moment a horse's hoofs were heard approaching, and Jim
galloped up. He had, on arriving at the station, been unable to
obtain any information as to what had taken place. Mrs. Donald was
in a dead faint. Mrs. Barker had, just before he arrived, ridden
off to meet her husband; but the dead body of the constable, by the
door, and the disappearance of Kate, showed him what had taken
place; and he at once started after his master.

His horse, however, was a very inferior one to that ridden by
Reuben, and until he met the constable returning, he had been
obliged to follow the track of the horses in front; so he did not
arrive at the scene of the fray till half an hour after its
conclusion. He uttered exclamations of dismay, at seeing his
master's condition; for Reuben had been gradually growing faint,
and could now scarcely support himself on his elbow.

Jim, however, had taken the precaution to snatch a bottle of
spirits from the shelf, before he started; having an eye to his own
comforts, as well as to the possibility of its being required. He
now knocked off the neck, and poured some into the cup of Reuben's
flask, and put it to his lips.

"Thank you, Jim; that is just what I wanted."

"Massa lie down quiet," Jim said. "No good sit up;" and, gathering
a large bunch of grass, he placed it under Reuben's head; and
Reuben lay quiet, in a half dreamy state, until Mr. and Mrs. Barker
rode up.

Kate rose to her feet as they approached; but she was so stiff and
bruised, with her fall, that she could scarcely move forward to
meet Mrs. Barker; and burst into tears, as her friend threw her
arms round her.

"That's right, my poor child," Mrs. Barker said. "A cry will do you
good. Thank God, my dear Kate, for your rescue."

"I do indeed, Mrs. Barker. It seems almost a miracle."

"Captain Whitney seems to spring out of the ground, whenever he's
wanted. He seems hurt badly. The constable said it was a broken
collarbone, but it must be something a good deal worse than that."

"Oh, don't say so, Mrs. Barker, after what he's done for me. If he
were to die!"

"There, there, don't tremble so, child. We must hope that it is not
so bad as that; but he would hardly be looking so bad as he does,
for only a broken collarbone. My husband broke his--one day the
horse ran away with him, among some trees--and he was up and about
again, in a day or two.

"Is he badly hurt, do you think, John?" she asked her husband, who
was kneeling b