ayne that
they were too near for him to hope for escape, unless his horse
should clear the opposite corner of the field, and of this he almost
despaired, jaded as the animal was by previous exertion through
the heavy ground he was now traversing. Fortunately he found that
there was a perceptible declivity as he approached the water, and
not merely that, but that one of the rails of the zigzag fence had
been detached. Desperate as his position was, this gave him renewed
confidence, and he even ventured to turn and examine the number
and position of his enemies. They were some twenty in number,
all painted perfectly black, and dispersed at long intervals
throughout the field. In front of all was a very young warrior,
who seemed the most emulous of the party to secure the honor of
the capture, for the leaps he took were prodigious, and it was
evident that nothing but the clearing of the fence could save the
closely-pursued officer from capture. Again his horse took the
leap, and this time easily enough; and even while in the very act,
he thought, he fancied, he heard a voice behind him softly pronounce
his name. In the confusion of his mind, however, he could not judge
distinctly of anything. It might have been the sighing of the wind
among the dried leaves and tendrils that floated from the bean-poles
at his side, and he regarded it not. His mind was too much intent
on, too much absorbed on weightier matters to heed the occurrence.
The air from the water revived, reinvigorated both himself and his
horse. Again at full speed, he dashed on along its margin until
suddenly, after having gone over nearly a mile of ground, the
conviction arose to him that he must have been wrong in his
comprehension of Von Voltenberg's sign, and that the beloved of
his soul--she for the uncertainty of whose fate his heart suffered
an anguish the most horrible, was not before him, but a prisoner
with her companion. That thought, growing rapidly into assurance,
was sufficient to destroy all energy. He checked his horse, and
brought him to a full stand. As a soldier, whose services belonged
to his country, he felt that he had no right to throw himself into
a position that would render those services useless, but at least
he would take no unnecessary trouble to avoid it. He turned to
listen to the sounds of his pursuers, now fully resolved to make
no further attempt at escape. He heard nothing but the rustling of
the leaves and the gurgling of the