"Why, yes, the Bixton boys are with us," was the answer of the private to whom Jimmy addressed himself. "That is, they belong to our outfit, but they're not here now. They're going to join us before we go much further to the front, though. Why, do you lads know 'em?" "Not exactly," returned Jimmy. "We've seen 'em," he added, not specifying where. "But we knew a fellow back home--at Camp Sterling, to be exact--whose name was Bixton, and we wondered if he was any relation to these two here." "Oh, ho! so you knew Mike Bixton, did you?" exclaimed the signal corps private, who gave his name as Anson. "I didn't know his name was Mike," said Roger. "Guess we never heard his first name, did we, Jimmy?" "Not that I remember. So he's a relative of these Bixtons, is he?" "A cousin," volunteered Anson. "Course I don't want to get personal," he went on in a sort of free-and-easy Western style, "but what sort of chap was this Mike Bixton?" Jimmy and Roger hesitated. It was hardly ethics to talk about a fellow soldier, and yet Private Bixton was out of that class. He was a deserter, entitled to no consideration, and he was worse than a deserter--he was, in fact, a traitor. "Well, to be frank, and not to spread bad information, we didn't know very much good about Bixton of Camp Sterling," said Jimmy. "I thought so!" chuckled Anson. "I thought where there was so much smoke there must be a bit of fire." "What do you mean?" asked Roger. "Well, these Bixtons here," went on Anson, stepping aside to speak more confidentially to Roger and Jimmy, "are making quite a fuss over their cousin, Mike Bixton." "What sort of fuss?" asked Jimmy. "Oh, saying he didn't get fair treatment, that he was misunderstood, that everybody was down on him, and all that. I don't know all the particulars, but I judge Mike must have been punished in some way at Camp Sterling." "He was sent to prison as a deserter," said Jimmy. "Cracky! As bad as that! Well, well! I suspected there was an African gentleman in the fuel heap somewhere," chuckled Anson. "That accounts for a lot." "A lot of what?" asked Roger. "A lot of talk by these Bixtons. They claim their cousin was persecuted by a couple of lads in Camp Sterling. Say these two lads--whoever they were--did all sorts of mean things to Mike Bixton in the training camp. "And what's more," went on the old signal-corps soldier, "these Bixtons here say that if they ever find out who the two camp fellows were who helped send their relative away they'll do all sorts of things to 'em--treat 'em rough, and all that. I'd just like to see what they would do if they found out who the camp lads were. I'd just like to see. I'd give a lot to be there to see what happens when they meet those two fellows. They say it'll go hard with, 'em. I shouldn't like to be in their shoes. These Bixtons are tough lads and fighters! If they ever discover the two who were responsible for their cousin's predicament--whew! there'll be something doing."