"Did he tell you his name?" inquired Ned, and the words seemed to force themselves out against his will.
"Yes, he did; and we think it strange that General Williams hasn't abolished him and put a stop to his doings long ago. But none of us ever heard the name of Captain Randolph before. You know him, I suppose?"
"Certainly, I do; and I know that, so far as fighting is concerned, he is the most harmless man in the country. Did he tell you that his company had defeated some of your cavalry and been in action with the gunboats?"
"He certainly did tell us just that," replied the corporal; and Ned and his mother thought he looked at them rather sharply.
"Well, there wasn't a word of truth in it," said the young overseer stoutly. He began to have a vague idea that he was injuring himself in the estimation of these two Federals by standing up for Tom Randolph, but he had gone too far to back out. He knew that Tom would not have uttered a word in his defence if their situations had been reversed, but that made no difference to Ned Griffin, who in few words gave the corporal a full history of Tom's military exploits. The occasional raids through the settlement that Captain Randolph had made at the head of his company Ned did not regard as military business, for their sole purpose was to intimidate Union men and increase Tom's importance; so he said nothing about them.
"If you are as strongly in favor of the Old Flag as I have been led to believe, I don't see what your object is in saying a good word for this Home Guard," said the corporal when Ned ceased speaking.
"Wouldn't you say a word for an old acquaintance of yours if you saw him in trouble, no matter whether he was your friend or not?" asked Ned in reply. "If you will give me time I can prove that I have told you nothing but the truth, and that Tom has deceived you from beginning to end."
"What do you suppose his object was in doing it?"
"He always does it every chance he gets. He knows he will never win a reputation by deeds of arms, and so he tries to win it with his mouth. He never did you Yankees the least harm, and he never will."