CHAPTER XXX
_A Point of Honor_
There was no disturbance that night, and the next morning Tom took histwo soldiers and went hunting again. Tom had a positive genius forgetting game. This time he brought back no deer, no wild boar, and nohalf grown bear; but he and his soldiers were loaded down with turkeys,squirrels and hares. There was meat enough in the camp now to last for aday or two, but the bread supply was nearly exhausted, inasmuch as theboys had divided their meal with the soldiers.
In this situation the lieutenant went to Tom and engaged him inconversation.
"Now, I know," he said, "that there are many stills around here. Everyone of them has a supply of ground up grain, and I want some of it. Youhave hunted all over the mountains, and of course you know where some atleast of the stills are."
"Yes, I know where several of them are," answered Tom.
"Well, I propose to raid some of them, to get breadstuffs. Will you gowith my men and point out the stills?"
"No!" answered Tom, with emphasis on the monosyllable.
"But why not?" asked the lieutenant. "Surely you are not afraid."
"Not the least bit," answered Tom. "But I've entered into an honorableagreement with the moonshiners and I mean to keep it. I've assured themthat we boys were not here to spy them out and betray them, and I'vepledged them my honor that if they let us alone we would let them alone.You see this illicit distilling is none of my business, or yours either,Lieutenant. It's the business of the revenue officers. Now under ourhonorable agreement these people, who began by ordering us off themountain and followed that up by shooting at us for not going, have letus alone for many weeks past, and I am going to keep my promise to letthem alone in return."
"But they haven't let you alone," answered the lieutenant. "Theirassault upon the camp--"
"Pardon me," answered Tom. "That was not an assault upon us, but uponthe revenue officers and their military support. I do not think itabsolves me from my promise. Besides that, I doubt if you have any rightto raid stills except under orders of the revenue officers, and theyare too badly frightened to undertake anything of the kind. You have nowarrants. Your sole duty and right and privilege is to go with theserevenue officers and protect them in the execution of their duty."
"That is certainly true," answered the lieutenant after a moment's pausefor consideration. "I hadn't thought of it in that way."
"And still further," said Tom, "it is very certain that there isn't anillicit still now running on this mountain. The moment you fellowsappeared every still was ripped off its furnace and buried somewhere,every mash tub was emptied and sent bowling down the mountain, and everyscrap of evidence that there had ever been an illicit still there wascompletely destroyed. So, even if you find the buildings in which thebusiness was formerly carried on, what right will you have to seize uponthe meal or anything else you may find there? You might as well raid amill and seize all that you find in it."
"But you know, Tom, and I know, that these people are lawlessly engagedin defrauding the revenue."
"Of course," said Tom. "But that doesn't justify you in violating thelaw and robbing them of their meal. If you could catch them indefrauding the revenue you might perhaps have a right to confiscatetheir materials, as the law prescribes, though as you're not a revenueofficer I doubt that. Just now you can't possibly catch them doinganything of the kind. Understand me, Lieutenant, I am as much devoted asyou are to law and order. I know these men to be thieves and uponoccasion murderers. But neither of us has a right to convict themwithout proof of their guilt."
Tom had never made so long a speech in all his life or one inspired byso much of earnestness.
The lieutenant sat silent for a while, thinking the matter over.Presently he arose, took Tom's hand and said:
"I believe you are right, Tom. At any rate you are right on the point ofhonor that controls your own course in this matter. We are taught atWest Point that whenever there is the least or the greatest doubt as toa point of honor, it is an honorable man's duty to give honor thebenefit of the doubt. We'll make no raids except under the warrants ofthe revenue officers. We'll live on meat till the caravan comes up themountain."