Davis
[At door.]
And say to Mr. Lincoln that I shall be pleased to receive proposals for peace direct from him, at any time, on the basis of our independence. It will be useless to approach me with any other.
[Jacquess and Gilmore exit and Ould reënters.]
Ould
[To Davis.]
And shall I conduct these gentlemen back to Grant's lines?
Benjamin
[Quickly.]
No, these men are spies straight from Lincoln's desk. It's the slyest trick the old fox has ever tried to play on us. He knows that McClellan's election on a peace platform is a certainty. He's after ammunition for this campaign. We dare not play into his hands! Our very life may depend on it! Make no mistake—these men must be locked up to-night and shot at sunrise.