r your nerve, Sergeant Overton. If you won't
take a young officer's word for it," answered Mr. Prescott, "then ask
any of the old, buck doughboys in this outfit."

"It's a job an old hunter'd brag about," glowed one of the soldiers.

Forgetting, for the time, their hunger, the men wandered from one
carcass to another, examining them to see where the hits had been made.

"If you men are not going to get together soon, to pick up these
animals, I'll have to tote 'em all myself," Prescott reminded them.
"Terry, will you swing on under this bear with me?"

The two managed to raise it.

"Here, Lieutenant, that's not for you to do," remonstrated Sergeant
Overton. "Let me take hold of your end."

"I'm not a weakling, thank you," retorted Mr. Prescott. "I'll do my
share, and I recommend you to proclaim that any man who doesn't do his
share doesn't eat to-night. But as for you, Sergeant Overton, I shall
have a bad opinion of this outfit if they let you carry anything more
than your rifle back to camp this night."

And that motion was carried unanimously. Sergeant Hal was forced to go
ahead as guide, while the others, the lieutenant included, buckled
manfully to their burdens.

Not infrequently they had to halt and rest, for the carcasses were
fearfully heavy, even for men as toughened as regulars.

Yet, finally, they did manage to get Hal's prizes back to camp.

"Another day or two like this, and we needn't be ashamed to face the men
back at Clowdry," observed Lieutenant Prescott complacently. "Six bears
and a buck antelope in one day is no fool work, even if one man did do
it all."

"But you killed the bear this morning, sir," urged Sergeant Hal.

"Yes, Sergeant; after you had fired the first shot and had crippled the
beast so that it couldn't get away from me."

Not even to gloat over the big haul of game, however, could the men wait
any longer for their long-deferred evening meal.

There was a general washup, after which the entire party went to table.

Lieutenant Prescott permitted one concession to his rank. He sat at
table with the enlisted men, but he had one end of the board all to
himself.

Two ruddy campfires now shed their glow over the table. It was a rough
scene, but one full of the sheer joy of outdoor, manly life.

"I hope, Kelly, that the long wait hasn't encouraged to-night's bear
meat to dry up in the pans," remarked the lieutenant pleasantly.

"No fear o' that, sir," replied the soldier co