"The Legislature of the State repudiate him, and the people are enlisting the troops he refused to furnish." "The Legislature is a fraud, and don't rightly represent the will of the people. I came over here with the Home Guard and other friends of the cause to get the arms. You turned our own weapons against us, and without arms we could do nothing against armed niggers." "I have put my place in a condition to be defended, and I have called upon the United States government to send a body of troops here to protect the Union people from the outrages of your people." "They will have a hot time of it when they get here," replied Titus with a sneer. "In the meantime we shall defend ourselves. We have been attacked"-- "You have not been attacked!" protested the captain. "We came over here to demand the arms. We put up a flag of truce, and wanted to talk with you; but you drove us off, and fired upon us," answered Titus. "Your people began the attack at the schoolhouse." "'Tain't so! Some of our men went to the meeting, and you fell upon 'em there." "They had no business there, for the call was addressed to the Union men of the county. They disturbed the meeting, and we put them out. Then your company gathered in the woods, demanding 'Lyon and his cubs.' My friends stood by me, and the meeting shouldered all the responsibility in regard to the arms. We agreed to get up a company of cavalry for the United States." "And you mean to arm 'em with the things you stole from me!" almost gasped Captain Titus. "When a proper officer comes here he will give you a receipt for the property." "Which would not be worth the paper it is written on to me!" "Not unless you could show that you were a Union man." "My men are bent on gettin' them arms, and they will have them!" "They will have to fight for them," added Noah quietly. Perhaps the interview would have become still more stormy if Levi Bedford had not approached with a gentleman wearing the uniform of a cavalry officer. Captain Titus did not like the looks of him, and, judging that Noah had proceeded farther than he had suspected in providing for the protection of the loyal people of the county, he beat a hasty retreat; and he drove across the bridge at a rate so furious as to indicate his state of mind. "Major Lyon, this is Lieutenant Gordon, of the United States Volunteer Service," said Levi, as he approached with the visitor. "I am very glad to see you, Lieutenant Gordon," added the planter, extending his hand to the officer. "I am rejoiced to meet you, Major Lyon; and I am glad to find that you are a military man," replied Lieutenant Gordon. "But I am not a military man, and was never even a private in a military company," replied the major, laughing at the natural mistake of his guest. "I protested against answering to my title till I found it was useless to do so."