Captain Jinks, Hero | Page 8

and bubbles
gurgled about his neck and shoulders.
"Grab his legs!" shouted Clark.
Two cadets obeyed the order, and Clark took out his watch to time the
ordeal. The instants that passed seemed like an age.
"Isn't time up?" whispered Saunders.
"Shut up, you fool, haven't I got my watch open?" replied Clark. "But,
good heavens!" he added, "take him out--I believe my watch has
stopped." And he shook it and put it to his ear.

Sam was hauled out and laid on the grass, but he was entirely
unconscious. His tormentors were thoroughly scared. Fortunately they
had all gone through a course of "first aid to the injured," and they
immediately took the proper precautions, holding him up by the feet
until the water ran out of his mouth and nose, and then rolling him on
the tub and manipulating his arms. At last some faint indications of
breathing set in, and they concluded to carry him down to his tent.
Using two boards as a stretcher, six of them acted as bearers, and the
procession moved toward the camp. Cleary would have been forgotten,
had he not asked them to untie him, which they did, and he followed
behind, walking most stiffly. As they neared the camp the party
separated. Two of the strongest took Sam, whose mind was wandering,
to his tent, and Clark made Cleary come and spend the night with him,
lest anxiety at Sam's condition might impel him to report the matter to
the authorities. How they all got to their tents in safety, and how the
password happened to be known to all of them, we must leave it to the
officers in command at East Point to explain. Sam was dropped upon
his bunk without much consideration. The two cadets waited long
enough to make sure that he was breathing, and then they decamped.
"It's really a shame," said Smith to Saunders, who tented with him,
before he turned over to sleep; "it's really a shame to leave that fellow
there without a doctor, but we'd all get bounced if it got out."
CHAPTER III
Love and Combat
[Illustration]
At reveille the next morning, as the roll was called in the company
street, Private Jinks did not answer to his name. They found him in his
tent delirious and in a high fever. His pillow was a puddle of water. It
was necessary to have him taken to the hospital, and before long he was
duly installed there in a small separate room. The captain of his
company instituted an inquiry into the causes of his illness and reported
that he had undoubtedly fainted away and thrown water over himself to

bring himself to. The surgeon in charge of the hospital thereupon
certified that this was the case, and in this way bygones officially
became bygones. It was late in the afternoon before Sam recovered
consciousness. A negro soldier, who had been detailed to act as
hospital orderly, was adjusting his bed-clothes, and Sam opened his
eyes.
"Gettin' better, Massa Jinks?" said the man, smiling his good will.
"Company Jinks, all present and accounted for," cried Sam, saluting as
if he were a first sergeant on parade.
"You're here in de hospital, Massa," said the man, who was known as
Mose; "you ain't on parade sure."
Sam looked round inquiringly.
"Is this the hospital?" he asked. "Why am I in the hospital?"
"You've been hurtin' yourself somehow," answered Mose with a low
chuckle. "There's lots of fourth-class men hurts themselves. But you'll
be all right in a week."
"In a week!" exclaimed Sam. "But I can't skip drills and everything for
a week!"
"Now, don't you worry, Massa Jinks. You're pretty lucky. We've had
some men here hurted themselves that had to go home for good, and
some of 'em, two or three, never got well, and died. But bless you,
you'll soon be all right. Doctor said so."
Sam had to get what consolation he could from this. His memory began
to come back, and he recalled the beginning of the hazing.
"Is Cadet Cleary in the hospital?" he asked.
"No, sah."
"Won't you try to get word to him to come and see me here, if he can?"

"Yes, Massa, I'll try. But they won't always let 'em come. Maybe they'll
let him Sunday afternoon."
Sure enough, Cleary succeeded in getting permission to pay Sam a call
on Sunday.
"Well, old man, I've got to thank you for letting me out of a lot of
trouble," he cried as he clasped Sam's hand and sat down by the
bedside.
"Did they duck you, too?" asked Sam. "You must be stronger than I am.
It's a shame I couldn't stand it."
"No. When they'd nearly killed you they let me off. Don't you be