Velo, still pale, smiled a wry, twisted smile.
“I’m sorry,” he lied. “I don’t see how it happened. It must be out of order.”
“Give it to me!” said Zaidos, “and take the front of this stretcher. I’ve got to look out for accidents, it seems. I never saw anything so careless in my life. You have just got to be careful, Velo! I won’t stand for it! This isn’t the first time I’ve nearly come to harm through your carelessness, if you want to call it that. I tell you I won’t stand for it! Mind, I don’t make any accusations; and I don’t claim you are to blame for a lot of things that have happened to me lately, but if things don’t stop, why, you are going to be sorry! There won’t be any revolvers going off, and your bed won’t go down, and your medicine won’t get exchanged for poison, like it sometimes happens. I shall just take you out back of the next wire entanglement, and I will give you a good beating up, Velo. I remember I used to have to do it when we were about four years old. It used to do you a lot of good, and I suppose all these years since you have had no one to keep you where you belonged. I won’t do this, you understand, unless you get careless with guns and things again. You hear, Velo?”
Velo made no reply.
The two boys carefully bearing the stretcher tramped along in silence.
“You hear, Velo?” said Zaidos again. “Honestly, the more I think of it, the madder I get!”
“You stop your nonsense!” said Velo suddenly over his shoulder. His voice took on a whine. “What makes you act so, Zaidos? I’m your cousin, and I should think you would be ashamed of the things you say to me, just as if I haven’t stuck right beside you every minute, and as if I had not done everything in the world that I possibly could do to help you. You don’t treat me well, Zaidos!”
“I do, too,” said Zaidos, stung by this injustice. “I should think I did; but how do you treat me?”
They reached the entrance to the First Aid Station and gave their unconscious burden into the hands waiting to receive him. The doctor scanned the wound.
“Well, boys,” he said, “you have saved this man all right.” He turned the bright light on the still, white face. “My heavens!” he exclaimed.