the flat o’ the blade — God, what a blow! — so that the lady falls to her knees and the heavy silver platter rolls out on the grass and the fine linen is in the mud. I saw her blacks lift her and get her off through the orchard. I sneaked out of the brook willows, took a long shot at the beast who struck her, and then pulled foot.”

There was a shacked silence among the officers who had gathered to listen. Until this moment our white enemies had offered no violence to ladies. So this brutality toward the Major’s lady astounded us.

Somebody said in a low voice:

“They’ve fired the church, now.”

Major Lockwood’s house was also burning furiously, as also were his barns