“Look at him rave, will you?” said Hal, with a laugh.

“Ha!  Ha!” laughed Ivan.

“He should think himself lucky that we allowed him to go back,” declared Chester.

The friends were less than fifty feet from the Bulgarian now, but they ventured no closer for fear they might inadvertently cross the line.  They stood in this order:  Hal, Chester, Nikol, Stubbs, Ivan and Colonel Anderson.

“Poor little fellow,” said Stubbs at this juncture.  “Poor little fellow.  He looks so awfully mad!”

The Bulgarian officer, who had been growing angrier with each taunt from across the Greek line, now became suddenly infuriated.  Forgetting all prudence, forgetting all laws of neutrality, forgetting everything except the smiling face of Anthony Stubbs, American war correspondent, he suddenly drew his revolver and fired pointblank at the little man.

Stubbs’ face blanched at the movement and the others were too surprised to move—­all except one; and this one, quick as a flash, leaped forward with the agility of a cat and thrust his body protectingly before Anthony Stubbs.

When the smoke of the revolver had cleared away Stubbs stood erect, unharmed—­but at his feet lay the twitching body of Nikol, the dwarf.

There was a sudden hush, prolonged for several minutes; then Stubbs dropped to his knee with an inarticulate cry and threw his arms around the neck of Nikol.

Quickly the others gathered about and Hal shouted: 

“A surgeon, quick!”

But Nikol, raising his head to Stubbs’ knee, stopped him with a gesture.

“It’s no use,” he said quietly.  “It got me here,” and he raised a hand slowly and touched a spot just above the heart.  “A surgeon can do no good.  Besides, I would not have a stranger near me when I die.  To me you are all strangers and yet for days I have not looked upon you as such.  I am glad to have known you all and I know the day will come when I shall see you all again.  Now, if I could see the young lady for just a moment before—­before—­”

Hal hastened back to the automobile where Helen Ellison still sat, wondering at the cause of the trouble, and repeated the dwarf’s request.

“Of course I’ll go,” said the girl, and there was a catch in her voice, for this was the first time death had come so close to her.

She ran forward and knelt over the little dwarf and took his hand.  He smiled at her.

“I just wanted to tell you good-bye,” he said.  “I have never seen a young lady like you before.”

For a space of several seconds he looked at her.  Then he dropped her hand and said: 

“Now if the rest of you will just shake hands with me once—­”

Silently the others grasped Nikol’s hand, one after another, and at the last came Stubbs.

To the latter’s hand the dwarf clung tenaciously.

“You, sir, are a brave man,” said Nikol.  “I am glad I was able to save you.  You may be of some use in the world.”