haven't even thanked him. Ah, well--_he_
knows. We've been--such good friends for years--dear old fellow!"

CHAPTER V.

There had been a morning of jubilee in the camp of the Fifth Separate
Brigade, and a row in the tents of the regulars. Up to within a fortnight
such a state of affairs would have been considered abnormal, for the
papers would have it that the former were on the verge of dissolution
through plague, pestilence and famine due to the neglect of officials
vaguely referred to as "the military authorities," or "the staff," while,
up to the coming of Canker to command, sweet accord had reigned in the
regular brigade, and the volunteers looked on with envy. But now a great
martial magnate had praised the stalwart citizen soldiery whom he had
passed in review early in the day, and set them to shouting by the
announcement that, as reward for their hard work and assiduous drill,
they should have their heart's desire and be shipped across the seas to
far Manila. It had all been settled beforehand at headquarters. The
"chief" had known for four days that that particular command would be
selected for the next expedition, but it tickled "the boys" to have it
put that way, and the home papers would make so much of it. So there was
singing and triumph and rejoicing all along the eastern verge of a rocky,
roughly paved cross street, and rank blasphemy across the way. To the
scandal and sorrow of the --teenth Infantry some of the recent robberies
had been traced to their very doors. A commissary-sergeant had
"weakened," a cartman had "squealed," and one of the most popular and
attractive young soldiers in the whole command was now a prisoner in the
guardhouse charged with criminal knowledge of the whole affair, and of
being a large recipient of the ill-gotten money--Morton of the adjutant's
office, a private in Company "K."

What made it worse was the allegation that several others, noncommissioned
officers and "special duty men," were mixed up in the matter, and Canker
had rasped the whole commissioned force present for duty, in his lecture
upon the subject, and had almost intimated that officers were conniving at
the concealment of the guilt of their sergeants rather than have it leak
out that the felony was committed in a company of their commanding.

He and Gordon had had what was described as a "red-hot" row, all because
Gordon flatly declared that while _something_ was queer about the case of
the young cl