Aslan/Jill A Mystery of Heroism short story by Stephen Crane

I would hope Collins learned that sometimes it's not in your best interests to be foolhardy. Heroism and foolishness are two very different things. He wasn't putting his life on the line in order to save someone's life..... he put his life on the line for something that really made no difference in that moment. He wasn't dying of thirst, but he was willing to die for water.