The Winslow mail., 1900-05-24
CHAPTER XXI.
THE RIDE TO ST. JEROME.

half dozen men came Fastening towards
US. They were on foot, however, and had
no mind to stand the shock of meeting horses
coming at full speed down an incline, SO
skipped nimbly aside. The officer alone held
bis ground, paying for his courage with his
life, for Bande Mere sliced his head in two
like ripe watermelon-poor wretch. Had
they only closed the gates we were lost, but
we reached them just in time, and, passing
through like flash, were free of the town.
A bullet or two whizzed past us, but did no
damage. 1t was done, and another half
hour of the pace we were going would place
us beyond pursuit. 1t was no easy matter,
however, to sit the horse and hold Angola
as / was doing, and / very soon began to feel
that the strain on my arm was getting be-
yond me, and that she was slipping from my
grasp. She lay still and passive, her eyes
closed, her head resting on my shoulder, and
seemed in faint. Perhaps spoke roughly,
but it was no time to mince words.
Come, madam" l said, ''you must rouse
yourself-take another day to swoon-hold
me as closely aG you can-qulck.
My words-and the tone they were spoken
in-had the effect l wanted. She looked a
little indignant, but held on, leaving my left
arm, which WIGS getting numbed, more free
to guide the horse, and my sword arm great
e. Hberty should occasion arise.
The country, rugged although it was, de-
scended in a slope towards the basin of
Trasimene but l turned sharp aside from
the road, fearing there might be picquet
thereon, and galIoped across the open, far
outpacing my followers, who l saw were
coming after me in bunch, and at their
utmost speed 1.-The honest knaves. The
glance over MY shoulder that took to OBJ
serve this also showed me strong body OF
horse squirting from the gate, and chucklcd
to myself as thought we had gained a mile s
start and that they had to deal with Castor.
Five leagues to go-it was nothing to the
brave horse; and in answer to my call he
stretched himself out as he had never done
before. As for me, such thoughts as | had
when felt the arms of the woman L loved
clasped about me are TO be recalled for ones
self alone, ard concern none else beside.
Once or twice glanced down, meeting her
eyes, and as che dropped her lids over them
they seemed to me to be alive with soft
light. After little l felt the arms begin
ming to relax.
"Hold tight" said.
Il cannot; my strength is going
Courage, take heart; see, to our left is
the Tower of Magione-a few minutes and
we are safe"
/ drew her closer towards me. With an
effort she rallied, her arms again tightened
in their clasp, and we sped down the long
slope which led to Trasimene, Castor
stretching himself like a greyhound.
looked again over my shoulder. Far behind
my men were riding for their lives, and far
ther still was the dark line of our pursuers,
coming on with dogged persistence, the sun
I lighting up their armor and flashing from
L. ho.-onI MoUinna
were comparatively safe, but a false step, a
stumble, and all was lost. Magione itself
was held by the Baglioni, and from the old
watch tower, built by the Sforza, which
stood high above the country, we might have
: already been spied and party sent out to
intercept us. The thought seemed to grow
into a reality, and despair began to come
over me. "On, on, Castori" / spoke to the
good horse, and he laid his ears back at the
sound of my voice, and even as he did so |
saw cloud of dust coming towards our left,
and knew that the danger | feared was at
hand. Going as we were 1 vas riding right
into the party from Magione, and therefore
with touch on the rein | swung Castor
round to the north, and raced on, leav-
ing the tower over my shoulder. The double
burden and the tremendous pace, however,
began to tell on the horse, and within the
next five minutes he slackened perceptibly
in his stride To my horror l saw that the
ground began TO be furrowed and cut up by
rayines and that we were approaching the
bed of a river. had, therefore, to slacken
the pace, and at the same time our new puI'
suers sighting us came on with all the speed
of their fresh horses. Castor scrambled IN
and out of the ravines like cat, but we
were going slowly now, and the enemy hal
all the advantage of the level ground to come
up, which they did at a dreadful rate With
the failing strength of my companion dared
not risk jumps, weighted as | was, but the
brave horse did his utmost, as if knowing
our danger.
For Gods sake hold on' / cried out as
we topped a deep ravine with plunge that
almost caused Angola to slip from my grasp,
and as ! said this | heard a shot and a ball
from an arquebus whistle over my head.
The enemy were in the rough ground now
themselves, but they were within gun range,
and dreaded that some of them might dis
mount and pick me off. This, however, did
not occur to them, and on We went, with
every now and again a bullet, fired from
horseback with an unsteady aim, singing
past U.S. My charge had twisted her arms
into my shoulder belt and held on bravely,
but saw by her white face and the blue
and if she tainted there was end of all.
At the outside it was matter OF few
minutes now, one way or the other; but as
i came to the crest of another ravine siw
before me steep bank leading down to a
small stream that was swishing along IN a
white food, and on the opposite shore a
sight that made my heart leap, for drawn up
in array evidently reused by the sound OF
the shots, was a strong body of men at arms,
and over them huttered the pennon of
Hardwood, a red hand on white field. l
knew in moment we were within the
kings outposts.
"Saved" shouted in my JOY. Saved"
and risking all l made the horse fly the
4 last ravine, and the next instant we had slid
down the bank, and the white water was
churning round Castor as he dashed into the
stream.
A puff of smoke above us, a flash as OF
lightning, deafening roar, and one of No
varro's nine-pounders belched out a storm
of grape that hissed over our heads in the
direction CT our pursuers and stopped them,
beaten and baffled. One effort more, we
were out of the stream, up the bank, and
painting breathless and still bleeding, with
my companion in dead faint in my arms,
Ieined in Castor. In moment we were sur
rounded, but the faces were kindly, and, dis
mounting slowly, i placed my lifeless bur-
den on heap of cloaks that were flung to
the earth for her, and then, turning round
saw IIawkwood before me. 1t was the first
time we had met since the affair at Arezzo,