“I am not afraid of him; and, if he has been playing the sneak, I’ll give him a bit of my mind, I can tell you that.” “You must remember that he is an officer, and that his colonel is in control here. If you do anything rash, the young officer may have you put in the brig for it.” “Do you think they would dare to go as far as that?” questioned Nuggy, looking much disturbed. “They would dare do almost anything. On an expedition like this, private citizens are counted as being in the way, at the best.” “Then, of course, I’ll have to pull in my horns, Jerry. But it makes me mad to think he may have been imposing on me.” “If I were you, I’d try to find out something about him from the other soldiers; and, if he really is a relative to Jefferson Pennington, and is trying to pump you in order to get money out of your father, then I’d run a game up his back.” “How?” “I wouldn’t let him know what I had learned, and I’d continue to treat him as a friend; and at the same time I’d let drop that I was doing things on the square, and that the Penningtons had got all that was coming to them out of the Importing Company.” This advice seemed to strike Nuggy Polk’s fancy, and he said that he would follow it. For the rest of the day he avoided Gilbert, and spent the time in trying to find somebody who could give him something of the young lieutenant’s history. By chance he struck Carl Stummer, whom he had seen in conversation with Gilbert a number of times. Stummer had taken greatly to the young lieutenant ever since the pair had been thrown together, and knew a good deal of the young officer’s past. “Your first lieutenant seems to be a popular man,” said Nuggy Polk, by way of an opening. “Lieutenant Pennington vos von goot fellow,” answered Stummer. “Of all dere officers vos so goot, der army vould been a baradise, almost.” “I understand he is a Southerner, like myself.” “Dot vos so; but he vos in New York ven he got der var fever, und enlisted mit der Rough Riders for Cuba. You neffer enlisted, eh?” “No. I--er--couldn’t get away from business.” “Vot you vos do on der dransport, den? Maype you vos von newsbaber man?” “That’s a little in my line. Here, have a cigar.” Nuggy Polk passed over a weed. “I am interested in the lieutenant. Did you ever hear of what business he was in?” “I dink he vos a pook-keeper ven der var proke out.” “I used to know some Penningtons down South,” went on Nuggy Polk, boldly. “They were in an importing company at Richmond.” “Der lieutenant’s fadder vos vonce in an imborting company in Richmond. I heard him tell mine friend Captain Russell so von tay.” “Indeed!” Nuggy Polk paused a moment. “Well, it doesn’t matter particularly,” he went on; and then asked Carl Stummer about his life in the army, and spoke of what might be expected in China, thus trying to put the German soldier “off the track,” as he afterward told Nickerson.