“I tell you you did sell us out,” Heinze roared. “And you’re a coward besides, and I tell you so to your face!” He sprang at Aiken, and Aiken shrank back. It made me sick to see him do it. I had such a contempt for the men against him that I hated his not standing up to them. It was to hide the fact that he had stepped back, that I jumped in front of him and pretended to restrain him. I tried to make it look as though had I not interfered, he would have struck at Heinze. The German had swung around toward the men behind him, as though he were subpoenaing them as witnesses. “I call him a coward to his face!” he shouted. But when he turned again I was standing in front of Aiken, and he halted in surprise, glaring at me. I don’t know what made me do it, except that I had heard enough of their recriminations, and was sick with disappointment. I hated Heinze and all of them, and myself for being there. “Yes, you can call him a coward,” I said, as offensively as I could, “with fifty men behind you. How big a crowd do you want before you dare insult a man?” Then I turned on the others. “Aren’t you ashamed of yourselves,” I cried, “to all of you set on one man in your own camp? I don’t know anything about this row and I don’t want to know, but there’s fifty men here against one, and I’m on the side of that one. You’re a lot of cheap bullies,” I cried, “and this German drill-sergeant,” I shouted, pointing at Heinze, “who calls himself an officer, is the cheapest bully of the lot.” I jerked open the buckle which held my belt and revolver, and flung them on the ground. Then I slipped off my coat, and shoved it back of me to Aiken, for I wanted to keep him out of it. It was the luck of Royal Macklin himself that led me to take off my coat instead of drawing my revolver. At the Point I had been accustomed to settle things with my fists, and it had been only since I started from the coast that I had carried a gun. A year later, in the same situation, I would have reached for it. Had I done so that morning, as a dozen of them assured me later, they would have shot me before I could have got my hand on it. But, as it was, when I rolled up my sleeves the men began to laugh, and some shouted: “Give him room,” “Make a ring,” “Fair play, now,” “Make a ring.” The semi-circle spread out and lengthened until it formed a ring, with Heinze and Reeder, and Aiken holding my coat, and myself in the centre of it. I squared off in front of the German and tapped him lightly on the chest with the back of my hand. “Now, then,” I cried, taunting him, “I call _you_ a coward to _your_ face. What are you going to do about it?”