That afternoon, one of Hollman's henchmen was found lying in the road
with his lifeless face in the water of the creek. The next day, as old
Spicer South stood at the door of his cabin, a rifle barked from the
hillside, and he fell, shot through the left shoulder by a bullet
intended for his heart. All this while, the troops were helplessly
camped at Hixon. They had power and inclination to go out and get men,
but there was no man to get.
The Hollmans had used the soldiers as far as they wished; they had
made them pull the chestnuts out of the fire and Tamarack Spicer out of
his stronghold. They now refused to swear out additional warrants.
A detail had rushed into Hollman's store an instant after the shot
which killed Tamarack was fired. Except for a woman buying a card of
buttons, and a fair-haired clerk waiting on her, they found the
building empty.
Back beyond, the hills were impenetrable, and answered no questions.