"But, father, their horses may be fleeter than ours."

"We are under God's protection: I am sure we shall not be overtaken: be
at peace, my son."

Poor Alfred felt as if his faith were very sorely tried indeed, but he
strove to acquiesce.

It was now quite dark, and the ears of the would-be fugitives were
strained to catch the sounds which should warn them of approaching danger.

At length they fancied they heard sounds arise from the plain before
them: suppressed noises, such as must unavoidably be made by a force on
its passage; and Alfred again sought the cell of Dunstan, yet dared not
enter, urgent though the emergency seemed.

At this moment he was startled by a demoniacal burst of laughter, which
seemed to fill the corridor in which he waited with exultant joy.

What could it be? he felt as if he had never heard such laughter before
--so terrible, yet so boisterous.

A moment of dread silence, and then it began again, and filled each
corridor and chamber.

At that moment Dunstan came forth, and saw the pale face of Alfred.

"It is only the devil," he said "we are not ignorant of his devices.

"O Satan! thou that wert once an angel in heaven, art thou reduced to
bray like a jackass?" [xxii]

Again the exultant peal resounded.

"Be at peace," said the abbot; "thou rejoicest at my departure; I shall
soon return to defy thee and thy allies."

And the laughter ceased.

"We must lose no time," he said; "the moment is at hand."

Locking each door behind him, he reached the party in the courtyard, and
each person mounted in a moment; then they passed under the great
archway. Oswy had remained behind one moment to lock the great gates,
and then they all rode forth boldly into the darkness.

They passed rapidly in a direction at right angles to that in which
their pursuers were approaching, and at the distance of a mile they
halted for one moment to ascertain the cause of a great uproar which
suddenly arose. It was not difficult to divine its cause: it was the
heating of axes and hammers on the great outer door of the monastery.

"It will occupy them nearly an hour," said Dunstan, "and we shall be far
far away before they have succeeded in effecting an entrance."

So they rode on rapidly into the night. Before them lay the Foss Way,
the road was good and well known to them, the moon was shining brightly,
and their spirits rose with the excitement and the exertion. Onward! Onward!

CHAPTER XII.