Fix Bay'nets Part 35

"I--I--I!" roared the Major. "How dare you deny it, sir! He did, Doctor. The fellow's stark staring mad, and ought to be in a strait-waistcoat. He isn't safe. He might have blinded me. I came in here quite out of sympathy, to sit with him a little while, and this is the treatment I received. Suppose I had lost my sight."

"Look here, Major," said the Doctor, turning to him, after stepping to the bed and laying his hand upon Bracy's forehead; "the poor fellow is as weak as a babe, and could no more have done what you say than flown out of the window and across the valley. You are exaggerating, and--Oh, my gracious!"

The Major had just time to hop aside and avoid the Doctor's head, for all at once a tremendous kick was delivered from the bed, and the receiver was propelled as if from a catapult across the room, to bring himself up against the wall. Here he turned sharply, to see Bracy lying perfectly still upon the bed, staring at him wildly, and the Major holding his sides, his always prominent eyes threatening to start from his head, while his cheeks became purple as he choked with laughter and stamped about, trying hard to catch his breath.

"Ho, ho, ho! Ho, ho, ho!" he laughed hoa.r.s.ely. "Oh Doctor! you'll be the death of me. This is too rich--this is too rich--this is too rich!"

"Too rich? Be the death of you? I wish it would," panted the Doctor, turning to the bed to shake his fist at Bracy, but keeping well out of reach of his leg, "You treacherous young scoundrel! How dare you play me such a trick as this?"

Bracy's lips moved, but no sound was heard, and his eyes looked wildly pathetic in their expression.

"I didn't give you credit for such monkey-tricks; but I've done with you now. You've been imposing upon me--you're shamming--malingering, so as to keep out of going on duty again. You might have injured me for life."

"Don't bully the poor fellow, Doctor," cried the Major, wiping his eyes, and picking up one piece of his gla.s.s which he had dropped. "I don't think he's shamming, he's off his head. Look how his eyes roll. Poor lad! Give him a dose of something to quiet him, for he's as mad as a March hare."

"Mad as a March hare!" snarled the Doctor, rubbing himself. "I told you it's all a trick."

"I--I--I--d-d-don't care what it is," stammered the Major; "but I wouldn't have missed it for a hundred eyegla.s.ses. Ho, ho, ho! Ho, ho, ho! I can't stop myself. I never laughed so much in my life.--Ha!" he added as he sank into a chair and wiped his eyes; "I feel better now."

"Better!" cried the Doctor. "You may as well let me give you something, or you'll be disgracing yourself before the men."

That was enough. The Major sprang to his feet, to look threateningly at the Doctor.

"Disgrace myself, sir?" he cried furiously.

"Bah!" cried the Doctor, and he bounced out of the room, and, forgetting his patients in the ward near, banged the door.

"There, you've done it now, Bracy!" cried the Major, calming down, and going up to the bedside. "No more of those games, sir, or I shall hit out too. What's the matter with you? Are you shamming, or are you off your head?"

"Beg pardon, sir," said Gedge, entering the room; "the Doctor's sent me to keep watch by Mr Bracy, sir; and he has given me orders that no one is to be near him till he has decided what is to be done."

"What! Order me to go?" said the Major fiercely. "You go back to Doctor Morton, and tell him never to dare to send me such a message as that again."

"Yes, sir," said Gedge, saluting.

"No; stop. This is his own ground," said the Major. "Here, go on with your duty, my lad, and keep a sharp eye on Mr Bracy. He is... or--er-- not quite so well to-day. You needn't tell the Doctor what I said."

"No, sir; cert'n'y not, sir," replied Gedge, and he held the door open, standing like a sentry till the Major had pa.s.sed out, closed it, and I hen stood looking down at Bracy, who lay gazing at him despairingly for some moments before raising his hand cautiously and doubtingly towards his lips.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

LOW SPIRITS.

"Drink o' water, sir? Yus, sir--there you are."

Gedge gently raised Bracy's head and, all the time on the watch, hit him drink with avidity: but lowered his burden quickly the next instant, for with a sudden jerk the remainder of the water in the bra.s.s cup presented was jerked over his face, and the lotah went flying with a bell-like ring.

"I was on the lookout for that, sir," said Gedge good-humouredly, "but you was too quick for me. I say, sir, don't you say you ain't getting better no more."

"Better, Gedge?" said Bracy pitifully. "I am horribly worse."

"Not you, sir, when you can play games like that."

"Oh, my lad--my lad, I could not help it!" Gedge grinned as he looked at him, and shook his head.

"You don't believe me," said Bracy sadly. "Well, you see, sir, I can't very well after that. I couldn't quite take it in when the Doctor told me what you'd done to him, and how you'd served the Major."

"What did he say?" asked Bracy eagerly.

"Said you'd broke out, sir, and was playing all kinds o' games; and that you had been cheating him and everybody else."

"Anything else?"

"Yus, sir; that it was a reg'lar case o' malingering, on'y I don't think he quite meant it. He was cross because he said you kicked him. Did you, sir?"

"Yes--no--my leg jerked out at him, suddenly, Gedge."

"Same thing, sir. Said you'd knocked the Major's eyegla.s.s off and broke it. Did you do that, sir?"

"My arm jerked out and came in contact with his gla.s.s, Gedge."

"Same thing, sir, on'y we call it hitting out."

Bracy made a weary gesture with his head, and then, in despairing tones, asked for more water.

"All right, sir; but no larks this time."

"What?"

"Don't get chucking it in my face, sir, unless it does you a lot o'

good. If it do I won't mind, for I should like to see you full o' fun again."

"Fun!" groaned Bracy. "Give me the water. It is no fun, but a horror that is upon me, my lad."

"Sorry to hear that, sir," said Gedge, filling the bra.s.s cup again from a tall metal bottle. "Still, it do seem rather comic. What makes you do it, sir?"

"I can't help it, my lad," groaned Bracy, who once more drank thirstily and emptied the cup; Gedge, who had been watching him sharply, ready to dodge the water if it were thrown, managing to get it away this time without receiving a drop.

"Now you'll be better, sir."

"Thank you, my lad. I wish I could think so."

"Well, do think so, sir. You ought to, for you must be an awful deal stronger."

"No, no; I am weaker than ever."