me. You have admitted
that a man has been here to-day and that you gave him food. You say he
is not in the house; and as we have searched it pretty thoroughly, we
know that's right enough. You say you don't know where he is, and that
may be true enough in a sense; but I have asked you whether he is coming
back again, and you won't answer me. I just give you three seconds;" and
he held out his arm with a pistol in it. "One!" As the word "Two" left
his lips, a pistol cracked and Mullens fell back with a bullet in his
forehead.

At the same time Vincent shouted at the top of his voice, "Come on,
boys; wipe 'em out altogether! Don't let one of them escape!" As he
spoke he discharged his pistol rapidly into the midst of the men, who
were for the moment too taken by surprise to move, and every shot took
effect upon them. At the same moment there was a great shouting outside,
and the trampling of horses' feet. One or two of the men hastily
returned Vincent's fire, but the rest made a violent rush to the door.
Several fell over the bodies of their comrades, and Vincent had emptied
one of his revolvers and fired three shots with the second before the
last of those able to escape did so. Five bodies remained on the floor.
As they were still seven to one against him, Vincent ran to the corner
of the house, prepared to shoot them as they came round; but the
ruffians were too scared to think of anything but escape, and they could
be heard running and shouting across the fields.

Vincent ran into the house. He had seen Lucy Kingston fall prostrate at
the same instant as the ruffian facing her. Strung up to the highest
tension, and expecting in another second to be shot, the crack of
Vincent's pistol had brought her down as surely as the bullet of Mullens
would have done. Even in the excitement of firing, Vincent felt thankful
when he saw her fall, and knew that she was safe from the bullets
flying about. When he entered the room he found the old negress lying
beside her, and thought at first that she had fallen in the fray. He
found that she was not only alive, but unhurt, having, the instant she
saw her young mistress fall, thrown herself upon her to protect her from
harm.

"Am dey all gone, sah?" she asked, as Vincent somewhat roughly pulled
her off the girl's body.

"They have all gone, Chloe; but I do not know how soon they may be back
again. Get your mistress round as soon as you can. I am sure that she
has only fainted, fo