THE DRAGON'S TEETH
at this moment a man on a piebald horse came clattering over a hedge—as carelessly as if the air was not full of lead and steel at all. Another man rode behind him with a lance and a red pennon on it. I think he must have been the enemy's General coming to tell his men not to throw away their lives on a forlorn hope, for directly he said they were captured the enemy gave in and owned that they were. The enemy's Colonel saluted and ordered his men to form quarter column again. I should have thought he would have had about enough of that myself.
He had now given up all thought of sullen resistance to the bitter end. He rolled a cigarette for himself, and had the foreign cheek to say to our Colonel:
"By Jove, old man, you got me clean that time! Your scouts seem to have marked us down uncommonly neatly."
It was a proud moment when our Colonel laid his military hand on Oswald's shoulder and said:
"This is my chief scout," which were high words, but not undeserved, and Oswald owns he felt red with gratifying pride when he heard them.
"So you are the traitor, young man," said the wicked Colonel, going on with his cheek.
Oswald bore it because our Colonel had, and you should be generous to a fallen foe, but it is hard to be called a traitor when you haven't.
He did not treat the wicked Colonel with silent scorn as he might have done, but he said:
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