d States, threatening him, and ransacking his mansion.
Soldiers do not engage in such work."

"I am in the service of the Southern Confederacy," replied Captain
Coonly, evidently somewhat crestfallen.

"Have you a commission about you?"

"Not yet; but I shall have one."

"I look upon you and your gang as guerillas, and I shall treat you as
such. Will you surrender to an officer of the United States?"

"No, I won't surrender! I am willing to make terms with you, and will
do the fair thing," blustered the captain without a commission.

"I do not make terms with such as you are. We have talked enough on
that subject, and you need not say another word about terms; there is
no such word in my book."

"My men are all armed in good shape, and they are fighting characters.
All I ask is fair play."

"You shall have it; and according to the civil law of Kentucky, that
means the inside of a prison-cell for such fellows as you are!"
answered the lieutenant coolly and calmly, with no display of anger;
for he was trying with all his might to follow the excellent advice his
father had given him for his guidance as an officer.

"No civil law about it!" exclaimed Captain Coonly, his wrath stirred up
by the mention of a prison. "I am a soldier, and so are my men. I
demand terms such as one military officer should give to another."

"I do not recognize you as a soldier in the service of the Confederacy,
which would entitle you to military consideration," Lieutenant Lyon
declared with as much solemnity as though he had been presiding over a
court-martial.

Win Milton could hardly control his risible muscles; for he was
inclined to laugh outright as he heard a young fellow of eighteen talk
as though he understood military law as well as he did cavalry tactics.
But Deck had studied the needed subjects for his conduct as an officer
while others slept, and he had improved every opportunity to converse
with Captain Gordon upon the laws and customs of the service.

"I thought you said we should have fair play?" growled Captain Coonly.

"I did; and I explained what fair play was in a case like this. But we
have talked enough about terms; and now we will proceed to business, or
to fight out this thing, if you so elect," said Deck very calmly but
very decidedly.

"But I only ask"--

"You need not ask anything!" interposed the lieutenant. "We have talked
enough; now will you oblige me by coming down the stairs?"

"What if I decli