black, brown, or white. He had never gone
a-Maying, as the saying was, and his only weakness or fault--if it was a
fault--was a fondness for the bottle of good wine which was ever open
on his table, and for tobacco in the smoking-leaf. To-day he smoked
incessantly and carefully. He threw no loose ends of burning tobacco
from cigar or pipe into the loose dry leaves and stiff-cut ground. Yet
they knew the small clouds floating away from his head did not check his
observation. That was proved beyond peradventure when they were within
sight of the homestead of Salem on an upland well-wooded. It was in
apparently happy circumstances, for they could see no commotion about
the homestead; they saw men with muskets, evidently keeping guard--yet
too openly keeping guard, and so some said to each other.

Presently Dyck reined his horse. Each man listened attentively, and eyed
the wood ahead of them, for it was clear Dyck suspected danger there.
For a moment there seemed doubt in Dyck's mind what to do, but presently
he had decided.

"Ride slow for Salem," he said. "It's Maroons there in the bush. They
are waiting for night. They won't attack us now. They're in ambush--of
that I'm sure. If they want to capture Salem, they'll not give alarm by
firing on us, so if we ride on they'll think we haven't sensed them. If
they do attack us, we'll know they are in good numbers, for they'll be
facing us as well as the garrison of Salem. But keep your muskets ready.
Have a drink," he added, and handed his horn of liquor. "If they see us
drink, and they will, they'll think we've only stopped to refresh, and
we'll be safe. In any case, if they attack, fire your muskets at them
and ride like the devil. Don't dismount and don't try to find them in
the rocks. They'll catch us that way, as they've caught others. It's
a poor game fighting hidden men. I want to get them into the open down
below, and that's where they'll be before we're many hours older."

With this he rode on slightly ahead, and presently put his horse at a
gentle canter which he did not increase as they neared the place where
the black men ambushed. Every man of the group behaved well. None showed
nervousness, even when one of the horses, conscious of hidden Maroons in
the wood, gave a snort and made a sharp movement out of the track, in an
attempt to get greater speed.

That was only for an instant, however. Yet every man's heart beat faster
as they came to the place where the am