his face
white and set, Sergeant Overton leaped after his man, laying a hand
heavily on the private's shoulder.

"I halted you, my man!"

"Did you?" said Hinkey. "I didn't hear it."

With that, he slipped out from under Hal Overton's detaining grasp,
turned his back and once more started onward.

"Careful there, Hinkey!" called one of the soldiers warningly.

But the sullen soldier was now beyond any sense of caution.

As Hal again grabbed him, this time with both hands, and swinging him
about, Hinkey thrust his face menacingly close to Overton's.

"What do you want, Overton? Maybe I've got it."

"Attention!"

"I'm listening," growled Hinkey, his whole carriage slouching.

"Stand at attention!"

"Hinkey, you're wholly disrespectful and insubordinate!"

Out of the corner of his eye the soldier saw his late companions
silently drawing nearer.

"If I'm disrespectful, I'm disrespectful to nothing!" he retorted
derisively.

Then he added with more insulting directness:

"Or to less than nothing!"

"Hinkey, are you going to stand at attention and be silent until I'm
through with you?"

"No!"

Again he tried to free himself from the boyish sergeant's grasp, but
this time he found it harder than he had expected.

"Stand at attention, man!"

"I'll see you in Tophet first! And take your hands off of me, unless you
want to start trouble at once!"

"Hinkey, you are making a fearful mistake in forgetting yourself! I'll
give you this one chance to come to your senses."

"And if you don't take your hands off of me you'll lose your senses--if
you ever had any!"

Hal's answer was to tighten his grip until the other winced. Then
Private Hinkey delivered his answer. Suddenly wrenching himself free, by
the exercise of his full strength, he let his fist fly at Sergeant
Overton's face.

CHAPTER X

SERGEANT OVERTON AND DISCIPLINE

JUST how it all happened Private Hinkey was never afterwards able to
figure out to his own satisfaction.

Instead of his blow landing, the soldier found himself on his own back
on the grass--and he fell with a bump that jarred him.

"You chevroned cur! I'll make you eat that blow!" yelled Hinkey, beside
himself with rage.

Then he leaped to his feet, fairly quivering with the great passion that
had seized him.

"Slosson! Kelly! Take hold of Hinkey! He's under arrest," announced the
boyish sergeant.

Hinkey made a dive at Hal, but the two soldiers, hearing themselv