"And if I won't?" said the corporal in a dry whisper.

"There'll be a dale of smoke," returned Dan, sitting up and
ticking off the situation on his fingers, "sure to be, an' the
noise of the firin'll be tremenjus, an' we'll be running about up
and down, the regiment will. But we, Horse and I - we'll stay by
you, Mulcahy, and never let you go. Maybe there'll be an
accident."

"It's playing it low on me. Let me go. For pity's sake, let me go.
I never did you harm, and - and I stood you as much beer as I
could. Oh, don't be hard on me, Dan! You are - you were in it too.
You won't kill me up there, will you?"

"I'm not thinkin' of the treason; though you shud be glad any
honest boys drank with you. It's for the regiment. We can't have
the shame o' you bringin' shame on us. You went to the doctor
quiet as a sick cat to get and stay behind an' live with the women
at the depot - you that wanted us to run to the sea in wolf-packs
like the rebels none of your black blood dared to be! But we knew
about your goin' to the doctor, for he told in mess, and it's all
over the regiment. Bein', as we are, your best friends, we didn't
allow any one to molest you yet. We will see to you ourselves.
Fight which you will - us or the enemy you'll never lie in that
cot again, and there's more glory and maybe less kicks from
fightin' the enemy. That's fair speakin'."
-
"And he told us by word of mouth to go and join with the niggers -
you've forgotten that, Dan," said Horse Egan, to justify sentence.