Six miles, huh? How fer to the next one north? RALL Nobody north of us. HONEYMAN Eh, nobody north? RALL No, I'm command of the flank. This is the last post. HONEYMAN I cal'ate that makes a lot o' hard work fer ye, Colonel? RALL Hard work? HONEYMAN Sure, don't ye have to patrol up an' down the river, an' sich like things? RALL (_laughing_) What for? HONEYMAN Wal', after all, there's _some_ o' the enemy left, ain't there? RALL (_laughing_) A half-a-dozen starved ragamuffins. What could they do to my trained Hessians? HONEYMAN (_joining in the laugh_) Not much, I cal'ate! Ye ain't in much danger, an' that's a fact! RALL If we had some boats we'd soon make short work of them. But confound the rascals, they made away with all the boats. HONEYMAN Ye ain't got no boats, eh? RALL Not a one! HONEYMAN Ye ain't built none, eh? RALL Why should we? HONEYMAN Wal'--if ye want to git across the river-- RALL Oh, we'll get across as soon as the river freezes over. We'll get the last o' the rebels then. HONEYMAN Wal', Colonel, good luck to ye. But I hope ye won't be in too big a hurry to capture all the rebels! RALL Eh, what's that? HONEYMAN Er--I'll be out of a job; and so'll ye be, Colonel! RALL Yes, that's right too. Well, let's have a look at your cattle and I'll sign for 'em. HONEYMAN Come on--you fu'st, sir. RALL Thanks--hm--how many did you say there were? HONEYMAN There's twenty-two critters there--er, there was when I drove 'em up. RALL Hm--they look a little scrawny. HONEYMAN Best I could git, Colonel! RALL (_counting_) Two--four--five--seven--ten (_etc._) Hm--twenty-one's all I make, Honeyman. HONEYMAN Twenty-one? Pshaw now--did one o' them critters go trapsin' off. (_he counts_) Yes sir, that's just what's happened. Wall--sign fer the twenty-one, an' I'll go out lookin' fer that other critter. RALL Here you are--let me have that bill--(_rattle of paper_) Twenty-one in good condition, signed--Rall. There you are. Hope you find the other one. HONEYMAN Thankee--where's that road off to the left go? RALL That--oh, that's the river road. HONEYMAN I cal'ate the critter musta gone that way. RALL Better keep a sharp lookout if you go down that way. HONEYMAN Eh? What fer? RALL Some o' those ragamuffin rebels might be on this side of the river. HONEYMAN Pshaw now--ye don't say! They come across the river, do they? RALL Yes, once in a while. But they don't dare bother us. But they might pick up a civilian. HONEYMAN Oh, I cal'ate I kin take keer o' myself. I got my whip and this halter. RALL (_laughing_) That ought to be enough to scare 'em away from you! HONEYMAN (_going_) They'll figger I'm the hangman come out to git 'em--fetchin' my halter along! (_he and_ RALL _laugh_) ANNOUNCER