"No, sir," replied Sergeant Hupner. "Then I'll get out my automobile and take the young man up in the car, after washing the cut and putting on a first bandage." CHAPTER XIX A DISPUTE IN THE GUARD HOUSE Of the ride that followed back to camp Hal Overton knew nothing. Noll Terry sat beside him, supporting him. Of course the automobile reached camp a long time ahead of the detachment with prisoners. Captain Cortland caught sight of the car and came hastening to meet it. Noll Terry leaped out, saluting. "Sir, I have to report that Corporal Minturn assaulted Private Overton, and that we called in a physician, who has brought Overton out here." "How badly is Overton hurt?" demanded the captain, hastening to the side of the auto. "Badly," replied the physician. "Have you any facilities here for the care of a man who may have brain fever if he lives for the next forty-eight hours?" "We have a hospital steward and four hospital corps men," replied Captain Cortland. "And bandages and medicines?" "An abundance of them." "Then your soldier lad may have some show. He'll no doubt be better off here than among strangers in town. When do you start back to your post, Captain?" "In the morning of the day after to-morrow," Cortland answered. "One moment, please. Sergeant Gray!" The first sergeant hurried up, saluting. "Sergeant, send the hospital steward here. Then see that a hospital tent is taken from one of the supply wagons and set up at once and make the patient as comfortable as possible." Within ten minutes the tent was up, with a cot, a table, two chairs, bandages, medicine chest and other accessories. Now, with the help of the steward, the physician gave the injured soldier boy a very thorough examination, washed the gash carefully and bandaged it. Directions were left with the steward, who was a trained nurse, and then the physician returned to town, after having been requested to call again on the following day. Hal Overton knew little, and that little in a dreamy, disorganized way, even when his cot was carefully placed and secured in one of the transport wagons for the return to Fort Clowdry. The roughness of the first part of the ride brought on mild delirium. Two days later, however, after being placed on a cot in the military hospital at Fort Clowdry, Soldier Hal opened his eyes with a keener realization of the world about him. "How do you feel, Overton?" asked one of the hospital corps men, bending over him. "Like a fool," sighed Hal. "Why?" "A youngster like me has no business wasting time in hospital. Can I get out to-day?" "I'm afraid not," smiled the hospital corps man. "I'm not badly hurt, am I?" "If the rainmaker knows his business, you've had a fight for your life, and youth and a good constitution have won out." "How long am I to be here?" "You'll be here for three or four days yet," answered the hospital corps man. "But----"