"Captain Russell!" ejaculated the soldier addressed. "We were thinking you were dead."
"Mine cracious, it vos der cabtain, sure enough!" burst out a voice in German accents, and Carl Stummer, a volunteer who had served with Ben ever since the campaign in Cuba, rushed forward. "Dis vos der best news yet, py chiminy!"
"Captain Russell, sure enough, the saints be praised!" put in an Irish voice, and Dan Casey, another of the old volunteers, pressed to Ben's side. "Sure, captain, an' me an' Carl was afther gittin' ready to hold a wake fer ye,—only we couldn't foind the corpse!" And his honest face beamed broadly.
"Well, I'm a pretty lively corpse!" replied Ben. "But where are you bound?"
"Bound to clear out the rebels," answered Lester, who was in charge of the detachment.
"Und've vos pount to look for you und Lieutenant Gilmore," put in Stummer. "Didn't der lieutenant been mit you?"
"He was with me, but he got hurt, and the Filipinos separated us. As soon as the locality is cleared, we must send out a detachment to hunt for him. Where is the rest of the company?"
