fighting these wretches is pretty expensive in the matter
of soldiers' lives."

CHAPTER XVII

"LONG" GREEN AND KELLY HAVE INNINGS

"Ugh! That's a beastly trick. No white man would ever do a thing like
that!"

The speaker was Private William Green, also known as "Long" Green, from
his former habit of carrying large sums of ready cash about him.

Our readers will remember William. He was a good soldier, but above all
he was a good Army business man, for he saved his money and added to it.
To William Green the men of B Company always went when they were "short"
and craved spending money. To any man in B Company "Long" Green would
lend five dollars, but he always exacted six in return on pay day.

"What's wrong with your nerves, Green?" inquired Sergeant Hal, stepping
out on to the porch of the barracks.

"Slosson has been telling me about kantab," replied Green, with a
grimace and a shudder.

"Never heard of him," replied Hal.

"It isn't a 'him' at all, Sarge," rejoined Green. "Kantab is the name of
a poison that the Moros extract from one of their plants up in the
hills."

"Well, cheer up," urged Sergeant Overton, seating himself and opening a
book. "There are no poisons issued in the rations."

"But Slosson was telling me about two soldiers who got kantab in their
rations a few years ago," insisted Green.

"Was the quartermaster court-martialed?" asked Sergeant Overton. "Or was
it the fault of the company cook?"

"Nothing like it," replied Green. "Two soldiers were on outpost one
morning, and they had just prepared their breakfast. Just then they
thought they heard a sound in the bushes, so they caught up their rifles
and went out to investigate. They found nothing, so they came back to
their breakfasts. They thought their coffee tasted rather bitter, but
they drank it just the same. Ten minutes later both men were dying in
agony. That noise had been a ruse to draw them off, while some native
slipped in and put the kantab in their coffee. Ugh! That's a cowardly
way to fight. If I find anything bitter about my food, even here in
barracks, I'm going to toss the grub out. No kantab for mine," wound up
"Long" Green earnestly.

"Did that really happen, Slosson?" asked Sergeant Hal, glancing up from
his book.

"Sure," responded Private Slosson nonchalantly.

"I've heard about the stuff, too," nodded Private Kelly. "Only yesterday
I heard one native talking about it to another."

"I'm going to wa