ssage to his brain, and he whispered to his companion in an
awe-stricken voice:

"It's that wounded man. He has lain down to die."

The old soldier uttered a low grunt, and sheltered his eyes again.

"Looks like it," he said, "but we had best make sure. Tell your men to
level their spears and advance at a run. Dead men are dangerous
sometimes."

Recalling the lesson he had just received, Marcus lowered his spear and
uttered the one word:

"Advance!"

They broke into a sharp trot, straight for the horrible-looking,
stiffened figure which lay crouched together in an unnatural attitude
just behind a bush; but, before they were half way, there was a quick
movement, a sharp rustling of leaves, and the dead man had sprung up and
was running as swiftly as a deer.

Marcus stared in astonishment, looking so surprised that Serge lowered
the butt of his spear and rested upon its shaft in his familiar home
attitude when the staff he carried was terminated by a crook instead of
a keenly-pointed blade.

"There, you see, my lad. That's the sort of dead man you have got to
beware of after a fight. They are a very dangerous sort; like that
fellow, they are crippled a bit, but they won't stop to be buried. They
don't like the idea. What they do is to play sham till their enemy has
marched by 'em, thinking they are real, and then when some poor fellow
is looking forward, one of them dead barbarians lets him have it in the
back. There, we will go and sit up on the top there, and I'll lean up
against your back, and you shall lean up against mine while we eat our
breakfast and are busy with our teeth, and leave our four eyes to play
watchful sentry till we've done."

Marcus felt quite willing now that the excitement caused by the flying
foe was at an end, and, soon after, Serge's little store was drawn upon,
and, quite happy and contented, the two old companions made what Marcus
thought was the most appetising breakfast he had ever had in his life.

"Hah!" cried Serge, as they rose at last. "Now let's go down to the
stream for a drink. Always camp, my lad, beside a river or a lake; and
if you can't--" He stopped short.

"Well, if you can't?" said Marcus.

"Why, then you must go thirsty, same as you must go hungry too
sometimes. Didn't I always teach you that a soldier's first duty was to
learn how to fast?"

"Oh, yes, I remember," said Marcus, as he lay down to drink, while his
companion watched, and then drank in