"Halt there!"
The command came from behind. They whipped about and found themselves facing a raised rifle. The man was a civilian, tall and lanky. He waved the rifle from one to the other.
"Where're you going?" he demanded.
"Chattanooga," answered Tom. He said it coolly but it required an effort.
"And yer going with me," replied the man.
"That so?" asked Wilson. "I can think of better company if you're going to keep that rifle waving around in the air. What's the matter with you?"
"Put your hands up, an' keep 'em up," ordered the man.
"Well, this way we won't take the wrong road again," said Tom. "I'd rather walk at the end of a rifle than drown in this mud. The folks at home'll laugh when they hear that we were held up just as soon as we got in the South."
"Hey? What's that?" demanded the man.
"If you're after our money you won't get much," Tom replied.