“Will you take your place, Captain Melton?” roared Stillman, “or must I put you under arrest?”
Melton said no more, but fell back to the head of his troop, fully determined to leave the irate major if he persisted in his conduct.
The three bearers of the flag were sent to the rear, under guard, and the troop proceeded in the same disorderly manner. Some time after the stragglers in advance caught sight of the warriors who had been sent out to see what had been done with the bearers of the flag, and were pursued, and two of them shot down without mercy, the rest escaping, by taking to the woods in front. No sooner had he beheld this cruel and uncalled for butchery, than the young captain of scouts called to his men and they wheeled out of the line, faced about, and marched back toward the river.
Stillman, boiling with rage, called his men to a halt, and rode back.
“What is the meaning of this conduct, Captain Melton?” he hissed, fairly foaming at the mouth. “How dare you detach your command without orders?”
“If you think you have men enough in your rag-tag and bob-tail command to stop us, you had better try it on, Major Stillman,” said Melton, coolly. “I for one will not give countenance to murder, as you are doing.”
“Murder, sir?”
“Murder is the word. Those Sacs were doing no harm who were just killed by your men, and did not even use their weapons when your scoundrels took after them. Go on your way, sir; I will not march a foot further with you.”
“I will have you court-martialed, upon my return, sir,” cried Stillman.
“Very well; I shall take an opportunity to tell the court some things not to your credit. Good-day, sir. But, for the safety of your men I tell you to call in your stragglers, march in a more orderly manner and beat the bushes thoroughly before you enter. Attention, scouts; forward.”