l-ambushed. My idea was
to let them get into the open between there and here, and catch them as
they came. It would save our own men, and it would probably do for them.
If Mrs. and Miss Llyn come back that way, they will be in greater danger
than were we, for the Maroons were coming here to capture the ladies and
hold them as hostages; and they would not let them pass. In any case,
the risk is immense. The ladies must be got to Spanish Town, for the
Maroons are desperate. They know we have no ships of the navy here now,
and they rely on their raiding powers and the governor's weakness. They
have placed their men in every part of the middle and western country,
and they came upon my place last evening and were defeated. Several were
killed and one taken prisoner. They can't be marched upon like an
army. Their powers of ambush are too great. They must be run down by
bloodhounds. It's the only way."

"Bloodhounds--there are no bloodhounds here!" said Darius Boland. "And
if there were, wouldn't pious England make a fuss?"

Dyck Calhoun was about to speak sharply, but he caught sarcasm in Darius
Boland's face, and he said: "I have the bloodhounds. They're outside the
harbour now, and I intend to use them."

"If the governor allows you!" remarked Darius Boland ironically. "He
does not like you or your bloodhounds. He has his orders, so he says."

Dyck made an impatient gesture. "I will not submit to his orders. I
have earned my place in this is land, and he shall not have his way. The
ladies must be brought to Spanish Town, and placed where the governor's
men can protect them."

"The governor's men! Indeed. They might as well stay here; we can surely
protect them."

"Perhaps, for you have skill, Boland, and you are cautious, but is it
fair for ladies to stay in this isolated spot with murderers about? When
the ladies come back, they must be sent at once to Spanish Town. Can't
you see?"

Darius Boland bowed. "What you say goes always," he remarked, "but tell
me, sir, who will take the ladies to Spanish Town?"

Dyck Calhoun read the inner meaning of Darius Boland's words. They did
not put him out of self-control. It was not a time to dwell on such
things. It was his primary duty to save the ladies.

"Come, Boland," he said sharply, "I shall start now. We must find
the ladies. What sort of a country is it through which they pass?" He
pointed.

"Bad enough in some ways. There's an old monastery of the days of
the Spa