"Oh, nothing," said Chester, smiling.
"If you mean to insinuate that I was afraid—" began Stubbs in an injured tone.
"What!" interrupted Chester. "You afraid, Mr. Stubbs? You do me an injustice, I assure you. Why, I have seen you fight, Mr. Stubbs. Now, do you, by any chance, remember your battle with three wildcats?"
"I do," said Stubbs, considerably pleased. He turned to Nikol. "Did I ever tell you about that fight?" he asked.
Nikol shook his head and eyed the little war correspondent with interest.
"Well, I did," continued Stubbs. "It was in Belgium. Three of the beasts attacked me in the dark and gave me a terrific struggle. But I killed them all, as these two boys can tell you."
Nikol was all smiles. He was glad that the man who had conquered him was such a royal gladiator.
"And you were not hurt?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing to speak of," said Stubbs, modestly. "A few scratches.
Nothing serious."
"They are bad beasts to fool with," said Nikol. "My brother had both eyes scratched out in an encounter with a single wildcat. And you killed three."