that was
plainly the last signal of danger, for the buccaneers turned at once and
ran, separating in every direction, one seaward along the cove, one
slant across the hill, and so on, so that in half a minute not a sign of
them remained but Pew. Him they had deserted, whether in sheer panic or
out of revenge for his ill words and blows, I know not; but there he
remained behind, tapping up and down the road in a frenzy, and groping
and calling for his comrades. Finally he took the wrong turn, and ran a
few steps past me, towards the hamlet, crying:

"Johnny, Black Dog, Dirk," and other names, "you won't leave old Pew,
mates--not old Pew?"

Just then the noise of horses topped the rise, and four or five riders
came in sight in the moonlight, and swept at full gallop down the slope.

At this Pew saw his error, turned with a scream, and ran straight for
the ditch, into which he rolled. But he was on his feet again in a
second, and made another dash, now utterly bewildered, right under the
nearest of the coming horses.

The rider tried to save him, but in vain. Down went Pew with a cry that
rang high into the night, and the four hoofs trampled and spurned him
and passed by. He fell on his side, then gently collapsed upon his face,
and moved no more.

I leaped to my feet and hailed the riders. They were pulling up, at any
rate, horrified at the accident, and I soon saw what they were. One,
tailing out behind the rest, was a lad that had gone from the hamlet to
Doctor Livesey's; the rest were revenue officers, whom he had met by the
way, and with whom he had had the intelligence to return at once. Some
news of the lugger in Kitt's Hole had found its way to Supervisor Dance,
and set him forth that night in our direction, and to that circumstance
my mother and I owed our preservation from death.

Pew was dead, stone dead. As for my mother, when we had carried her up
to the hamlet, a little cold water and salts very soon brought her back
again, and she was none the worse for her terror, though she still
continued to deplore the balance of the money.

In the meantime the supervisor rode on, as fast as he could, to Kitt's
Hole; but his men had to dismount and grope down the dingle, leading,
and sometimes supporting, their horses, and in continual fear of
ambushes; so it was no great matter for surprise that when they got
down to the Hole the lugger was already under way, though still close
in. He hailed her. A voice replie