have sought my life, you murdering wolf, and your bullet
has killed Beauty."

"I shot at the eyes of what I thought a deer," returned Blake. "You were
a fool, Hugh Habershaw, to bring a dog into such a place.

"My poor dog! my brave dog! Beauty was worth ten thousand such bastard
villains as you! And to have him killed! May the devil feast upon your
soul this night, Gideon Blake! Go! and account for your wickedness. Take
that, snake! tiger! black-hearted whig and rebel! and be thankful that
you didn't come to your end by the help of hemp!" and in this gust of
passion he struck his knife into the bosom of the trooper, who groaned,
staggered, and fell.

At this moment the person bearing the fire, hearing the groan of his
comrade, rushed up to the spot and seized Habershaw's arm, just as the
monster was raising it over the fallen man to repeat the blow.

"Damn him! see what he has done!" exclaimed the captain, as he lifted up
the dead body of the dog so as to show in the light the wound inflicted
by the ball between the eyes; "this poor, faithful, dumb beast was worth
a hundred such hell-hounds as he!"

"I am murdered," said the wounded man; "I am murdered in cold blood."

The noise at this place brought together the rest of the hunters, who
were now returning with the buck thrown across a horse that had been led
by one of the party. Blake's wound was examined by them, and some linen
applied to staunch the blood. The man had fainted, but it was not
ascertained whether the stab was mortal. Habershaw stood sullenly
looking on during the examination, and, finding that life had not
instantly fled, he coolly wiped his knife and restored it to his girdle.

"The fellow has no idea of dying," he said with a visible concern, "and
has got no more than he deserves. He will live to be hung yet. Take him
to quarters."

"Make a hurdle for him," said one of the bystanders, and, accordingly,
two men cut a few branches from the neighboring wood, and twisting them
together, soon constructed a litter upon which they were able to bear
the body of the wounded hunter to the rendezvous. The others, scarcely
uttering a word as they marched along, followed slowly with the buck,
and in half an hour the troop was once more assembled under the
chestnut.

For a time there was a sullen and discontented silence amongst the whole
crew, that was only broken by the groans of the wounded trooper.
Occasionally there was a slight outburst of seditio