Gaskins' dulled eyes strayed from the speaker's face, until he saw Hamlin, still firmly gripped by the sentry. His lips drew back revealing his teeth, his eyes narrowing.
"That's the one," he said faintly. "You 've got him!"
One hand went to his side in a spasm of pain, and he fainted. The Sergeant laid him back limp on the grass, and stood up.
"Where is your gun, Hamlin?"
"I dropped it when I fell over the Lieutenant's body. It must be back of you."
Some one picked the weapon up, and held it to the light, turning the chambers.
"Two shots gone, Sergeant."
"We heard three; likely the Lieutenant got in one of them. Sentry, what do you know about this?"
Mapes scratched his head, the fingers of his other hand gripping the prisoner's shoulder.
"Not so awful much," he replied haltingly, "now I come ter think 'bout it. 'T was a mighty dark night, an' I never saw, ner heard, nuthin' till the shootin' begun. I wus back o' officers' row, an' them pistols popped up yere, by the corner o' the barracks. I jumped an' yelled; thought I heerd somebody runnin' an' let drive. Then just as I got up yere, this feller come tearin' 'long, an' I naturally grabbed him. That's the whole of it."