Moseley’s eyes glistened and so did Longworth’s; but Lambert’s grew dim with tears, and his face was a sight to behold. The man had less courage than Rodney gave him credit for, and the boy wondered what his mother would think of this “dangerous” person if she could see him now. He couldn’t even talk, and Rodney was glad of it, for he wanted to finish his instructions to Moseley and take down the names of his companions without being interrupted.
“Longworth, is that your beast?” said Rodney, with a nod toward the dead mule. “I am sorry I had to shoot him, and I shouldn’t have done it if you hadn’t tried to run off. When you are ready to come out of the woods and put in a crop, I will give you another and better one to take his place; but I’ll not furnish you anything to ride as long as you are playing bushwhacker.”
After a little more conversation, and before Lambert had recovered from the stupor into which he had been thrown by Rodney’s ominous words, Moseley and Longworth started for the swamp to spread consternation among their companions by telling what a desperate fighter the young overseer was when aroused, and what terrible things he had threatened to do if his demands were not complied with, while Rodney and his cousin went into the house, leaving Ned and Bowen to watch the prisoner.
“I don’t see how you could bring yourself to do it,” said Marcy.
“Do it! Do what?” replied Rodney innocently.
“I thought sure you had killed Lambert and wounded Moseley, and when I saw Longworth come to the ground as if he had been struck by lightning——”
“That’s nothing,” laughed Rodney. “If you could see a platoon of cavalry floored as quickly as he was, perhaps you would open your eyes. As to Lambert, I didn’t shoot within a foot of his head, although I shoved my revolver so close to his face that the smoke went into his eyes and blinded him for a minute or two. I shot even wider of the mark when I pulled on Moseley, and no doubt he dropped his gun because Lambert did. It was not my intention to touch either one of them. I thought it would be a good plan to let them understand who they were fooling with and what I could do if I set about it. But I meant to hit that mule. Now, will you ride to Baton Rouge with me?”
“Of course I will; but you are not going to send Lambert up North?”
“That is a matter with which I have nothing to do, but beyond a doubt it’s where Lambert will bring up before he is many weeks older. As soon as it becomes known that he is in the hands of the Yanks, the Union people he persecuted so outrageously, while Tom Randolph was captain of the Home Guards, will prefer charges against him, and that will be bad for Lambert.”
“I wish you thought it safe to let him go,” said Marcy, who could not bear to see anyone in trouble.