magine how we clustered round the doctor thanking him
for his kindness, but he would not listen to our expressions of
gratitude. Laughing good-naturedly, he maintained that he had done
nothing beyond what he considered to be his duty, and as we shouldered
the ropes once more, he gave us a parting cheer.

That meal put new life into us, and we towed the load with such gusto
that we covered the second lap of the distance in fine style. When we
reached the camp and were dismissed, the incident about the doctor's
munificence flashed through to its four corners like lightning. It
became the one topic of spirited conversation. We had always voted the
doctor a jolly good fellow, but now he was the hero of the hour. When he
next came into the camp he received such a thundering and spontaneous
ovation as to startle him, until at last the reason for this outburst
dawned upon him. But he turned it off with his characteristic laugh and
joke.

The privations which I had been suffering now began to assert their ill
effects. I felt I was breaking up rapidly, and in this every one
concurred and grew anxious. The doctor took me in hand, placed me on a
"pass" and at last ordered me to lie down in the barrack. Two of my
companions, Ca----, a breezy Irishman who had been arrested while on his
honey-moon, and K----, undertook to look after me. As the night advanced
I rapidly grew worse, until eventually my illness assumed such a turn,
so I was informed afterwards, as to cause my two friends the greatest
alarm. Ca---- went out to the guard with a message addressed to Dr.
Ascher, explaining that Mahoney was very much worse and they feared his
condition was critical. By some means or other the message was got
through to the doctor, possibly by telephone.

It was a vile night. A terrific thunderstorm was raging, and the rain
was falling in torrents. After dispatching their message my two friends
resumed their vigil beside my bed, hoping against hope that Dr. Ascher
would call early the following morning.

About midnight the mad galloping of a horse was heard faintly above the
wail of the wind and the fusillade of the mad downpour upon our
hollow-sounding roof. The sounds drew nearer to stop outside our barrack
door. A hurried conversation was heard, and the next moment, to the
surprise of my two friends, the door opened to admit Dr. Ascher. The
rain was pouring off him in tiny rivulets and he cheerily confessed that
he was soaked to the ski