“Yus; but it aren’t very comf’table yet, sir. He says I shall soon be better, though.”
“Yes, Gedge, you must regularly lie up till the pain has gone.”
“I mean to, sir, all the time that I can get from tending Mr Bracy here. I must tend him.”
“You can stay with him; but someone else ought to be sent in.”
“No, sir, please; I can manage. It wouldn’t be fair, sir, for some un else to come in now the gov’nor’s getting better. Doctor says I’ve saved his life so fur, and I wants to go on and save his life so further. See?”
“Yes, of course,” said Roberts, smiling. “It would not be fair for you to be robbed of the credit of what you have done.”
“Thank ye, sir. That does a chap good, sir. But I beg your pardon, Captain: you see, I’m noo to sojering and fighting. I thought we’d had it tidy ’ot in the coming up along o’ the stone-throwing. Then it was a bit warm when Mr Bracy was shot down and I got my bullet. But that was all like playing skretch-cradle to our set-to last night in the dark. Shall we have it much worse by-and-by?”
“Worse? No,” cried the Captain sharply. “Nothing could be worse than last night’s work.”
“Oh, come, I’m glad o’ that, sir; for arterward, when I begun to cool down, it seemed to me that if it could be much worse I should begin to think as sojering might get to be a little bit too strong.”
It was just then that Doctor Morton came in, and for the moment he frowned; but the angry look passed off after a glance at Bracy.