s as they neighed with excitement.

Montbar glanced behind him; more than a mile back the sparks were flying
from the escort's horses. Before him was the mountainous declivity. Down
it he dashed, gathering the reins to master his horses when the time
came.

The conductor had ceased expostulating, for he saw that the hand which
guided the horses was firm and capable. But from time to time the
colonel thrust his head through the window to look for his men.

Half-way down the slope Montbar had his horses under control, without,
however, seeming to check their course. Then he began to sing, at the
top of his voice, the "Reveil du Peuple," the song of the royalists,
just as the "Marseillaise" was the song of the Jacobins.

"What's that rogue about?" cried Roland, putting his head through the
window. "Tell him to hold his tongue, conductor, or I'll put a ball
through his loins."

Perhaps the conductor might have repeated Roland's threat to Montbar,
but he suddenly saw a black line blocking the road. "Halt, conductor!"
thundered a voice the next moment.

"Postilion, drive over the bellies of those bandits!" shouted the police
agent.

"Drive on yourself!" said Montbar. "Do you suppose I'm going over the
stomachs of friends? Who-o-ah!"

The mail coach stopped as if by magic.

"Go on! go on!" cried Roland and the colonel, aware that the escort was
too far behind to help them.

"Ha! You villain of a postilion," cried the police agent, springing out
of the coupe, and pointing his pistol at Montbar, "you shall pay for
this."

The words were scarcely uttered when Montbar, forestalling him, fired,
and the agent rolled, mortally wounded, under the wheels of the coach.
His fingers, convulsed by death, touched the trigger and the pistol went
off, but the ball touched no one.

"Conductor," shouted the two officers, "by all the powers of heaven,
open, open, open quickly!"

"Gentlemen," said Morgan, advancing, "we are not attacking your persons,
we merely want the government money. Conductor! that fifty thousand
francs, and quickly too!"

Two shots from the interior made answer for the officers, who, after
vainly shaking the doors, were still more fruitlessly attempting to
force themselves through the windows. No doubt one of their shots took
effect, for a cry of rage was heard and a flash illuminated the road.
The colonel gave a sigh, and fell back against Roland. He was killed
outright.

Roland fired again, but no one