ous thing to set
such a man on horseback; where he must surely bleed to death, even if he
could keep the saddle. But he told me, with many breaks and pauses,
that unless I obeyed his orders, he would tear off all my bandages, and
accept no further aid from me.

While I was yet hesitating, a storm of horse at full gallop went by,
tearing, swearing, bearing away all the country before them. Only a
little pollard hedge kept us from their blood-shot eyes. 'Now is the
time,' said my cousin Tom, so far as I could make out his words; on
their heels, I am safe, John, if I have only Winnie under me. Winnie and
I die together.'

Seeing this strong bent of his mind, stronger than any pains of death,
I even did what his feeble eyes sometimes implored, and sometimes
commanded. With a strong sash, from his own hot neck, bound and twisted,
tight as wax, around his damaged waist, I set him upon Winnie's back,
and placed his trembling feet in stirrups, with a band from one to
another, under the good mare's body; so that no swerve could throw him
out: and then I said, 'Lean forward, Tom; it will stop your hurt from
bleeding.' He leaned almost on the neck of the mare, which, as I knew,
must close the wound; and the light of his eyes was quite different,
and the pain of his forehead unstrung itself, as if he felt the undulous
readiness of her volatile paces under him.

'God bless you, John; I am safe,' he whispered, fearing to open his
lungs much: 'who can come near my Winnie mare? A mile of her gallop
is ten years of life. Look out for yourself, John Ridd.' He sucked his
lips, and the mare went off, as easy and swift as a swallow.

'Well,' thought I, as I looked at Kickums, ignobly cropping up a bit
of grass, 'I have done a very good thing, no doubt, and ought to be
thankful to God for the chance. But as for getting away unharmed, with
all these scoundrels about me, and only a foundered horse to trust
in--good and spiteful as he is--upon the whole, I begin to think that I
have made a fool of myself, according to my habit. No wonder Tom said,
"Look out for yourself!" I shall look out from a prison window, or
perhaps even out of a halter. And then, what will Lorna think of me?'

Being in this wistful mood, I resolved to abide awhile, even where fate
had thrown me; for my horse required good rest no doubt, and was taking
it even while he cropped, with his hind legs far away stretched out, and
his forelegs gathered under him, and his muz