Enterprise in Manila insisted that Archie should send a cable message describing the affair, as well as a written account, and this he finally consented to do.  The correspondent added a long account of Archie’s personal bravery, how he had been wounded, and how he had ridden back to Manila at the head of the column.  Archie would have been very much embarrassed had he known this, for he was still modest, but the first thing he knew of it was from a letter he received a few weeks later from Mr. Van Bunting, congratulating him on what he had accomplished, and telling him that he had long since more than earned his six hundred dollars.  But for weeks he was ignorant that any one in New York knew of his being wounded.

The days now began to pass as before in the camp at Manila.  The wound in Archie’s arm was healing slowly, but he was hardly able to use that member for a month or six weeks.  Bill Hickson did not fare so well.  He lay for weeks on his cot in the hospital building, and was hardly strong enough, for awhile, to talk.  He was improving slowly, but the doctors said it might be two months before he was able to walk about and take his former active part in the campaign against the insurgents.  This enforced quiet was very trying to the brave man, and Archie spent many hours reading to him, and telling of various things he had learned at school and elsewhere.  This constant companionship served to strengthen their already close friendship, and it was soon known among all the troops that Bill Hickson and the boy reporter were inseparable.  And every one who knew the story of their experiences looked upon them as the two chief heroes of the war so far, because as yet there had been few feats of bravery in the desultory campaigning against the rebels.  General Funston had swum the river, of course, but many held that not even that feat compared with the bravery of Bill Hickson in serving as a spy under Aguinaldo’s very nose.  The more people heard about his experiences, the more remarkable they thought him to be, until at last he was by far the most popular man in the army at Manila.

Archie sent many interesting letters to Mr. Van Bunting, telling of the adventures of the brave spy, and one day he received a cablegram telling him to send at least one of these letters by every steamer, for people had become interested in hearing about him.  So for some time Archie wrote about Bill Hickson rather than about himself, and was glad of the opportunity to do so.  He knew that if a letter were published every week or two in the Enterprise Bill Hickson would soon be famous, and this was something he was very anxious to accomplish.  He felt that no fame could be too great for such a man, and no praise too strong.