The only answer, and that a brutal one, was another buffet upon the boy’s head. In a moment Smith had sprung from his bed, and with a well-planted blow had felled the Corporal to the ground. The brute rose, and muttering, “I’ll make you pay for this,” shambled out of the room. The boy’s gratitude knew no bounds, and the other men, crowding about Smith, congratulated him on the discomfiture of the bully. Next day--for rage, like love, makes men blind--Tozer had the almost incredible folly to report Private Smith for striking him. An investigation followed, and it being conclusively proved that Smith had struck the blow in defence of a lad who had refused to do an illegal act, he was at once acquitted, and the stripes being cut from Tozer’s arm, the bully was reduced to the ranks. In a few days Smith was himself made Corporal. After this, the young fellow grew daily in the affection of his comrades. Never shirking his own duty, he was always ready to take upon himself that of another. He sang well, too, and in the barrack-room was the prince of story-tellers. Sometimes he even aspired to verse, and his ballads, set to music by the bandmaster of the regiment, were sung by himself and comrades upon the line of march. On the first occasion that Corporal Smith came under fire, he had a narrow escape of his life. A detachment of his regiment had received orders to eject a strong party of Afghans from an almost inaccessible position which they held on high ground to the right of the pass by which they were proceeding to Candahar. As Smith was advancing, a mounted Afghan fired at him point blank, and the shot striking him in the region of the heart, he fell off his horse to the ground. The man was rushing forward, thinking he was dead, when, no doubt, much to his amazement, Smith rose to his feet and shot him dead with his revolver. The ball had struck the brass cross upon the little Prayer Book--which, as his sister’s last gift, Smith always carried inside his uniform, upon his breast--and, glancing off, gave him a slight flesh wound in the left arm, while the shock of the concussion brought him to the ground. A similar escape is said to have occurred at the battle of the Alma. It was upon the afternoon of August 31st that Corporal Smith won for himself the proud distinction of the Victoria Cross. He had taken part in the reconnaisance of the position of the enemy which was made by the entire Brigade of Cavalry, and the object of the movement having been effected, he was retiring with the rest of his own troop, when a young officer was struck by a ball, and was left upon the earth for dead. Smith, observing this, galloped alone out of the English ranks, reached the place where the fallen officer was lying, and, finding he was still alive, put him upon his own horse, and was leading him back to the English ranks, when two mounted Afghans swooped down upon him. As the first of these neared him, Smith shot him dead, and with