l right! they have no bow chasers, or we should have had them firing
after us," cried Tom, laughing; "they will have had their ride for
nothing, I hope, after all."

Two or three miles more were got over. The midshipmen began to look out
for the lanterns on the city walls, which, by this time, they expected
to see. Near, however, as they might be to a place of refuge, as their
foes still continued the pursuit, they were not out of danger. Their
steeds, too, were giving evident signs of being knocked up, and they had
to keep their sticks going to make the poor animals move forward.
Presently, down came Billy's horse, sending its rider clear over its
head, Billy narrowly escaping a kick from the heels of the animal
directly before him. Tom, without stopping to see what had become of
Billy, pulled up, and fortunately succeeded in catching the animal's
reins.

"Where are you, Billy?" he shouted out; "not hurt, I hope?"

"Not much, only on my knee," answered Billy, as he hobbled up and
climbed again into his saddle.

The rest of the party, not seeing what had occurred, galloped on.
Billy's horse, like his rider, had cut both its knees, and seemed very
unwilling to continue the headlong race they had been so long running.

"You must make him get along," said Tom, applying his own stick to the
animal's back. "I don't want my head cut off, and I don't want to leave
you behind."

Short as had been the delay, it was of serious consequence, for when Tom
looked round he could distinctly see the enemy coming after them.
Billy, not being a good rider, cried out that he should be off again, as
he had got one of his feet out of the stirrup.

"Never mind; hold on by your hands, and I'll lead your horse," cried
Tom, seizing the rein. He had no wish to delay the rest of the party,
so he did not shout out to them to stop, but he determined to push
forward as long as the horses could keep on their legs. Billy in a
short time succeeded in getting his foot into the stirrup.

"Now," said Tom, "if we have to leap, don't be pulling at the rein, but
let your horse have his head, and you stick on like wax."

In the mean time the rest of the party pushed forward, Gerald was
surprised that Tom did not answer a question; he shouted to him, still
fancying that he was close behind.

"There's a light ahead," he cried out; "it must be on the walls, or else
a house in the suburbs."

"If it was on the walls, it would appear higher," ans