And--does your honor mean to hold this guardroom here against
five thousand?"
"I mean to obey my orders!" answered Brown.
"And your orders are?"
"My orders!"
"Would they preclude the provision of another horse for me?"
"There's a village about a mile away, down over yonder, where I think
you'll find a decent horse--along that road there."
"And your honor's orders would possibly permit a certain payment for
the horse?"
"Positively not!" said Brown.
"Then--'
"To seize a horse, for military use, under the spur of necessity,
and after giving a receipt for it, would be in order."
"So I am to spend the night wandering around the countryside, in a
vain endeavor to--"
But Brown was doing mathematics in his head. Two men to guard prisoners,
two on guard at the crossroads, two at the guardroom door--six from
twelve left six, and six were not enough to rape a countryside.
"Guard!" he ordered. "Release that prisoner. Now, you Stanley,
let this be a lesson to you, and remember that I only set you free
because I'd have been short-handed otherwise.
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