until I return.
Hanson is going with me."

"With you, Mister Marcy!" said the man, in a weak voice. "The missus
done told me to come out here."

"She gave you no orders whatever, and you have not seen her this
morning. I order you to get ready to go to Plymouth," answered Marcy;
whereupon Hawkins placed his rifle upon the ground and drew a rope from
one of his pockets.

Never in his life had Marcy seen a man so astonished and frightened as
the overseer was at that moment. He dared not resist, and he could not
speak when Hawkins drew his arms behind his back and fastened them there
with the rope. As to the negroes, who were quick to understand the
situation, they would have danced and shouted for joy had they not known
that such a demonstration would be displeasing to their young master; so
they contented themselves with bringing forward one of their number, who
bared his brawny shoulder, and by the action called Marcy's attention
to a long ugly-looking welt that had been left there by a blow from the
overseer's raw-hide.

"Whoop!" yelled Julius; and, to quote from the field hands, he
immediately "drapped his wing"; that is to say, he humped up his
shoulders and back, dropped his chin upon his breast, raised one foot
from the ground, and began hopping toward the overseer on the other. In
a minute more Hanson would have been served as Captain Beardsley was the
night before, if Marcy had not put a stop to the little darky's antics
by taking hold of his collar and giving him a twist that sent him ten
feet away.

"I know what you uns are going to do, and I aint no ways scared of you,"
said Hanson, who at last mustered up courage enough to speak; but his
white face and trembling limbs belied his words. "My friends will make
you suffer for this."

"That's all right," said Hawkins cheerfully. "If they don't leave the
country this very night, like they have been told to do, you will see
'em in Plymouth to-morrer. Now, will you go peaceable, or shall I walk
you along by the neck?"

The Confederate soldier picked up his rifle and waved his hand in the
direction of the great house, and the prisoner started toward it without
hesitating or saying another word; while Marcy ran on ahead to tell his
mother what he had done. Although the field was in plain sight no one
about the house had noticed that there was anything unusual going on,
and Marcy went in at the side door and made his way to his mother's room
before she knew he