain.

"Why, that's in. No Waring there, but half a dozen poor devils, half
drowned and half drunk, more'n half drunk, one of your men among 'em. We
had to put him into the guard-house to keep him from murdering Dawson,
the head-quarters clerk. There's been some kind of a row."

"Sorry to hear that. Who is the man?"

"Kane. He said Dawson was lying about his officer and he wouldn't stand
it."

"Kane!" exclaimed Cram, rising. "Why, he's one of our best. I never
heard of his being riotous before."

"He's riotous enough to-night. He wanted to lick all six of our fellows,
and if I hadn't got there when I did they would probably have kicked him
into a pulp. All were drunk; Kane, too, I should say; and as for
Dawson, he was just limp."

"Would you mind going down and letting me talk with Kane a moment? I
never knew him to be troublesome before, though he sometimes drank a
little. He was on pass this evening."

"Well, it's raining cats and dogs, captain, but come along. If you can
stand it I can."

A few minutes later the sergeant of the guard threw open one of the
wooden compartments in the guard-house, and there sat Kane, his face
buried in his hands.

"I ordered him locked in here by himself, because I feared our fellows
would hammer him if he were turned in with them," explained Mr. Merton,
and at sound of the voice the prisoner looked up and saw his commander,
dripping with wet. Unsteadily he rose to his feet.

"Captain," he began, thickly, "I'd never have done it in the world, sir,
but that blackguard was drunk, sir, and slandering my officer, and I
gave him fair warning to quit or I'd hit him, but he kept on."

"Ye-es? And what did he say?"

"He said--I wouldn't believe it, sir--that Mr. Doyle was that drunk
that him and some other fellers had lifted him out of the mud and put
him to bed up there at--up there at the house, sir, back of Anatole's
place. I think the captain knows."

"Ah, you should have steered clear of such company, Kane. Did this
happen at Anatole's saloon?"

"Yes, sir, and them fellers was making so much noise that the dago
turned them all out and shut up the shop at eleven o'clock, and that's
what made them follow me home in the car and abuse me all the way. I