My bullet had struck him just below the breast bone and over the heart, but between him and it was the cross belt buckle-plate of his uniform. The lead had flattened on this, but the stroke of the ball had sent him to the ground unable to move for over a minute.
"You are a most disputatious man, Mr. Soldier," said Barron, good humoredly, "and at one time you had nearly all the facts necessary to establish the truthfulness of your side of the argument. I hope you are now convinced of the value of good breeding, and will not, in the future, thrust yourself into company uncongenial to your taste. However, you shall now accompany us to the Inn, for I would hardly trust you to return to Mr. Johnson alone to-night."
"Had I believed you were not too scared to return," said the soldier, looking straight at me, "I would have followed you and killed you. Your horse is a good runner."
"And for such an absurd mistake, I very nearly killed you," I answered. "Had I known you were so bent upon mischief, I would have sent your soul to the devil some twenty minutes ago. We will now go back and get your mate's horse and you will walk between us the rest of the way."
In a few minutes we were back to where the dead soldier lay and Barron was soon mounted upon his animal—which, by the way, was mine, as were also the other three, and it caused me some little regret to lose two of them on account of this hard headed soldier.
We carried the dead man to the roadside and laid him in bushes. Then we proceeded quietly upon our way, and the moon rose like a huge ball of silver to light up the dark road.