ndow and fleeing on one of the soldiers'
horses, but the idea was accompanied by the thought that Elizabeth
might be made to suffer for his escape. Her safety now depended on his
getting the mastery over his three would-be captors. So, ere the two
astonished fellows could turn, Harry had leaped within sword's reach
of his doubly armed enemy.

But Colden was now as alert as rigid, and he opposed his officer's
sword against Peyton's broken cavalry blade, guarding himself with
unexpected swiftness, and giving back, for Harry's sweeping stroke, a
thrust which only the quickest and most dexterous movement turned
aside from entering the Virginian's lungs. As Harry stepped back for
an instant out of his adversary's reach, the Tory raised his pistol.
At the same moment the two soldiers, having turned about, rushed on
Peyton from behind. He heard them coming, and half turned to face
them. Their movement had for him one fortunate circumstance. It kept
Colden from shooting, for his bullet might have struck one of his own
men.

Now Elizabeth had not been idle. At the moment when Harry had stepped
back from her and bade her go, she had run to the door of the east
hall, and called Williams and Sam. While Peyton had been engaging
Colden near the window, the steward and the negro had entered the
parlor, and she had excitedly ordered them to Peyton's aid. Williams
still had the duck-gun, Sam the pistol. Thus it occurred that, as
Peyton half turned from Colden towards the two soldiers, these
last-named saw Williams and Sam rush in between them and their prey.
Before Williams could bring his duck-gun to bear, he was struck down
senseless by one of the musket blows first intended for Peyton.
Another blow, and from another musket, had been aimed at Sam's woolly
head, but the negro had put up his left hand and caught the descending
weapon, and at the same time had discharged his pistol at the weapon's
holder. But Williams, in falling, had knocked against the darky, and
so disturbed his aim, and the ball flew wide. The man who had brought
down Williams now struck Sam a terrible blow with the musket-club, on
the temple, and the negro dropped like a felled ox.

During this brief passage, Peyton had returned to close quarters with
Colden. The latter, who had lowered his pistol when his men had last
approached Peyton, and who had resumed the contest of swords unequal
in size and kind, now raised the pistol a second time. But it was
caught by