He's got a medal for it."
[Illustration: WINNERS OF THE CROSS
"HE GOT THE VICTORIOUS CROSS IN SOUTH AFRICA"]
"Why doesn't he wear it, too?" asked Sam.
"Civilians never do," said the captain. "It would look rather odd,
wouldn't it, for him to wear a life-saving medal? You may be sure he
keeps it locked up somewhere and never talks about it."
"It is strange that civilians should be so far behind military men in
using their opportunities," said Sam.
"That old fellow with the long beard is Cope, the inventor of the Cope
gun. He's a wonder. He was out here in the employ of the Porsslanese
Government. Most of their artillery was designed by him. What a useful
man he has been to his country! First he invented a projectile that
could go through any steel plate then known, and all the navies had to
build new steel-clad ships on a new principle that he had invented to
prevent his projectiles from piercing them. Then what does he do, but
invent a new projectile that could go through that, and they had to
order new guns for it and build new ships to withstand it. He's done
that four times. And he's got a rifle now that will penetrate almost
anything. If you put two hundred Porsslanese of the same height in a
row it would go through all their heads at five hundred yards. I hope
they'll try the experiment before this affair is over."
The major-general had by this time exhausted all possible subjects of
conversation with his host and sat silent, and Sam felt obliged to turn
his attention to him, and was soon engaged in relating his experience
in the Cubapines.
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