第70章

"Now, Dan stoop low and get across to those trees."Greatly astonished at what was happening, but having implicit faith in his master, Dan followed without a question.

It was but ten minutes since Vincent had seen the horse-men, but the darkness had closed in rapidly, and he had little fear of his approach being seen.He made his way through the trees, and crept up to the house, and then kept close along it until he reached the front.There stood the horses, with the bridles thrown over their neck..The riders were all inside the house.

"Look here, Dan," he whispered, "you keep here perfectly quiet until I join you again or you hear a pistol-shot.If you do bear a shot, rush at the horses with your stick and drive them off at full gallop.Drive them right into the woods if you can and then lie quiet there till you hear me whistle for you.If you don't hear my whistle you will know that something has happened to me, and then you must make your way home as well as you can.""Oh, Master Vincent," Dan began; but Vincent stopped him.

"It's no use talking, Dan; you must do as I order you.I hope all will be well; but it must be done anyhow.""Let me come and load your pistol and fight with you, sah.""You can do more good by stampeding the horses, Dan.Perhaps, after all, there will be no trouble."So saying, leaving Dan with the tears running down his cheeks, Vincent went to the back of the house and tried the door there.It was fastened.Then he went to the other side; and here, the light streaming though the window, which was open, and the sound of loud voices, showed him the room where the party were.He crept cautiously up and looked in.Mullens was standing facing Lucy Kingston; the rest of the men were standing behind him.The girl was as pale as death, but was quiet and composed.

"Now," Mullens said, "I ask you for the last time.You have admitted that a man has been here to-day, and that you gave him food.You say he is not in the house; and as we have searched it pretty thoroughly, we know that's right enough.You say you don't know where he is, and that may be true enough in a sense; but Ihave asked you whether he is coming back again, and you won't answer me.I just give you three seconds;" and he held out his arm with a pistol in it."One!" As the word "Two" left his lips, a pistol cracked, and Mullens fell back with a bullet in his forehead.

At the same time Vincent shouted at the top of his voice, "Come on, lads; wipe 'em out altogether.Don't let one of them escape."As he spoke he discharged his pistol rapidly into the midst of the men, who were for the moment too taken by surprise to move, and every shot took effect upon them.At the same moment there was a great shouting outside, and the trampling of horses' feet.One or two of the men hastily returned Vincent's fire, but the rest made a violent rush to the door.Several fell over the bodies of their comrades, and Vincent had emptied one of his revolvers and fired three shots with the second before the last of those able to escape did so.Five bodies remained on the floor.As they were still seven to one against him, Vincent ran to the corner of the house, prepared to shoot them as they came round; but the ruffians were too scared to think of anything but escape, and they could be heard running and shouting across the fields.

Vincent ran into the house.He had seen Lucy Kingston fall prostrate at the same instant as the ruffian facing her.Strung up to the highest tension, and expecting in another second to be shot, the crack of Vincent's pistol had brought her down as surely as the bullet of Mullens would have done.Even in the excitement of firing, Vincent felt thankful when he saw her fall, and knew that she was safe from the bullets flying about.When he entered the room he found the old negress lying beside her, and thought at first that she had fallen in the fray.He found that she was not only alive, but unhurt, having, the instant she saw her young mistress fall, thrown herself upon her to protect her from harm.

"Am dey all gone, sah?" she asked, as Vincent somewhat roughly pulled her off the girl's body.

"They have all gone, Chloe; but I do not know how soon they may be hack again.Get your mistress round as soon as you can.I am sure that she has only fainted, for she fell the instant I fired, before another pistol had gone off."Leaving the old woman to bring Miss Kingston round, he reloaded his pistols and went to the door.In a few minutes the sound of horses galloping was heard.

"Halt, or I fire!" he shouted.

"Don't shoot, sah! Don't shoot! It am me!" and Dan rode up, holding a second horse by the bridle."I thought I might as well get two ob dem, so I jump on de back oh one and get hold oh anoder bridle while I was waiting to hear your pistol fire.Den de moment I heard dat I set de oders off, and chased dem to de corner where de gate was where dey came in at, and along do road for half a mile; dey so frightened dey not stop for a long time to come.Den Iturn into de wood and went through de trees, so as not to meet dem fellows, and lifted two of de bars of the fence, and here I am.You are not hurt, massa?""My left arm is broken, I think, Dan; but that is of no consequence.

I have shot five of these fellows-their leader among them-and Iexpect three of the others have got a bullet somewhere or other in them.There was such a crowd round the door that I don't think one shot missed.It was well I thought of stampeding the horses;that gave them a greater fright than my pistols.No doubt they thought that there was a party of our bushwhackers upon them.