tion,
And don't get drunk nor prig again!

There goes the gate again. By Jove, what's that? Dragoons, as I'm
a sinner! There's going to be the d-----st bear-fight."

Saying which, Harry East dug his heels into his horse's sides,
holding him up sharply with the curb at the same time, and in
another moment, was at the bottom of the solitary mound on which
he had been perched for the last hour, and on the brow of the
line of hill out of which it rose so abruptly, just at the point
for which the two runners were making. He had only time to glance
at the pursuers, and saw that one or two rode straight on the
track of the fugitives, while the rest skirted away along a
parish road which led up the hill side by an easier ascent, when
Tom and his companion were by his side. Tom seized the bridle of
the led horse, and was in the saddle with one spring.

"Jump up behind," he shouted; "now, then, come along."

"Who are they?" roared East,--in that wind nothing but a shout
could be heard,--pointing over his shoulder with his thumb as
they turned to the heath.

"Yeomanry."

"After you?"

Tom nodded, as they broke into a gallop, making straight across
the heath towards the Oxford road. They were some quarter of a
mile in advance before any of their pursuers showed over the brow
of the hill behind them. It was already getting dusk, and the
great bank of cloud was by this time all but upon them, making
the atmosphere denser and darker every second. Then, first one of
the men appeared who had ridden straight up the hill under the
Hawk's Lynch, and, pulling up for a moment, caught sight of them
and gave chase. Half a minute later, and several of those who had
kept to the road were also in sight, some distance away on the
left, but still near enough to be unpleasant; and they too after
a moment's pause, were in full pursuit. At first the fugitives
held their own, and the distance between them and their pursuers
was not lessened; but it was clear that this could not last.
Anything that horse-flesh is capable of, a real good Oxford hack,
such as they rode, will do; but to carry two full-grown men at
the end of a pretty long day, away from fresh horses and moderate
weights, is too much to expect even of Oxford horse-flesh; and
the gallant beast which Tom rode was beginning to show signs of
distress when they struck into the road. There was a slight dip
in the ground a this place, and a little further on the heath
rose suddenly