Lee touched the point of the two-edged blade,
"This piece of iron, then, placed in the hands of a negro was meant for the breasts of Southern white men, women and children?"
"I came to proclaim your slaves free and give them the weapons to make good my orders."
"Who gave you the authority to issue orders of life and death?" Lee asked with slow, steady emphasis.
Brown's eyes flashed.
"I gave it to myself, sir. By the authority of my conscience and what I believe to be right."
"Suppose all took the same orders? Every man who differs with his neighbor, gets his gun, proclaims himself the mouthpiece of God and kills those who disagree with him. Civilization is built on an agreement not to do this thing. We have placed in the hands of the officer of the law the task of executing justice. The moment we dare as individuals to take this into our own hands, the world becomes a den of wild beasts—"
"The world's already a den of wild beasts," Brown interrupted sharply. "They have snarled and snapped long enough. It's time to clinch and fight it out."
There could be no doubt of the savage earnestness of the man who spoke.
There was the ring of steel in every word. Lee looked at him curiously.
"May I ask how many people you know in the North who feel that way toward the South?"