hought was in the mind of each: "He talks too boastfully to be much of
a fighter."

Alexis noticed the interchange of glances, and the quizzical smiles. He
realized their meaning in an instant.

"You think I won't fight, eh?" he said loudly. "Alexis Vergoff not
fight? Ho! Ho!"

He threw back his head and laughed loudly. The boys were not impressed.

"Worse and more of it," thought Hal to himself.

Chester was of the same opinion, but he did not say so aloud.

"Why," continued Alexis, "I've fought more battles than you will ever
hear of. I have killed twenty men."

"Twenty is a good many," said Hal softly.

"True! True!" shouted Alexis, "but I'll kill twenty more in the next
battle, just to show you. You shall see what sort of a man Alexis
Vergoff is!"

"I am afraid we shall see too soon," muttered Chester to himself.

"Why," went on Alexis, "it was only a month ago, before being ordered to
the front, that I slew five men single-handed!"

"Great Scott!" muttered Hal. "I wish I had not started him. He'll never
let up now."

"It was at my mother's home," continued Alexis. "I reached home
unexpectedly. Five men had surrounded her and threatened to kill her
unless she gave them money she kept in the house. One had drawn a knife
just as I entered the room. No one saw me enter, and I was upon them
before they knew it.

"I picked up the man with the knife as though he had been a child, and
threw him bodily upon the other four. He had no time to strike at me
with his knife or even drop it. The other four went down in a heap. The
knife of the first man was buried in one of his companions, and so there
were only three who could stagger to their feet. I picked up a lamp that
stood on the table. This I hurled at another. It struck him squarely on
the head, and rebounded against the head of another. Both men went down
with cracked skulls. The fifth man turned to flee, but picking up a
knife, I hurled it after him. It stuck in his back, and he ran half a
mile before he fell down dead. The next man jumped for me----"

"Hold on!" said Hal, laughing. "You said there were only five, and you
have already killed them."

"True!" muttered Alexis, though in no wise taken aback. "It was in
another fight where I killed six men. I always get them mixed up. In
that fight----"

"Save that for another time," said Hal, restraining his laughter with
difficulty.

"Don't you want to hear it?" demanded Alexis in surprise. "I always