usly hurt, and was now helpless. The ruffians hastened to
extricate him, and raise him up. Carl, who, with an open knife concealed
in his sleeve, had been waiting for an opportunity, darted at the tree,
cut the negro's bonds in a twinkling, and set him free.

Both took to their heels without an instant's delay. But the trick was
discovered. They were pursued immediately. Carl was lively on his legs,
as we know; but poor old Toby, never a good runner, and now stiff and
decrepit with age, was no match even for the slowest of their pursuers.

They ran straight into the orchard, hoping to lose themselves among the
shadows. The glare of the burning wood-pile flickered but faintly and
unsteadily among the trees. Carl might easily have escaped; but he
thought only of Toby, and kept faithfully at his side, assisting him,
urging him. A fence was near--if they could only reach that! But Toby
was wheezing terribly, and the hand of the foremost ruffian was already
extended to seize him.

"Jump the vence over!" was Carl's parting injunction to the old negro,
who made a last desperate effort to accomplish the feat; while Carl,
turning sharp about, tripped the foot of him of the extended hand, and
sent him headlong. The second pursuer he grappled, and both rolled upon
the ground together.

Favored by this diversion, Toby reached the fence, climbed it, and
without looking how, he leaped, jumped down upon--a human figure,
stretched there upon the ground!

Notwithstanding his own danger, Toby thought of his patient, and
stopped.

"Is it you, massa?"

The man rose slowly to his feet. It was not Penn; it was, on the
contrary, the worst of Penn's enemies, who had stationed himself here,
in order to observe, unseen, and from a safe distance, the operations of
Silas Ropes and his band of patriots.

"O, Massa Bythewood!" ejaculated Toby, inspired with sudden joy and
hope; "help a poor old niggah! Help! De Villarses will remember it ob ye
de longest day you live, if you on'y will."

"Why, what's the matter, Toby?" said Augustus, full of rage at having
been thus discovered, yet assuming a gracious and patronizing manner.

Toby did not make a very coherent reply; but probably the young
gentleman was already sufficiently aware of what was going on. He had no
especial regard for Toby, yet his credit with Virginia and her father
was to be sustained. And so Toby was saved.

Augustus met and rebuked his pursuers, released Carl, who was su