In the war...
"My friend has not yet returned from the battlefield, sir. I ask permission to pick him up," a soldier told his superior.
"Permission denied," the officer replied, "I don't want you to risk your life for a man who's probably dead.
The soldier, disregarding the ban, left, and an hour later returned mortally wounded, carrying his friend's corpse.
The officer was furious.
"I told you he was already dead! Now, because of your indiscipline, I've lost two men! Tell me, was it worth going there to bring a dead body?
And the soldier, dying, answered:
Of course, sir! When I met my friend, he was still alive and can tell me, "I was sure you'd come!"
"A FRIEND IS ONE WHO ARRIVES WHEN EVERYONE IS GONE."
