“Call me a coward,” cried Jerry, in a rage. He went at Benny with his fists, expecting the drummer boy to retreat. But Benny had heard enough about Jerry and he determined to make a stand if it cost him his life. He dodged Jerry’s first rush and then planted a blow on the big boy’s neck which sent Jerry headlong to the grass. “Hurrah!” called out a soldier, who saw the row. “Benny Bruce is giving Jerry Rowe a long-deserved licking!” and the cry soon drew a crowd. Mad with rage and mortification, Jerry leaped up and made another rush, only to have the first dose repeated. Benny’s eyes burned like two live coals. “You’ve taunted me enough, Jerry Rowe,” he panted. “After this you leave me alone, understand?” “I’ll--I’ll kill you!” howled Jerry, again scrambling up. This time he managed to hit Benny on the cheek, but in return came a smashing blow on the nose, “a regular sockdolager,” so Harry Bingham said, and Jerry staggered back with his face covered with blood. Benny followed him up, when lo and behold, Jerry’s cowardly nature asserted itself and he actually ran away from the aggressive little drummer boy! What a shout went up! “Hurrah for Benny Bruce!” “He’ll be a man yet. Shake hands, Benny. Jerry Rowe won’t bother you again, I’ll bet you a shilling.” “Benny vos almost so much of a mans as Louis, py chiminatty!” said Hans Roddmann. “Mine poy, I vos broud of you. Der best dings Cherry can do is to desert und choin der enemy.” “They won’t have him,” said Louis. “Benny, I’m glad to see you able to stick up for yourself. I don’t believe in fist-fighting, but I guess Jerry Rowe deserved all he got.” “He’s been picking at me since we enlisted,” answered the drummer boy, who was still panting from his exertions. “All I ask of him is to leave me alone.” None of the officers had witnessed the encounter, which took place behind some bushes to the side of the camp, and the matter was hushed up. After that Jerry Rowe took good care to leave Benny Bruce alone. As soon as he could do so, Louis wrote a long letter to the folks at home and with this sent the document received from Theodore Faily. “There, I hope that makes everything right,” he said to himself, as he dropped the communication into the mail bag. He was very happy to think he had met Mr. Faily, but his happiness was cut short the next day when word was brought in that there had been a fire on the docks and some mail matter had been destroyed. “Oh, was our mail in the bunch destroyed?” he asked, of the under officer who brought the news. “I don’t know, but I am afraid so,” was the answer, which made Louis’s heart sink like a lump of lead in his bosom. On the following morning there was a slight commotion in camp. Some guerrillas had been captured, and Louis went to the spot to see them. To his surprise Caleb Fox and Sam Jacks were among the prisoners. Both were wounded, although not seriously. “What are they going to do with those prisoners?” asked Louis, of one of the guards.