He heard the wounded man groan ever so lightly, and then the other whisper to him, “Are you much hurt, Bill?” The reply came in a moment:  “My right shoulder is put out for the time, and I can’t help you now.”  Presently he heard the slight sound of the other crawling toward him.  Evidently this Haskell was a fearless fellow, bound to get him, and he called from the shadow in which he lay.

“You’d better stop, Haskell!  I’ve got the best pair of ears in all this region, and I hear you coming!  Crawl another step and you meet a bullet!  But I want to tell you first that your interesting brother John is all right.  I didn’t kill him.  I merely robbed him.”

“Robbed him of what?”

“Oh, of several things.”

“What things?”

“They don’t concern you, Haskell.  These are matters somewhat above you.”

“They are, are they?  Well, maybe they are, but I’m going to see that you don’t get away with the proceeds of your robbery.”

Harry didn’t like his tone.  It was fierce and resolute, and he realized once more that he had a man of quality before him.  If Haskell had behaved properly he would have withdrawn with his wounded comrade.  But then he was an obstinate Yankee.

He raised up ever so little and glanced across the intervening space, seeing the muzzle of a rifle not many yards away.  There could be no doubt that Haskell was watchful and would continue watching.  He drew his head back again and said: 

“Let’s call it a draw.  You go back to your army, Mr. Haskell, and I’ll go back to mine.”

“Couldn’t think of it.  As a matter of fact, I’m with my army now; that is, I’m in its lines, while you can’t reach yours.  All I’ve got to do is to hold you here, and in the course of time some of our people will come along and take you.”

“Do you think I’m worth so much trouble?”

“In a way it’s a sort of personal affair with me.  You admit having robbed my brother, and I feel that I must avenge him.  He has been acting as a dispatch rider, and I can make a pretty shrewd guess about what you took from him.  So I think I’ll stay here.”

Harry blamed himself bitterly for his careless and unfortunate expressions.  He did not fear the result of a duel with this man, being the master of woodcraft that he was, but he was losing time, valuable time, time more precious than gold and diamonds, time heavy with the fate of armies and a nation.  He grew furiously angry at everything, and angriest at Haskell.

“Mr. Haskell,” he called, “I’m getting tired of your society, and I make you a polite request to go away.”

“Oh, no, you’re not tired.  You merely think you are, and I couldn’t consider conceding to your request.  It’s for your good more than mine.  My society is elevating to any Johnny Reb.”

“Then I warn you that I may have to hurt you.”

“How about getting hurt yourself?”