walk a piece," he said. "I told Michael to
go forward and bring help, and be along back here with the wagon; but we
shall have to walk a piece along the road, I reckon, to meet them. The
Lord grant he be along soon! It's early in the day; there won't be much
travel afoot yet a while; we an't much more than two miles from our
stopping-place. If the road hadn't been so rough last night, we could
have outrun 'em entirely."

As the party neared the fence, they discovered in the distance, along
the road, their own wagon coming back, accompanied by some men on
horseback.

"Well, now, there's Michael, and Stephen and Amariah," exclaimed
Phineas, joyfully. "Now we _are_ made--as safe as if we'd got there."

"Well, do stop, then," said Eliza, "and do something for that poor man;
he's groaning dreadfully."

"It would be no more than Christian," said George; "let's take him up
and carry him on."

"And doctor him up among the Quakers!" said Phineas; "pretty well,
that! Well, I don't care if we do. Here, let's have a look at him;"
and Phineas, who in the course of his hunting and backwoods life had
acquired some rude experience of surgery, kneeled down by the wounded
man, and began a careful examination of his condition.

"Marks," said Tom, feebly, "is that you, Marks?"

"No; I reckon 'tan't friend," said Phineas. "Much Marks cares for thee,
if his own skin's safe. He's off, long ago."

"I believe I'm done for," said Tom. "The cussed sneaking dog, to leave
me to die alone! My poor old mother always told me 't would be so."

"La sakes! jist hear the poor crittur. He's got a mammy, now," said the
old negress. "I can't help kinder pityin' on him."

"Softly, softly; don't thee snap and snarl, friend," said Phineas, as
Tom winced and pushed his hand away. "Thee has no chance, unless I stop
the bleeding." And Phineas busied himself with making some off-hand
surgical arrangements with his own pocket-handkerchief, and such as
could be mustered in the company.

"You pushed me down there," said Tom, faintly.

"Well if I hadn't thee would have pushed us down, thee sees," said
Phineas, as he stooped to apply his bandage. "There, there,--let me fix
this bandage. We mean well to thee; we bear no malice. Thee shall be
taken to a house where they'll nurse thee first rate, well as thy own
mother could."

Tom groaned, and shut his eyes. In men of his class, vigor and
resolution are entirely a physical matter, and ooze out with the flo