ged, hour
after hour. The child soon fell asleep, and lay heavily in his mother's
lap. The poor, frightened old woman at last forgot her fears; and, even
Eliza, as the night waned, found all her anxieties insufficient to keep
her eyes from closing. Phineas seemed, on the whole, the briskest of
the company, and beguiled his long drive with whistling certain very
unquaker-like songs, as he went on.

But about three o'clock George's ear caught the hasty and decided click
of a horse's hoof coming behind them at some distance and jogged Phineas
by the elbow. Phineas pulled up his horses, and listened.

"That must be Michael," he said; "I think I know the sound of his
gallop;" and he rose up and stretched his head anxiously back over the
road.

A man riding in hot haste was now dimly descried at the top of a distant
hill.

"There he is, I do believe!" said Phineas. George and Jim both sprang
out of the wagon before they knew what they were doing. All stood
intensely silent, with their faces turned towards the expected
messenger. On he came. Now he went down into a valley, where they could
not see him; but they heard the sharp, hasty tramp, rising nearer and
nearer; at last they saw him emerge on the top of an eminence, within
hail.

"Yes, that's Michael!" said Phineas; and, raising his voice, "Halloa,
there, Michael!"

"Phineas! is that thee?"

"Yes; what news--they coming?"

"Right on behind, eight or ten of them, hot with brandy, swearing and
foaming like so many wolves."

And, just as he spoke, a breeze brought the faint sound of galloping
horsemen towards them.

"In with you,--quick, boys, _in!_" said Phineas. "If you must fight,
wait till I get you a piece ahead." And, with the word, both jumped
in, and Phineas lashed the horses to a run, the horseman keeping close
beside them. The wagon rattled, jumped, almost flew, over the frozen
ground; but plainer, and still plainer, came the noise of pursuing
horsemen behind. The women heard it, and, looking anxiously out, saw,
far in the rear, on the brow of a distant hill, a party of men looming
up against the red-streaked sky of early dawn. Another hill, and
their pursuers had evidently caught sight of their wagon, whose white
cloth-covered top made it conspicuous at some distance, and a loud yell
of brutal triumph came forward on the wind. Eliza sickened, and strained
her child closer to her bosom; the old woman prayed and groaned, and
George and Jim clenched the