His cot at the hospital was daily visited by numbers of admiring comrades, to whom he repeated his glowing account of the fight, with marked improvements in manner and detail accompanying every repetition.
He had no desire to leave the hospital during his term of service, but his hurts were all superficial and healed rapidly, so that in a fortnight's time the Surgeon pronounced him fit to return to duty.
He cursed inwardly tha officer's zeal in keeping the ranks as full as possible, and went back to his company to find it preparing to go into another fight.
"Hello, Jake," said his comrades, "awful glad to see you back.

Now you'll have a chance to get your revenge on those fellows.

There'll be enough of us with you to see that you get a fair fight." "To the devil with their revenge and a fair fight," said Jake to himself.

That evening he strolled around to the headquarters tent, and said to the commander of the regiment: "Colonel, the doctor seems to think that I'm fit to return to duty, but I don't feel all right yet.

I've a numbness in my legs, so that I kin hardly walk sometims.