"Do you think you can ride back, sir?" he asked, when he had
fastened the handkerchief, "or will you wait till I ride back to
the farm, and fetch help."

"I can ride back well enough," Reuben said, trying to rise to his
feet; but he found himself unable to do so.

The ball, after breaking his collarbone, had glanced downwards, and
the wound was a more serious one than he had imagined.

"No, I don't think I can ride back, Smithson."

"There is a light cart at the farm," Kate Ellison said. "Please
fetch that. I will stop here, with Captain Whitney, till you come
back."

"I think that will be the best way, miss," the constable agreed
and, mounting, he rode off at once.

It was an hour and a half before he returned, bringing the cart;
but before he arrived, Mr. and Mrs. Barker had ridden up on
horseback, the former having returned from his visit to the farm,
just as the constable rode in. While they had been alone, Reuben
had heard from Kate what had taken place.

"I did as you told me, Captain Whitney, and did not go once outside
the door. The constables kept a very sharp lookout, and one of them
was always on guard by the door; so there really did not seem any
possibility of danger.

"This morning, as I was washing up the breakfast things with Mrs.
Barker, a shot was suddenly fired outside the door and, before I
had time to think what it meant, that man rushed in. He caught me
by the wrist, and said:

"'Come along, it's no use your screaming.'

"Mrs. Barker caught up something and rushed at him, but he knocked
her down with the butt end of his pistol. Then he caught up her
shawl, which was lying on the chair close by, and threw it right
over my head; and then caught me up, and carried me out.

"I tried to struggle, but he seemed to hold me as if I were in a
vice. I heard Alice scream, and then I must have fainted; for the
next thing I knew was that I was being carried along on horseback.
I was so muffled up, and he held me so tight, that I felt it was no
use to struggle; and I made up my mind to lie quite still, as if I
was still insensible, till he put me down; and then--I think I
intended to try and seize his pistol, or to get hold of a knife, if
there was one and, if I could not kill him, to kill myself.

"There did not seem the least hope of rescue. Mr. Barker was away,
and would not be back for hours. I supposed that the constables
were shot, and all the men round were away with you; and from the