"I reckon it's something or 'nother about them men from Baton Rouge, who acted like they wanted to bu'st things," replied the messenger. "Looks to me like the cap'n feels sorter shook up over what they said to him, and that he's got himself into some kind of a muss that nobody but you can help him out of. He talks like he's going to send we uns to camp. Can you shet him off on that, do you reckon?"
"It depends entirely upon the way you Home Guards conduct yourselves from this time on," answered Captain Tom impressively. "Roach would have conscripted you long ago if I hadn't stood your friend, and he may do it yet if you follow Lambert on any more of his crazy expeditions."
"I didn't foller," said the man hastily, "and I don't want you to think I did. I was to home all the blessed time. I aint caring to bother the Yankees so long as they let me be. And Lambert, he won't go off that away agin. He was purty bad skeared last night."
"What at?" inquired Tom.
"Why, don't you know? Some of our folks went down to the river yesterday to see what all that shooting was about, and when they come back and told what Lambert had been a-doing, ole man Gray and the rest of 'em was that mad that they talked of hanging Lambert up to a tree and licking you like you was a nigger."
Captain Tom reeled as if the man had struck him with the handle of the heavy riding whip he carried in his hand, and grasped at the veranda railing for support.
"I am telling you nothing but the gospel truth," continued the messenger, not a little surprised at the effect his words had produced upon his commanding officer, "and I thought you had had time to hear all about it. They was a tol'able mad lot of men down to the hotel last night, and when I seen 'em going on I was mighty glad I hadn't went with Lambert and the rest."
"Do you mean to say that old man Gray dared to talk of whipping me?" exclaimed Tom, who could hardly believe his ears. "Wasn't it Lambert he spoke of?"
"No, it was you; and he wasn't the only one who spoke of it, nuther," replied the Home Guard. "They was all mad, I tell you, and some of them was for hanging Lambert."