art
of the fight the advantage lay all with the soldier, and Edgar was
terribly knocked about, so much so that the general opinion was that he
had better give in and say that he had had enough; but Edgar laughed at
the suggestion.

"We have only begun yet," he said to the man who was acting as his
second; "last tells in the long run. I have seen that before now, and I
have double the last he has."

This was the fact. Edgar had been constantly at hard work since he
joined the regiment, while North had had a comparatively easy time of it
since he became a corporal. He had, too, spent no small portion of his
pay in drink, and although he was seldom absolutely drunk, had had more
than one narrow escape of his condition being observed on his return to
barracks in the evening. As the fight went on, then, want of condition
told upon him. Edgar, who had at one time seemed weak, gradually
recovered his strength, while North became exhausted by the exertions he
had made in the early part of the fight.

Edgar now took the offensive, and at the end of an hour and a quarter's
fighting North was no longer able to come up to time, and a loud shout
from the lookers-on proclaimed that Edgar was the victor. He went across
to North and held out his hand.

"Let us shake hands, North," he said; "it has been a good tough fight. I
owe you no malice now, and if you get your stripes again, as I daresay
you will, I hope it will be a lesson to you not to drop unfairly upon
anyone you may take a dislike to."

North took the hand held out to him.

"You have licked me fairly, Smith," he said. "I did not think you had
it in you; but I don't think you would have thrashed me if I had been in
as good a condition as you are."

"Very likely not," Edgar laughed. "Well, next time we fight I hope it
will be against the Arabs, and not against each other."

This fight greatly added to Edgar's reputation in the regiment. North
was not a popular character and had always been considered a bully, and
the pluck with which Edgar had continued the fight was thoroughly
appreciated. Neither of the combatants were able to take their place in
the ranks for some days after the fight, being obliged to obtain an
order from the surgeon dispensing them from appearing on parade, though
they still did stable duty and inner guards. Through the surgeon the
matter came to the ears of the officers, who, by quiet inquiry from the
sergeants, learnt the particulars of the fi