Captain Belton turned his attention to the prisoner. He studied the young man intently. “Another belligerent Rebel who doesn’t know he’s been whipped,” he remarked. “What unit did you serve with, Reb?”
Matt, who had been studying the captain just as closely, hesitated a moment before replying, “Twenty-second Virginia Cavalry.”
“Twenty-second, eh? I guess they didn’t teach you to stand up in the presence of an officer.”
“Not a Yankee officer, I reckon they didn’t,” Matt replied.
A wry smile creased the captain’s face. “Still got a few burrs, ain’t you? Well, let me tell you what happens to smart young men like yourself who murder an officer of the U.S. Army. We’re gonna take you back to Lexington in chains, so all the other Rebs can see you. Then we’re gonna hold a trial, so that everybody knows we stand for justice. Then we’re gonna hang you in the square to teach the rest of your kind a lesson.”
There was no doubt in Matt’s mind that a trial would be no more than a formality and the prelude to a hanging. The question before him was when to escape, for he knew he would rather a bullet in the back than a rope around the neck.