"Why," continued Alexis, "I've fought more battles than you will ever hear of. I have killed twenty men."
"Twenty is a good many," said Hal softly.
"True! True!" shouted Alexis, "but I'll kill twenty more in the next battle, just to show you. You shall see what sort of a man Alexis Vergoff is!"
"I am afraid we shall see too soon," muttered Chester to himself.
"Why," went on Alexis, "it was only a month ago, before being ordered to the front, that I slew five men single-handed!"
"Great Scott!" muttered Hal. "I wish I had not started him. He'll never let up now."
"It was at my mother's home," continued Alexis. "I reached home unexpectedly. Five men had surrounded her and threatened to kill her unless she gave them money she kept in the house. One had drawn a knife just as I entered the room. No one saw me enter, and I was upon them before they knew it.
"I picked up the man with the knife as though he had been a child, and threw him bodily upon the other four. He had no time to strike at me with his knife or even drop it. The other four went down in a heap. The knife of the first man was buried in one of his companions, and so there were only three who could stagger to their feet. I picked up a lamp that stood on the table. This I hurled at another. It struck him squarely on the head, and rebounded against the head of another. Both men went down with cracked skulls. The fifth man turned to flee, but picking up a knife, I hurled it after him. It stuck in his back, and he ran half a mile before he fell down dead. The next man jumped for me----"
"Hold on!" said Hal, laughing. "You said there were only five, and you have already killed them."
"True!" muttered Alexis, though in no wise taken aback. "It was in another fight where I killed six men. I always get them mixed up. In that fight----"
"Save that for another time," said Hal, restraining his laughter with difficulty.
"Don't you want to hear it?" demanded Alexis in surprise. "I always like to hear a story of a good fight."
"I believe you would rather tell one," replied Hal.
"Do you think I made that up?" he asked in consternation. "Why, I can tell you of other fights I have had that----"
"I don't doubt it at all," said Hal. "I am willing to admit that you can draw the long bow to the Queen's taste."