y all got to their tents in safety, and how the
password happened to be known to all of them, we must leave it to the
officers in command at East Point to explain. Sam was dropped upon his
bunk without much consideration. The two cadets waited long enough to
make sure that he was breathing, and then they decamped.

"It's really a shame," said Smith to Saunders, who tented with
him, before he turned over to sleep; "it's really a shame to leave
that fellow there without a doctor, but we'd all get bounced if it
got out."

CHAPTER III

Love and Combat

[Illustration]

At reveille the next morning, as the roll was called in the company
street, Private Jinks did not answer to his name. They found him in his
tent delirious and in a high fever. His pillow was a puddle of water.
It was necessary to have him taken to the hospital, and before long he
was duly installed there in a small separate room. The captain of his
company instituted an inquiry into the causes of his illness and
reported that he had undoubtedly fainted away and thrown water over
himself to bring himself to. The surgeon in charge of the hospital
thereupon certified that this was the case, and in this way bygones
officially became bygones. It was late in the afternoon before Sam
recovered consciousness. A negro soldier, who had been detailed to
act as hospital orderly, was adjusting his bed-clothes, and Sam opened
his eyes.

"Gettin' better, Massa Jinks?" said the man, smiling his good will.

"Company Jinks, all present and accounted for," cried Sam, saluting as
if he were a first sergeant on parade.

"You're here in de hospital, Massa," said the man, who was known as
Mose; "you ain't on parade sure."

Sam looked round inquiringly.

"Is this the hospital?" he asked. "Why am I in the hospital?"

"You've been hurtin' yourself somehow," answered Mose with a low
chuckle. "There's lots of fourth-class men hurts themselves. But
you'll be all right in a week."

"In a week!" exclaimed Sam. "But I can't skip drills and everything for
a week!"

"Now, don't you worry, Massa Jinks. You're pretty lucky. We've had some
men here hurted themselves that had to go home for good, and some of
'em, two or three, never got well, and died. But bless you, you'll soon
be all right. Doctor said so."

Sam had to get what consolation he could from this. His memory began to
come back, and he recalled the beginning of the h