“It’s a lie! It’s a lie!” cried the Deacon, “and if they go on talking that way, the whole cat will be let out at once. There an’t a word of truth in it! There wa’n’t a Bean Island man shot a gun. Dr. Ava and Joe Ennery guarded the prisoners, and when they were to be killed, they were to be delivered into the hands of unknown parties that the law couldn’t detect them. That was a plan laid before. They didn’t fire a gun there, nor kill a man; _not one!_ There was nobody stayed over there from Bean Island, but some drunken fellows that couldn’t get away; and if they keep on talking in that way, the whole cat will get out of the water.” “Deacon Atwood, that was wrong then. You ought never to have killed them men after taking them prisoners.” Dea. A.—“I agree with you there.” Uncle Jesse.—“They ought not to have killed them after they stopped fighting.” Dea. A.—“They ought never to have stopped fighting till they killed them _in the fight_!” Uncle Jesse.—“They didn’t kill any of them in the fight; they must have been very poor marksmen, as many as they was there, and couldn’t kill anybody, and had to wait till they got out of ammunition, and then took ’em out and killed ’em. Why didn’t they let ’em be taken by the law, and be tried and had justice done ’em?” Dea. A.—“I suppose the men were so ambitious that they didn’t intend they should live. Now I tell you, Jesse, what this Georgia gentleman said, isn’t so. Bardon Ramol and Bob Blending met a young nigger this morning just before they got to Horse Creek, a coming home, and Bardon he says to him, ‘Now, don’t you go down there. Didn’t you hear the guns down there last night? The last one is killed, and it’s all over, and it an’t worth while to go.’” Uncle Jesse.—“And so they got him to turn back? That’s well enough, but not much.” Dea. A.—“Yes. Now they’re accusing Sam Payne, and Tad Volier—that little fellow not more’n four feet high—to day, and I’ll swear it’s a lie; for them men were not killed by anybody that is on this side the river.” Jesse Roome did not tell his neighbor how well all this conversation assured him that he was privy to all the plans, at least; but simply asked, “Sam Payne was not there?” Dea. A.—“No, Jesse, he wasn’t there.” Uncle Jesse.—“Well, Deacon Atwood, I’ve always been a good friend to you, and I’ve told you some things that the colored people were going to do that was wrong, and we have been pretty confidential a great many times; but I just tell you, sir, if you go to violating the law, then I’ll back down. I will not stick for anybody that will violate the law. My motto is to punish every man, white or black, that will violate the law.” CHAPTER XIII. THE SCALLAWAG. “Get thee gone! Death and destruction dog thee at the heels. * * * * *