s I
squeezed along the passage, anxious to see all that could be seen. He
laid his hand on the men's shoulders and held them back.

"Let the bairn go first," he said; "it is his right, for he has saved
him."

Then I darted across the cell, and stood at my father's side. What he
said to me I never knew, only I saw that strange look once more on his
face, and his eyes were very bright. Had he been a bairn or a woman I
should have said he was like to weep. It was past in a moment, for there
was little time to lose. At any instant the garrison might find out how
few in numbers we were, and sally out to cut us off, so no time was
wasted in trying to strike his chains off him.

With an iron bar Red Rowan wrenched the ring to which he was fastened,
out of the wall, and, raising him on his back, carried him bodily down
the narrow staircase, and out through the courtyard.

As we passed under my Lord Scroope's casement, my father, putting all
his strength into his voice, called out a lusty "good night" to his
lordship, which was echoed by the men with peals of laughter.

Then we hurried on to where the main body of troopers were waiting with
the horses, and I warrant the shout that they raised when they saw us
coming with my father in the midst of us, riding on Red Rowan's
shoulder, might almost have been heard at Branksome itself.

When it died away we heard another sound which warned us that the
laggards at the Castle had gathered their feeble courage, and were
calling on the burghers of Carlisle to come to their aid, for every bell
in the city was ringing, and we could see the flash of torches here and
there.

Scarcely had the smiths struck the last fetter from my father's limbs
than we heard the thunder of horses' hoofs behind us.

"To horse, lads," cried Buccleuch, and in another moment we were
galloping towards the Eden, I in front of Red Rowan as before, and close
to my father's side.

The English knew the lie of the land better than we did, for they were
at the river before us, well-nigh a thousand of them, with Lord Scroope
himself at their head. Apparently they never dreamed that we would
attempt to swim the torrent, and thought we would have to show fight,
for they were drawn up as if for a battle; but we dashed past them with
a yell of defiance, and plunged into the flooded river, and once more we
came safe to the other side. Once there we faced round, but the English
made no attempt to follow; they sat on