theysaid"Ibe"for"Iam,"and"haag"for"hog;""Letmelookatyourknifehalfasecond,"or"Givemejustasupofthatwater,"wherewesaidsimply"Lendmeyourknife,"or"handmeadrink。"TheywerelessreservedthanthetrueYankees,moredisposedtobesocial,and,withalltheireccentricities,wereasmanly,honorableasetoffellowsasitwasmyfortunetomeetwithinthearmy。IcouldasknobettercomradesthantheboysoftheThirdMichiganInfantry,whobelongedtothesame"Ninety"withme。TheboysfromMinnesotaandWisconsinwereverymuchlikethosefromMichigan。ThosefromOhio,Indiana,Illinois,IowaandKansasallseemedcutoffthesamepiece。ToallintentsandpurposestheymighthavecomefromthesameCounty。Theyspokethesamedialect,readthesamenewspapers,hadstudiedMcGuffey'sReaders,Mitchell'sGeography,andRay'sArithmeticsatschool,admiredthesamegreatmen,andheldgenerallythesameopinionsonanygivensubject。Itwasneverdifficulttogetthemtoactinunison——theydiditspontaneously;whileitrequiredanefforttobringaboutharmonyofactionwiththosefromothersections。HadtheWesternboysinprisonbeenthoroughlyadvisedofthenatureofourenterprise,wecould,doubtless,havecommandedtheircordialassistance,buttheywerenot,andtherewasnowayinwhichitcouldbedonereadily,untilafterthedecisiveblowwasstruck。
　　TheworkofarrestingtheleadingRaiderswentonactivelyalldayontheFourthofJuly。Theymadeoccasionalshowsoffierceresistance,buttheeventsofthedaybeforehaddestroyedtheirprestige,brokentheirconfidence,anddrivenawayfromtheir,supportverymanywhofollowedtheirleadwhentheywereconsideredall—powerful。Theyscatteredfromtheir,formerhaunts,andmingledwiththecrowdsinotherpartsoftheprison,butwererecognized,andreportedtoKey,whosentpartiestoarrestthem。Severaltimestheymanagedtocollectenoughadherentstodriveoffthesquadssentafterthem,butthisonlygavethemashortrespite,forthesquadwouldreturnreinforced,andmakeshortworkofthem。Besides,theprisonersgenerallywerebeginningtounderstandandapproveoftheRegulators'movement,andweredisposedtogivealltheassistanceneeded。
　　Myselfand"Egypt,"mytaciturnLieutenantofthesinewyleftarm,weresentwithourcompanytoarrestPeteDonnelly,anotoriouscharacter,andleaderof,abadcrowd。Hewasmore"knocker"thanRaider,however。
　　HewasanoldPembertonbuildingacquaintance,andaswemarcheduptowherehewasstandingattheheadofhisgatheringclan,herecognizedmeandsaid:
　　"Hello,Illinoy,"（thenamebywhichIwasgenerallyknowninprison）
　　"whatdoyouwanthere？"
　　Ireplied,"Pete,Keyhassentmeforyou。Iwantyoutogotoheadquarters。"
　　"Whatthe————doesKeywantwithme？"
　　"Idon'tknow,I'msure;heonlysaidtobringyou。"
　　"ButIhaven'thadanythingtodowiththemothersnoozersyouhavebeena—havingtroublewith。"
　　"Idon'tknowanythingaboutthat;youcantalktoKeyastothat。
　　Ionlyknowthatwearesentforyou。"
　　"Well,youdon'tthinkyoucantakemeunlessIchoosetogo？Youhaintgotanybodyinthatcrowdbigenoughtomakeitworthwhileforhimtowastehistimetryingit。"
　　Ireplieddiffidentlythatoneneverknewwhat——hecoulddotillhetried;thatwhilenoneofuswereverybig,wewereaswillingalotoflittlefellowsasheeversaw,andifitwereallthesametohim,wewouldundertaketowastealittletimegettinghimtoheadquarters。
　　Theconversationseemedunnecessarilylongto"Egypt,"whostoodbymyside;aboutahalfstepinadvance。Petewasbecomingangrierandmoredefianteveryminute。Hisfollowerswerecrowdinguptous,clubinhand。FinallyPetethrusthisfistinmyface,androaredout:
　　"By———,Iain'tagoingwithye,andyecan'ttakeme,you————————————"
　　Thiswas"Egypt's"cue。Hislongleftarmuncoupledlikethelooseningoftheweightofapile—driver。ItcaughtMr。Donnellyunderthechin,fairlyliftedhimfromhisfeet,anddroppedhimonhisbackamonghisfollowers。Itseemedtomethatthepredominatingexpressioninhisfaceashewent,overwasthatofprofoundwonderastowherethatblowcouldhavecomefrom,andwhyhedidnotseeitintimetododgeorwarditoff。
　　AsPetedropped,therestofussteppedforwardwithourclubs,toengagehisfollowers,while"Egypt"andoneortwootherstiedhishandsandotherwisesecuredhim。Buthishenchmenmadenoefforttorescuehim,andwecarriedhimovertoheadquarterswithoutmolestation。
　　Theworkofarrestingincreasedininterestandexcitementuntilitdevelopedintothefuroreofahunt,withthousandseagerlyengagedinit。TheRaiders'tentsweretorndownandpillaged。Blankets,tentpoles,andcookingutensilswerecarriedoffasspoils,andthegroundwasdugoverforsecretedproperty。Alargequantityofwatches,chains,knives,rings,goldpens,etc。,etc。——thebootyofmanyaraid——wasfound,andhelpedtogiveimpetustothehunt。EventheRebelQuartermaster,withthecharacteristickeenscentoftheRebelsforspoils,smelledfromtheoutsidetheopportunityforgainingplunder,andcameinwithasquadofRebelsequippedwithspades,todigforburiedtreasures。HowsuccessfulhewasIknownot,asItooknopartmanyoftheoperationsofthatnature。
　　ItwasclaimedthatseveralskeletonsofvictimsoftheRaiderswerefoundburiedbeneaththetent。Icannotspeakwithanycertaintyastothis,thoughmyimpressionisthatatleastonewasfound。
　　ByeveningKeyhadperhapsonehundredandtwenty—fiveofthemostnotedRaidersinhishands。WirzhadallowedhimtheuseofthesmallstockadeformingtheentrancetotheNorthGatetoconfinethemin。
　　Thenextthingwasthejudgmentandpunishmentofthearrestedones。
　　ForthispurposeKeyorganizedacourtmartialcomposedofthirteenSergeants,chosenfromthe,latestarrivalsofprisoners,thattheymighthavenoprejudiceagainsttheRaiders。IbelievethatamannamedDickMcCullough,belongingtotheThirdMissouriCavalry,wasthePresidentoftheCourt。Thetrialwascarefullyconducted,withalltheformalityofalegalprocedurethattheCourtandthosemanagingthemattercouldrememberasapplicabletothecrimeswithwhichtheaccusedwerecharged。
　　Eachoftheseconfrontedbythewitnesseswhotestifiedagainsthim,andallowedtocross—examinethemtoanyextenthedesired。
　　Thedefensewasmanagedbyoneoftheircrowd,thefoul—tonguedTombsshyster,PeteBradley,ofwhomIhavebeforespoken。SuchwasthefearofthevengeanceoftheRaidersandtheirfriendsthatmanywhohadbeenbadlyabuseddarednottestifyagainstthem,dreadingmidnightassassinationiftheydid。OtherswouldnotgobeforetheCourtexceptatnight。Butforallthistherewasnolackofevidence;therewerethousandswhohadbeenrobbedandmaltreated,orwhohadseentheseoutragescommittedonothers,andtheboldnessoftheleadersintheirbightofpowerrenderedtheiridentificationamatterofnodifficultywhatever。
　　Thetriallastedseveraldays,andconcludedwithsentencingquitealargenumbertorunthegauntlet,asmallernumbertowearballsandchains,andthefollowingsixtobehanged:
　　JohnSarsfield,OneHundredandForty—FourthNewYork。
　　WilliamCollins,alias"Mosby,"CompanyD,Eighty—EighthPennsylvania,CharlesCurtis,CompanyA,FifthRhodeIslandArtillery。
　　PatrickDelaney,CompanyE,Eighty—ThirdPennsylvania。
　　A。Muir,UnitedStatesNavy。
　　TerenceSullivan,Seventy—SecondNewYork。
　　Thesenamesandregimentsareoflittleconsequence,however,asI
　　believealltherascalswereprofessionalbounty—jumpers,anddidnotbelongtoanyregimentlongerthantheycouldfindanopportunitytodesertandjoinanother。
　　Thosesentencedtoball—and—chainwerebroughtinimmediately,andhadtheironsfittedtothemthathadbeenwornbysomeofourmenasapunishmentfortryingtoescape。
　　Itwasnotyetdeterminedhowpunishmentshouldbemetedouttotheremainder,butcircumstancesthemselvesdecidedthematter。WirzbecametiredofguardingsolargeanumberasKeyhadarrested,andheinformedKeythatheshouldturnthembackintotheStockadeimmediately。Keybeggedforlittlefarthertimetoconsiderthedispositionofthecases,butWirzrefusedit,andorderedtheOfficeroftheGuardtoreturnallarrested,savethosesentencedtodeath,totheStockade。InthemeantimethenewshadspreadthroughtheprisonthattheRaidersweretobesentinagainunpunished,andanangrymob,numberingsomethousands,andmostlycomposedofmenwhohadsufferedinjuriesatthehandsofthemarauders,gatheredattheSouthGate,clubsinhand,togetsuchsatisfactionastheycouldoutoftherascals。Theyformedintwolong,parallellines,facinginward,andgrimlyawaitedtheincomingoftheobjectsoftheirvengeance。
　　TheOfficeroftheGuardopenedthewicketinthegate,andbeganforcingtheRaidersthroughit——oneatatime——atthepointofthebayonet,andeachasheenteredwastoldwhathealreadyrealizedwell——thathemustrunforhislife。Theydidthiswithalltheenergythattheypossessed,andastheyranblowsrainedontheirheads,armsandbacks。Iftheycouldsucceedinbreakingthroughthelineatanyplacetheyweregenerallyletgowithoutanyfurtherpunishment。Threeofthenumberwerebeatentodeath。Isawoneofthesekilled。Ihadnolikingforthegauntletperformance,andrefusedtohaveanythingtodowithit,asdidmost,ifnotall,ofmycrowd。Whilethegauntletwasinoperation,Iwasstandingbymytentattheheadofalittlestreet,abouttwohundredfeetfromtheline,watchingwhatwasbeingdone。
　　Asailorwasletin。Hehadalargebowieknifeconcealedabouthispersonsomewhere,whichhedrew,andstrucksavagelywithathistormentorsoneitherside。Theyfellbackfrombeforehim,butclosedinbehindandpoundedhimterribly。Hebrokethroughtheline,andranupthestreettowardsme。Aboutmidwayofthedistancestoodaboywhohadhelpedcarryadeadmanoutduringtheday,andwhileouthadsecuredalargepinerailwhichhehadbroughtinwithhim。Hewasholdingthisstraightupintheair,asifata"presentarms。"HeseemedtohaveknownfromthefirstthattheRaiderwouldrunthatway。Justashecamesquarelyunderit,theboydroppedtheraillikethebarofatollgate。
　　ItstrucktheRaideracrossthehead,felledhimasifbyashot,andhispursuersthenbeathimtodeath。
　　CHAPTERXXXVII。
　　THEEXECUTION——BUILDINGTHESCAFFOLD——DOUBTSOFTHECAMP—CAPTAINWIRZ
　　THINKSITISPROBABLYARUSETOFORCETHESTOCKADE——HISPREPARATIONS
　　AGAINSTSUCHANATTEMPT——ENTRANCEOFTHEDOOMEDONES——THEYREALIZETHEIR
　　FATE——ONEMAKESADESPERATEATTEMPTTOESCAPE——HISRECAPTURE——INTENSE
　　EXCITEMENT——WIRZORDERSTHEGUNSTOOPEN——FORTUNATELYTHEYDONOT—THESIX
　　AREHANGED——ONEBREAKSHISROPE——SCENEWHENTHERAIDERSARECUTDOWN。
　　Itbegantobeprettygenerallyunderstoodthroughtheprisonthatsixmenhadbeensentencedtobehanged,thoughnoauthoritativeannouncementofthefacthadbeenmade。Therewasmuchcanvassingastowheretheyshouldbeexecuted,andwhetheranattempttohangtheminsideoftheStockadewouldnotrousetheirfriendstomakeadesperateefforttorescuethem,whichwouldprecipitateageneralengagementofevenlargerproportionsthanthatofthe3d。Despitetheresultoftheaffairsofthatandthesucceedingdays,thecampwasnotyetconvincedthattheRaiderswerereallyconquered,andtheRegulatorsthemselveswerenotthoroughlyateaseonthatscore。Somefivethousandorsixthousandnewprisonershadcomeinsincethefirstofthemonth,anditwasclaimedthattheRaidershadreceivedlargereinforcementsfromthose,——aclaimrenderedprobablebymostofthenew—comersbeingfromtheArmyofthePotomac。
　　Keyandthoseimmediatelyabouthimkepttheirowncounselinthematter,andsufferednosecretoftheirintentionstoleakout,untilonthemorningofthe11th,whenitbecamegenerallyknownthatthesentencesweretoobecarriedintoeffectthatday,andinsidetheprison。
　　MyfirstdirectinformationastothiswasbyamessengerfromKeywithanordertoassemblemycompanyandstandguardoverthecarpenterswhoweretoerectthescaffold。HeinformedmethatalltheRegulatorswouldbeheldinreadinesstocometoourreliefifwewereattackedinforce。
　　IhadhopedthatifthemenweretobehangedIwouldbesparedtheunpleasantdutyofassisting,for,thoughIbelievedtheyrichlydeservedthatpunishment,Ihadmuchrathersomeoneelseadministeredituponthem。Therewasnowayoutofit,however,thatIcouldsee,andso"Egypt"andIgottheboystogether,andmarcheddowntothedesignatedplace,whichwasanopenspaceneartheendofthestreetrunningfromtheSouthGate,andkeptvacantforthepurposeofissuingrations。
　　ItwasquitenearthespotwheretheRaiders'BigTenthadstood,andaffordedasgoodaviewtotherestofthecampascouldbefound。
　　Keyhadsecuredtheloanofafewbeamsandroughplanks,sufficienttobuildarudescaffoldwith。Ourfirstdutywastocarefortheseastheycamein,forsuchwastheneedofwood,andplankfortentpurposes,thattheywouldscarcelyhavefallentothegroundbeforetheywerespiritedaway,hadwenotstoodoverthemallthetimewithclubs。
　　ThecarpenterssentbyKeycameoverandsettowork。TheN'Yaarkersgatheredaroundinconsiderablenumbers,sullenandabusive。Theycurseduswithalltheirrichvocabularyoffoulepithets,vowedthatweshouldnevercarryouttheexecution,andsworethattheyhadmarkedeachoneforvengeance。Wereturnedthecomplimentsinkind,andoccasionallyitseemedasifageneralcollisionwasimminent;butwesucceededinavoidingthis,andbynoonthescaffoldwasfinished。Itwasaverysimpleaffair。Astoutbeamwasfastenedonthetopoftwoposts,aboutfifteenfeethigh。Atabouttheheightofaman'sheadacoupleofboardsstretchedacrossthespacebetweentheposts,andmetinthecenter。Theendsatthepostslaidoncleats;theendsinthecenterresteduponacoupleofboards,standingupright,andeachhavingapieceofropefastenedthroughaholeinitinsuchamanner,thatamancouldsnatchitfromundertheplanksservingasthefloorofthescaffold,andletthewholethingdrop。Arudeladdertoascendbycompletedthepreparations。
　　Asthearrangementsnearedcompletiontheexcitementinandaroundtheprisongrewintense。KeycameoverwiththebalanceoftheRegulators,andweformedahollowsquarearoundthescaffold,ourcompanymarkingthelineontheEastSide。Therewerenowthirtythousandintheprison。
　　Oftheseaboutone—thirdpackedthemselvesastightlyaboutoursquareastheycouldstand。TheremainingtwentythousandwerewedgedtogetherinasolidmassontheNorthSide。AgainIcontemplatedthewonderful,startling,spectacleofamosaicpavementofhumanfacescoveringthewholebroadhillside。
　　Outside,theRebel,infantrywasstandingintheriflepits,theartillerymenwereinplaceabouttheirloadedandtrainedpieces,theNo。
　　4ofeachgunholdingthelanyardcordinhishand,readytofirethepieceattheinstantofcommand。ThesmallsquadofcavalrywasdrawnuponthehillneartheStarFort,andnearitwerethemastersofthehounds,withtheiryelpingpacks。
　　Allthehangers—onoftheRebelcamp——clerks,teamsters,employer,negros,hundredsofwhiteandcoloredwomen,inallformingamotleycrowdofbetweenoneandtwothousand,weregatheredtogetherinagroupbetweentheendoftheriflepitsandtheStarFort。Theyhadagoodviewfromthere,butastillbetteronecouldbehad,alittlefarthertotheright,andinfrontoftheguns。Theykeptedgingupinthatdirection,ascrowdswill,thoughtheyknewthedangertheywouldincuriftheartilleryopened。
　　Thedaywasbroilinghot。Thesunshothisperpendicularraysdownwithblisteringfierceness,andthedenselypacked,motionlesscrowdsmadetheheatalmostinsupportable。
　　Keytookuphispositioninsidethesquaretodirectmatters。WithhimwereLimberJim,DickMcCullough,andoneortwoothers。Also,NedJohnson,TomLarkin,SergeantGoody,andthreeotherswhoweretoactashangmen。Eachofthesesixwasprovidedwithawhitesack,suchastheRebelsbroughtinmealin。TwoCorporalsofmycompany——"Stag"HarrisandWatPayne——wereappointedtopullthestaysfromundertheplatformatthesignal。
　　AlittleafternoontheSouthGateopened,andWirzrodein,dressedinasuitofwhiteduck,andmountedonhiswhitehorse——aconjunctionwhichhadgainedforhimtheappellationof"DeathonaPaleHorse。"Behindhimwalkedthefaithfuloldpriest,wearinghisChurch'spurpleinsigniaofthedeepestsorrow,andreadingtheserviceforthecondemned。Thesixdoomedmenfollowed,walkingbetweendoubleranksofRebelguards。
　　Allcameinsidethehollowsquareandhalted。Wirzthensaid:
　　"Brizners,IreturntoyoudosemensoBootasIgotdem。Youhaftrieddemyourselves,andfounddemguilty——Ihafhadnottingtodowitit。
　　Ivashmyhandsofeferytingconnectedwitdem。Dowitdemasyoulike,andmayGotthafmercyonyouandondem。Garts,aboutface！Voryvarts,march！"
　　Withthishemarchedoutandleftus。
　　Foramomentthecondemnedlookedstunned。TheyseemedtocomprehendforthefirsttimethatitwasreallythedeterminationoftheRegulatorstohangthem。Beforethattheyhadevidentlythoughtthatthetalkofhangingwasmerelybluff。Oneofthemgaspedout:
　　"MyGod,men,youdon'treallymeantohangusupthere！"
　　Keyansweredgrimlyandlaconically:
　　"Thatseemstobeaboutthesizeofit。"
　　Atthistheyburstoutinapassionatestormofintercessionsandimprecations,whichlastedforaminuteorso,whenitwasstoppedbyoneofthemsayingimperatively:
　　"Allofyoustopnow,andletthepriesttalkforus。"
　　Atthisthepriestclosedthebookuponwhichhehadkepthiseyesbentsincehisentrance,andfacingthemultitudeontheNorthSidebeganapleaformercy。
　　Thecondemnedfacedinthe,samedirection,toreadtheirfateinthecountenancesofthosewhomhewasaddressing。ThismovementbroughtCurtis——alow—statured,massivelybuiltman——ontherightoftheirline,andabouttenorfifteenstepsfrommycompany。
　　ThewholecamphadbeenasstillasdeathsinceWirz'sexit。Thesilenceseemedtobecomeevenmoreprofoundasthepriestbeganhisappeal。
　　Foraminuteeveryearwasstrainedtocatchwhathesaid。Then,asthenearestofthethousandscomprehendedwhathewassayingtheyraisedashoutof"No！no！！NO！！""Hangthem！hangthem！""Don'tletthemgo！
　　Never！"
　　"Hangtherascals！hangthevillains！"
　　"Hang,'em！hang'em！hang'em！"
　　Thiswastakenupallovertheprison,andtensofthousandsthroatsyelleditinafearfulchorus。
　　Curtisturnedfromthecrowdwithdesperationconvulsinghisfeatures。
　　Tearingoffthebroad—brimmedhatwhichhewore,heflungitonthegroundwiththeexclamation！
　　"ByGod,I'lldiethiswayfirst！"and,drawinghisheaddownandfoldinghisarmsaboutit,hedashedforwardforthecenterofmycompany,likeagreatstonehurledfromacatapult。
　　"Egypt"andIsawwherehewasgoingtostrike,andrandownthelinetohelpstophim。Ashecameupwerainedblowsonhisheadwithourclubs,butsomanyofusstruckathimatoncethatwebrokeeachother'sclubstopieces,andonlyknockedhimonhisknees。Herosewithanalmostsuperhumaneffort,andplungedintothemassbeyond。
　　Theexcitementalmostbecamedelirium。ForaninstantIfearedthateverythingwasgonetoruin。"Egypt"andIstrainedeveryenergytorestoreourlines,beforethebreakcouldbetakenadvantageofbytheothers。Ourboysbehavedsplendidly,standingfirm,andinafewsecondsthelinewasrestored。
　　AsCurtisbrokethrough,Delaney,abrawnyIrishmanstandingnexttohim,startedtofollow。Hetookonestep。AtthesameinstantLimberJim'slonglegstookthreegreatstrides,andplacedhimdirectlyinfrontofDelaney。Jim'srighthandheldanenormousbowie—knife,andasheraiseditaboveDelaneyhehissedout:
　　"Ifyoudaremoveanotherstep,youopenyou————————————,I'llopenyoufromoneendtotheother。
　　Delaneystopped。Thischeckedtheotherstillourlinesreformed。
　　WhenWirzsawthecommotionhewaspanic—strickenwithfearthatthelong—dreadedassaultontheStockadehadbegun。HerandownfromtheheadquarterstepstotheCaptainofthebattery,shrieking:
　　"Fire！fire！fire！"
　　TheCaptain,notbeingafool,couldseethattherushwasnottowardstheStockade,butawayfromit,andherefrainedfromgivingtheorder。
　　Butthespectatorswhohadgottenbeforetheguns,heardWirz'sexcitedyell,andrememberingtheconsequencestothemselvesshouldtheartillerybedischarged,becamefrenziedwithfear,andscreamed,andfelldownoverandtrampleduponeachotherinendeavoringtogetaway。TheguardsonthatsideoftheStockaderandowninapanic,andthetenthousandprisonersimmediatelyaroundus,expectingnolessthanthatthenextinstantwewouldbesweptwithgrapeandcanister,stampededtumultuously。Therewerequiteanumberofwellsrightaroundus,andallofthesewerefilledfullofmenthatfellintothemasthecrowdrushedaway。Manyhadlegsandarmsbroken,andIhavenodoubtthatseveralwerekilled。
　　ItwasthestormiestfiveminutesthatIeversaw。
　　Whilethiswasgoingontwoofmycompany,belongingtotheFifthIowaCavalry,wereinhotpursuitofCurtis。Ihadseenthemstartandshoutedtothemtocomeback,asIfearedtheywouldbesetuponbytheRaidersandmurdered。Butthedinwassooverpoweringthattheycouldnothearme,anddoubtlesswouldnothavecomebackiftheyhadheard。
　　Curtisrandiagonallydownthehill,jumpingoverthetentsandknockingdownthemenwhohappenedinhisway。Arrivingattheswampheplungedin,sinkingnearlytohishipsinthefetid,filthyooze。Heforgedhiswaythroughwithterribleeffort。Hispursuersfollowedhisexample,andcaughtuptohimjustasheemergedontheotherside。Theystruckhimonthebackoftheheadwiththeirclubs,andknockedhimdown。
　　Bythistimeorderhadbeenrestoredaboutus。Thegunsremainedsilent,andthecrowdmassedaroundusagain。FromwherewewerewecouldseethesuccessfulendofthechaseafterCurtis,andcouldseehiscaptorsstartbackwithhim。TheirsuccesswasannouncedwitharoarofapplausefromtheNorthSide。Bothcaptorsandcapturedweregreatlyexhausted,andtheywerecomingbackveryslowly。Keyorderedthebalanceupontothescaffold。Theyobeyedpromptly。Thepriestresumedhisreadingoftheserviceforthecondemned。Theexcitementseemedtomakethedoomedonesexceedinglythirsty。Ineversawmendrinksuchinordinatequantitiesofwater。Theycalledforitcontinually,gulpeddownaquartormoreatatime,andkepttwomengoingnearlyallthetimecarryingittothem。
　　WhenCurtisfinallyarrived,hesatonthegroundforaminuteorso,torest,andthen,reekingwithfilth,slowlyandpainfullyclimbedthesteps。Delaneyseemedtothinkhewassufferingasmuchfromfrightasanythingelse,andsaidtohim:
　　"Comeonup,now,showyourselfaman,anddiegame。"
　　Againthepriestresumedhisreading,butithadnointeresttoDelaney,whokeptcallingoutdirectionstoPeteDonelly,whowasstandinginthecrowd,astodispositionstobemadeofcertainbitsofstolenproperty:
　　togiveawatchtothisone,aringtoanother,andsoon。Oncetheprieststoppedandsaid:
　　"Myson,letthethingsofthisearthgo,andturnyourattentiontowardthoseofheaven。"
　　Delaneypaidnoattentiontothisadmonition。Thewholesixthenbegandeliveringfarewellmessagestothoseinthecrowd。Keypulledawatchfromhispocketandsaid:
　　"Twominutesmoretotalk。"
　　Delaneysaidcheerfully:
　　"Well,goodby,b'ys;ifI'vehurtedanyofyez,Ihopeye'llforgiveme。Shpakeup,now,anyofyezthatI'vehurted,andsayyellforgiveme。"
　　WecalleduponMarionFriend,whosethroatDelaneyhadtriedtocutthreeweeksbeforewhilerobbinghimoffortydollars,tocomeforward,butFriendwasnotinaforgivingmood,andrefusedwithanoath。
　　Keysaid:
　　"Time'sup！"putthewatchbackinhispocketandraisedhishandlikeanofficercommandingagun。HarrisandPaynelaidholdoftheropestothesupportsoftheplanks。Eachofthesixhangmentiedacondemnedman'shands,pulledamealsackdownoverhishead,placedthenoosearoundhisneck,drewituptolerablyclose,andsprangtotheground。Thepriestbeganprayingaloud。
　　Keydroppedhishand。PayneandHarrissnatchedthesupportsoutwithasinglejerk。Theplanksfellwithaclatter。Fiveofthebodiesswungarounddizzilyintheair。Thesixththatof"Mosby,"alarge,powerful,raw—bonedman,oneoftheworstinthelot,andwho,amongothercrimes,hadkilledLimberJim'sbrother—broketherope,andfellwithathudtotheground。Someofthemenranforward,examinedthebody,anddecidedthathestilllived。Theropewascutoffhisneck,themealsackremoved,andwaterthrowninhisfaceuntilconsciousnessreturned。
　　Atthefirstinstanthethoughthewasineternity。Hegaspedout:
　　"WhereamI？AmIintheotherworld？"
　　LimberJimmutteredthattheywouldsoonshowhimwherehewas,andwentongrimlyfixingupthescaffoldanew。"Mosby"soonrealizedwhathadhappened,andtheunrelentingpurposeoftheRegulatorChiefs。Thenhebegantobegpiteouslyforhislife,saying:
　　"OforGod'ssake,donotputmeupthereagain！Godhassparedmylifeonce。Hemeantthatyoushouldbemercifultome。"
　　LimberJimdeignedhimnoreply。Whenthescaffoldwasrearranged,andastoutropehadreplacedthebrokenone,hepulledthemealsackoncemoreover"Mosby's"head,whoneverceasedhispleadings。Thenpickingupthelargemanasifhewereababy,hecarriedhimtothescaffoldandhandedhimuptoTomLarkin,whofittedthenoosearoundhisneckandsprangdown。Thesupportshadnotbeensetwiththesamedelicacyasatfirst,andLimberJimhadtosethisheelandwrenchdesperatelyatthembeforehecouldforcethemout。Then"Mosby"passedawaywithoutastruggle。
　　Afterhangingtilllifewasextinct,thebodieswerecutdown,themeal—
　　sackspulledofftheirfaces,andtheRegulatorsformaltwoparallellines,throughwhichalltheprisonerspassedandtookalookatthebodies。PeteDonnellyandDickAllenkneltdownandwipedthefrothoffDelaney'slips,andsworevengeanceagainstthosewhohaddonehimtodeath。
　　CHAPTERXXXVIII。
　　AFTERTHEEXECUTION——FORMATIONOFAPOLICEFORCE——ITSFIRSTCHIEF——
　　"SPANKING"ANOFFENDER。
　　AftertheexecutionsKey,knowingthathe,andallthoseprominentlyconnectedwiththehanging,wouldbeinhourlydangerofassassinationiftheyremainedinside,secureddetailsasnursesandward—mastersinthehospital,andwentoutside。InthiscrowdwereKey,NedCarrigan,LimberJim,DickMcCullough,thesixhangmen,thetwoCorporalswhopulledthepropsfromunderthescaffold,andperhapssomeotherswhomIdonotnowremember。
　　Inthemeanwhileprovisionhadbeenmadeforthefuturemaintenanceoforderintheprisonbytheorganizationofaregularpoliceforce,whichintimecametonumbertwelvehundredmen。Theseweredividedintocompanies,underappropriateofficers。Guardsweredetailedforcertainlocations,patrolspassedthroughthecampinalldirectionscontinually,andsignalswithwhistlescouldsummonsufficientassistancetosuppressanydisturbance,orcarryoutanyordersfromthechief。
　　ThechieftainshipwasfirstheldbyKey,butwhenhewentoutsideheappointedSergeantA。R。Hill,oftheOneHundredthO。V。I。——nowaresidentofWauseon,Ohio,——hissuccessor。Hillwasoneofthenotabilitiesofthatimmensethrong。Agreat,broad—shouldered,giant,intheprimeofhismanhood——thebeginningofhisthirtiethyear——hewasasgood—naturedasbig,andasmild—manneredasbrave。Hespokeslowly,softly,andwithaslightlyrustictwang,thatwasverytemptingtoacertainclassofsharpstotakehimupfora"luberlygreeny。"Themanwhodidsousuallyrepentedhiserrorinsack—clothandashes。