After some hunting about, they found the path, and, headed by Tom Loker,
began to climb up.

'Come up if you like,' George called out, 'but if you do we will shoot
you.'

For answer, the little man took aim at George, and fired.

Eliza screamed, but the shot did not hurt him. It passed close to his
hair, nearly touched her cheek, and, struck a tree behind.

Tom Loker came on. George waited until he was near enough, then he
fired. The shot hit him in the side. But, though wounded, he would not
go back. With a yell like that of a mad bull he came leaping on, and
sprang right in among them.

Quakers are not allowed to use guns and pistols, so Phineas had been
standing back while George shot. Now he sprang forward. As Tom Loker
landed in the middle of them, he gave him a great push, saying, 'Friend,
thee isn't wanted here.'

Down fell Tom Loker, down, down the steep side of the rock. He crashed
and crackled among trees, bushes, logs, loose stones, till he lay
bruised and groaning far below. The fall might have killed him, had it
not been broken by his clothes catching on the branches of a large tree.

Cruel people are, very often, cowardly too. When the men saw their
leader first wounded, and then thrown down, they all ran away.

Mounting their horses, they rode off as fast as they could, leaving Tom
Loker lying on the ground wounded and groaning with pain.

As soon as Phineas and the others saw that the wicked men had really
ridden away, they climbed down, meaning to walk along the road till they
met Simeon.

They had just reached the bottom, when they saw him coming back with the
waggon and two other men.

'Now we are safe,' cried Phineas joyfully.

'Well, do stop then,' said Eliza, 'and do something for that poor man.
He is groaning dreadfully.'

'It would be no more than Christian,' said George. 'Let us take him with
us.'

They lifted the wounded man gently, as if he had been a friend instead
of a cruel enemy, and laid him in the waggon. Then they all set out once
more.

[Illustration]

A drive of about an hour brought them to a neat farm-house. There the
tired travellers were kindly received and given a good breakfast.

Tom Loker was put into a comfortable bed, far cleaner and softer than
any he had ever slept in before. George and Eliza walked about the
garden hand-in-hand, feeling happy together, and almost safe. They were
so near Canada now.

CHAPTER XIII

AUNT DINAH

Miss Ophe