iance.

Captain Albutt allowed Prescott's head and shoulders to sink easily
to the tan-bark.

"Are you badly hurt, Mr. Prescott?" inquired the officer.

"The small of my back is paining me just a little sir, from the
wrench," replied Prescott coolly. "If it hadn't been for you,
sir, my neck would have been broken."

"I think it would," replied the cavalry officer, smiling. "But
this is one of the things I am here for. Do you feel as if you
could rise, Mr. Prescott, with my help?"

"I'd like to try, sir."

Dick did try, but watchful Captain Albutt soon let him down again.

"You may not be much hurt, Mr. Prescott, but I want one of the
medical officers to take the responsibility for saying so. Just
lie where you are until we get a medical officer here. Mr. Haynes,
pass your lines to the man at your left and run to the telephone.
Ask for a medical officer and two hospital corps men with a stretcher."

The turnback leaped quickly to obey. This gave him the coveted
chance to get away by himself, where he could secretly remove
from his boot the little black pin that had been responsible for
this excitement.

Surgeon and hospital men came on the run. The surgeon declined
to make an examination there, but directed his men to lift the
injured cadet to the stretcher and take him to the hospital.

In the meantime some enlisted men had caught and quieted Satan,
leading him from the tanbark.

"That brute never will be used again, if I have my way," muttered
Captain Albutt, loudly enough to be heard by most of the cadets of
the squad.

Then the drill proceeded as though nothing had happened.

"I fixed my man that time, and easily enough," growled Haynes to
himself. "He's out of the service, from now on. He can nurse
a weak back the rest of his days."

When the drill was dismissed a party of three ladies, who had
seen the whole scene from one of the iron balconies, came down
to meet the cavalry officer.

"Your conduct was just splendid, captain, cried one of the women,
her face glowing. But I feared you would be killed, or at least
badly hurt, when you put yourself in the way of that somersaulting
cadet. Why did you take such chances?"

"In the first place," replied the cavalry officer quietly, "because
it was simple duty. There was another reason. If I am hurt,
in the line of duty, I have my retired pay, as an officer, to
live on. But a cadet who is hurt so badly that he cannot remain
in the servi