onjectured
that Sumpter was secretly posted in some neighboring fastness to give
his assistance to the enterprise.

With these reflections, Macdonald felt himself obliged to submit to the
exigencies of the case; a point of philosophy which he did not practise
without a very visible chagrin and mortification. His men were called
together, and after a short, fretful lecture on their neglect, and an
injunction to a more soldier-like vigilance in future, which savored of
the caution of locking the stable after the steed was stolen, they were
dismissed.

About an hour before sundown, Allen Musgrove and Mary, availing
themselves of the confusion and relaxed discipline of the post,
occasioned by the events of the morning, set out on horseback for David
Ramsay's dwelling, whither they were led by a natural anxiety to learn
something of the movements of the fugitives.

"It's a pleasure and a happiness, Allen Musgrove," said Mistress Ramsay,
as the miller and his daughter sat down in the cabin, "to see you and
Mary over here with us at any time, but it is specially so now when we
have good news to tell. John and his friend are safe out of reach of
Macdonald's men, and--God be praised!--I hope out of the way of all
other harms. We have had soldiers dodging in and out through the day,
but not one of them has made any guess what's gone with the major; and
as for John, they don't seem to suspect him to be on the country-side.
It's all Horse Shoe Robinson with them. They say that none but he could
have helped to get the major away, and that General Sumpter was the
instigator. Well, I'm sure they were welcome to that opinion, for it set
them all to looking over towards Broad river, which is as good a
direction as we could wish them to travel."

"The less you seem to know about it, with any of these inquiring
parties, the better, Mistress Ramsay," said Allen Musgrove, "and I would
advise you, even here amongst ourselves, to speak lower, David, what do
you hear this evening?"

"Nothing concerning our runaways since they left us at daylight this
morning," replied Ramsay. "I should guess them to be somewhere near upon
Fair Forest by this time. You know Williams is out-lying upon the upper
branches of the river? It is more like hunted deer, Allen, than
Christian men, that our poor fellows take to the woods now. God knows
what will come of it!"

"He knows and has appointed it," said Musgrove, gravely, "and will in
His own good time a