ead wings, came down the wind again, at a rate even more wonderful
than before.

'Ride at him, Raphael--ride at him, and turn him into those bushes!'
cried Synesius, fitting an arrow to his bow.

Raphael obeyed, and the bird swerved into the low scrub; the
well-trained horse leapt at him like a cat; and Raphael, who dare not
trust his skill in archery, struck with his whip at the long neck as it
struggled past him, and felled the noble quarry to the ground. He was
in the act of springing down to secure his prize, when a shout from
Synesius stopped him.

'Are you mad? He will kick out your heart! Let the dogs hold him!'

'Where is the other?' asked Raphael, panting.

'Where he ought to be. I have not missed a running shot for many a
month.'

'Really, you rival the Emperor Commodus himself.'

'Ah! I tried his fancy of crescent-headed arrows once, and decapitated
an ostrich or two tolerably: but they are only fit for the amphitheatre:
they will not lie safely in the quiver on horseback, I find. But what
is that?' And he pointed to a cloud of white dust, about a mile down the
valley. 'A herd of antelopes? If so, God is indeed gracious to us! Come
down--whatsoever they are, we have no time to lose.'

And collecting his scattered forces, Synesius pushed on rapidly towards
the object which had attracted his attention.

'Antelopes!' cried one.

'Wild horses!' cried another.

'Tame ones, rather!' cried Synesius, with a gesture of wrath. 'I saw the
flash of arms!'

'The Ausurians!' And a yell of rage rang from the whole troop.

'Will you follow me, children?'

'To death!' shouted they.

'I know it. Oh that I had seven hundred of you, as Abraham had! We would
see then whether these scoundrels did not share, within a week, the fate
of Chedorlaomer's.'

'Happy man, who can actually trust your own slaves!' said Raphael, as
the party galloped on, tightening their girdles and getting ready their
weapons.

'Slaves? If the law gives me the power of selling one or two of them who
are not yet wise enough to be trusted to take care of themselves, it
is a fact which both I and they have long forgotten. Their fathers grew
gray at my father's table, and God grant that they may grow gray at
mine! We eat together, work together, hunt together, fight together,
jest together, and weep together. God help us all! for we have but one
common weal. Now--do you make out the enemy, boys?'

'Ausurians, your Holiness. The same party