, the relief party presenting arms as the funeral procession
passed by them.

When the General in command was informed of the death of Hetais, he
issued the following order to the troops:

'I was to have presented Hetais, of the _Ville de Paris_, with the
_medaille militaire_, and his untimely death must not deprive him of
this honour. I shall fasten the medal on him at his burial.'

A few hours later, all the sailors and soldiers who could be spared from
the trenches were drawn up in a hollow square outside the camp around
the body of Hetais, who, wrapped in his cloak, slept his last calm sleep
on the rough litter in which he had been carried from the trenches.

The deep silence was at last broken by the loud voice of the commanding
officer: 'Present arms!' Then he took off his helmet, and followed by
another officer, who carried the medal, he advanced towards the bier,
and read out the brief account of the gallant action which had gained
Hetais his medal.

Then, taking the medal from the hand of the subaltern, he fastened it on
to the cloak of the sailor, and, turning to the assembled soldiers and
sailors, he thus addressed them:

'A glorious death has ended a noble life,' he said, in a loud, clear
voice, which could be heard by all; 'but death, though it has robbed us
of a brave comrade, shall not rob him of the honour due to his services.
In the name of the General commanding the forces in the East, I confer
on our dead comrade the _medaille militaire_!'

Then all ranks passed in turn, bare-headed, past the still figure of
Hetais, lying all unconscious of the honour done to him; and thus were
the last honours paid to a brave man.

[Illustration: "The commanding officer advanced towards the bier."]

[Illustration: "'How would you like to earn twenty pounds reward?'"]

TWENTY POUNDS REWARD.

It was the visit to Dan Webster which brought it all about; but for the
fact that the handle of Charlie's bicycle got badly bent, so that only
the village blacksmith could put it right, the most exciting incident
which ever befell the boys would probably never have taken place.

It happened thus.

'Dan,' said Charlie, as he and his brother Sydney were waiting while the
blacksmith finished a job he was at work on when they arrived, 'how
would you like to earn twenty pounds reward?'

'I should like it amazingly well, sir,' was the reply; 'a third of that
sum even would be a godsend to me.'

'How would you s