O Sir—Sir—do not mock us, we entreat you!—Here they come Sir, here they come! O speak to us—do speak to us—what are we to do—
Choose me to lead you—
We will—we will—we do!
And with power—mark me—do you see this gun—with leave to put a ball through the head of the first man that refuses to obey me?
Yes—yes—any thing—any thing—
Very well—that’s enough. And I swear to you before God I’ll do it. Now—hear what I have to say—Silence!—not a word. Here Bradish—here—take you twelve men out of these, and away with you to the edge of the creek there, so as to cover the retreat of your friends. Away with you.
Hourra—hourra!
Silence—off with you as if you were going, every man to his own funeral—don’t hurry—don’t lose your breath; you’ll have occasion for it, I promise you, before the work of this day is over—away with you, now; and every man to a tree; when you hear the bell, make your way to the fort, and if it please God, we’ll whip the enemy yet.
Off sprang the twelve without another word.
Here Fitch, here—I know you—you are a married man—a father and a good father—take these eight who are all fathers; and you Hobby, you take these—they are all unmarried, and away with you to the willow-hedge yonder; you to the right, Fitch; and you to the left, Hobby—and let us see who are the braver men, the married or the unmarried.—Stop—stop—don’t hurry; if you are to make a fair job of it, you must go coolly to work—