the best course to choose. The first thing is to get out of
this neighborhood beyond pursuit. If you only had a horse."

"Thar's two critters down in the crick bottom. I reckon thet Kirby an'
Gaskins must'r tied 'em thar."

"Good; then you will go; you agree with me?"

"Thar ain't nuthin' else fer me ter do--hangin' ain't never bin no
hobby o' mine. As I understand it, this Gaskins wus one o' these yere
militia men. I reckon thet if these yere two bug's wus ter swear thet
I killed him--as most likely they will--them boys wud string me up
furst, an' find out fer sure afterwards. Thar ain't so damn much law
up yere, an' thet's 'bout whut wud happen. So the sooner I leave these
yere parts, the more likely I am ter live a while yet."

"Then let's start," decisively. "Pick up one of those horses down on
the bottom, and turn the other one loose. I'll lead on down the trail
and you can meet us at the ford--once across the creek we can decide
which way to travel; there must be four hours of darkness yet."

I picked up the trailing rein of my horse and slipped my arm through
it. Tim faded away in the gloom like a vanishing shadow. The young
woman next me, strapped securely to her saddle, made no movement,
exhibited no sign of interest; her head and body drooped, yet her hands
grasped the pommel as though she still retained some dim conception of
her situation. The face under her hood was bent forward and shaded and
her eyes, although they seemed open, gave no heed to my presence. I
touched her hands--thank God, they were moist and warm, but when I
spoke her name it brought no response. The other horse, ridden by the
mulatto girl, was forced in between us.

"Who are ye?" she questioned, wonderingly. "Ye just called her by
name, an' ye must know her. Whut ye goin' fer ter do with us, sah?"

I looked up toward her face, without distinguishing its outlines. I
felt this was no time to explain; that every moment lost was of value.

"Never mind now; I know who she is and that you are Elsie Clark. We
are your friends."

"No he ain't--not thet other man; he ain't no friend o' mine. Ah tell
ye. He's de one whut locked me up on de boat. Ah sure know'd his
voice; he done locked me up, an' Ah's a free nigger."

"Forget that, Elsie; he's helping you now to get away. You do just
what I tell you to and above all keep still. Miss Beaucaire was
drugged, wasn't she?"

"Ah don't know, sah. She sure does act might