id Swayne. "While I
was lying here listening to the continued roar of all those great guns,
I couldn't keep from humming it as a sort of undernote."

"This gully has a queer effect," said St. Clair, who, lying on a blanket,
was dusting every minute particle of dried mud from his uniform.
"It seems to soften the sounds of all those guns--and they must be a
couple of hundred at least. It produces a kind of harmony."

"It's the old god Vulcan and a thousand assistants of his hammering away
on their anvils," said Harry, "and they hammer out a regular tune."

"Besides hammering out a tune," said St. Clair, "they're also hammering
out swords and bayonets to be used against us."

As he spoke he drew from his pocket a tiny round mirror, not more than
three inches in diameter, and carefully examined the collar of his coat.

"Have you found a speck, Arthur?" asked Langdon. "If I hadn't seen you
risk your life fifteen or twenty thousand times I'd say you're a dandy."

"I am a dandy," said St. Clair. "At least, I mean to be one, if I come
out of the war alive."

"What do you intend to wear?" asked Harry.

"Depends upon what I can afford. If I have the money, it's going to be
the best, the very best any market can afford."

"A dozen suits, I suppose."

"At least as many, with hats, shoes, overcoats, cloaks, shirts and all
the et ceteras to match. Why shouldn't I wear fine clothes if I want
'em? Do you demand that instead I spend it on fiery whisky to pour down
me, as so many public men and leading citizens do? The clothes at least
don't burn me out and finally burn me to death."

Langdon put up his hands in defense.

"I haven't jumped on you, Arthur," he said. "I admire you, though I
can't equal you. And as I'm not willing to be second even to you,
I'm going to our sea island, near the Carolina coast, when this war is
over, lie down under the shade of a live oak, have our big colored man,
Sam, to bring me luxurious food about once every three hours, and
between these three-hour periods I'll be fanned by Julius, another big
colored man of ours, and I won't make any exertion except to tell day by
day to admiring visitors how I whipped the Yankees every time I could
get near enough to see 'em, and how a lot more were scared to death just
because they heard me crashing through the brush."

"You'll do the bragging part, all right, Happy," said St. Clair.
"I believe you could keep up the sort of existence you descr