ere you going?'

"'North.'

"'Ain't much on conversation, be yer?' he asked.

"'No, I'm not considered a very talkative fellow,' I rejoined.

"We lapsed into silence. The man smoked. I just sat and thought the
situation over. At last supper was announced. It was eaten almost in
silence. The man discouraged all his wife's efforts at conversation. He
was sullen and nervous.

"More than ever did I begin to suspect that there was a still in the
immediate neighborhood. Soon after supper I pleaded fatigue and was
shown up a flight of stairs, or rather a ladder, to a sort of attic.
There was a husk mattress there, and a pile of rather dirty-looking
blankets. But in those hills you learn to put up with what you can get.
I was glad to have found shelter at all.

"But tired as I was for some reason I couldn't sleep. I felt a sort of
vague uneasiness. I heard the man get up and go out and then later on
I heard several voices downstairs.

"There were broad chinks in the floor, and through these I could look
down. The men--there were four of them--were talking in low voices, but
now and then I could catch a word. All of a sudden I heard one say
something about government spy.

"That gave me a shock, I can tell you. I knew then they were talking
about me. My predicament was a bad one if they suspected me. I began
to look about me for a way to get out. While doing this I occasionally
looked down below.

"The last time I looked I got a shock that made my hair stand. The
fellows were moving about the room. From one corner one of them got
a formidable-looking knife.

"Scared to death, I redoubled my efforts to find a way out. At last at
one end of the room I found a chimney, one of those big stone affairs
as big as all outdoors. I decided to try this.

"I found that it was rough inside, and I had not much difficulty in
clambering up it. I was near the top when I heard a voice from the
room below say:

"'Then we uns 'ull kill him right now.'

"'Yep, he's lived long enough. He's no good.'

"My heart jumped into my mouth. I redoubled my efforts and emerged from
the top of the chimney. Reaching it, I lowered myself to the roof as
gently as possible.

"The eaves came down low to the ground and I had not much difficulty in
making my escape noiselessly."

CHAPTER XXV.

THE WREN DISAPPEARS.

"But as I reached the ground a startling thing happened. I missed my
footing and found myself rolling down a steepish bank.