from his sight.

And now at length the awful pressure began to relax, for the half-dozen
streams were setting steadily out of the main street, while in several
spots where dragoons had sat wedged in singly two had drifted together.
Then there were threes and fours, and soon after a little body of about
twenty had coalesced, stood in something like order, and were able to
make a stand. Right away toward Cheapside there was now visible beneath
a faint cloud of smoke, which looked ruddy in the torch- and lamplight,
a glittering line above the heads of the still dense crowd, and Frank
grasped the fact that they were bayonets. Then turning in the other
direction he saw, far up the street toward Islington, another glittering
line, showing that a second body of infantry barred the way.

And now once more came the sound of firing, and Frank's heart resumed
its wild beating, for it came rolling down the side street nearly
opposite to him, that up which he had seen the prisoners passed, and he
knew that troops must be guarding the end.

This was plain enough, for the steady stream passing up it grew slower,
then stopped; there was a tremendous shouting and yelling, and the human
tide came slowly rolling back, then faster and faster, till it set right
across the main street, and joined one going off in the opposite
direction.

Soon after, to the boy's horror, he caught sight of one of the prisoners
being borne along over the heads of the returning crowd; then of another
and another. And now, as the two lines of dimly seen bayonets drew
nearer in both directions, there was once more the sound of the trumpet;
and in half a dozen places the dragoons began to form up, and, minute by
minute growing stronger in the power to move, swords were seen to flash,
and they forced their way through the stream, cutting it right across,
and hemming in the portion of the crowd over whose heads the perfectly
helpless prisoners were being borne.

This manoeuvre having been executed, the rest proved simple. Knot after
knot of the dragoons forced their way up to what had become their
rallying-point, the foot guards were steadily advancing up and down the
main street toward the carriages, and another company was steadily
driving the people back along the side street up which the prisoners had
been borne.

"A brave attempt, Frank," said Captain Murray; "but they have failed.
Come along;" and, dizzy with excitement, the boy felt his horse begin