“Hicks,” he spoke calmly, turning to the prisoner, “I’ll shoot you on sight, if you ever cross my trail again!”
The officer thought a minute.
“Let him go, men,” he decided. “Don’t soil your hands on him.
“Here,” he ordered two soldiers, “take him out of our lines to that open field. He is to trot straight for the timber east. If he stops running, you shoot him.
“Hicks, if you ever show your face inside our lines again, we’ll find a tree for you pretty quick. March!
“My regiment can make good use of these three horses.”
“Take him out of our lines to that open field.”
“What about these two fellows? Can we hang them? We’ve got the rope all ready.” The men asked their questions half in earnest and half in grim jest.
“They were partners of Judas Hicks.”