The soldiers, in defending the court house, had a few men wounded. The guerrillas lost one killed and had several wounded.
When Porter withdrew from the place he halted on the outskirts of the village and paroled all his prisoners except four, and one of the four was Allsman.
This done he started for the appointed rendezvous at Whaley's Mill. He expected no immediate pursuit, for he knew McNeil was at Monticello.
CHAPTER XIV
TEN LIVES FOR ONE
Harry succeeded in clearing the village in safety, and, when about half a mile away, halted and looked back. Porter's men were already leaving the place, and Harry saw they had quite a number of prisoners. Porter halted in an open meadow near the edge of the village, and the prisoners were gathered together.
"My God!" groaned Harry. "Are they going to murder them all?"
But the prisoners were not murdered. They were all paroled with the exception of four, to whom allusion has been made.
Harry watched until he saw the paroled men start back to the village, and the guerrillas riding away. He drew a long breath of relief. The fact was, McNeil held so many of Porter's men prisoners that the guerrilla chieftain dare not command such wholesale murder.