nother mountain range, and heard the roaring of a great
torrent. They entered the black gap, and slowly and cautiously made
their way through it. By the time they had emerged from the pass, the
night was pitch dark.

"How shall we ever find our way?" inquired Purley who, fatigued and half
famished, was ready to sink with exhaustion.

"Do you see that then gabble ind stickin' up through the trees?"
inquired the boy.

"Yes, I see it!"

"Well, him and her is in there?"

"Are you sure?" inquired Purley, anxiously.

"Here I is, Marster! If him and her ar'n't in there, here I is in your
power, and you may skin me alive!"

"All right!" exclaimed Purley, and dismounting from his horse, he
advanced towards the thicket, followed by Munson and the negro boy.

CHAPTER XXXV.

THE FUGITIVES.

They may not set a foot within their fields,
They may not pull a sapling from their hills,
They may not enter their fair mansion house.--HOWITT.

Lyon and Sybil had ridden on through the darkness, over that wild
country road. Their horses had had a very hard day's work in the wagon
harness, and had not recovered from their fatigue. They were still very
tired, and all unaccustomed to the saddle. The road was also very rough,
and the night very dark. Their progress was therefore difficult and
slow.

Unconscious of being followed and overheard, they talked freely of their
plans. Their prospects of final escape were not now nearly so hopeful as
they had been on their two former attempts. They were now undisguised,
and unprovided for the journey, except with money and a change of
clothing. For necessary food they would have to stop at houses, and thus
incur some degree of danger. All this they discussed as their horses
slowly toiled along the rugged road up hill and down, through woods and
fields, until they came near that mountain pass that they had been dimly
seeing before them all night long and that looked like a grey cleft in a
black wall.

"It must be near morning now. But I have not a very clear idea where we
are. I shall be glad when it is light if it is only to consult my map
and compass," said Lyon, uneasily.

"I never was on this side of the mountain before, but it does seem to me
that that must be a spur of the Black Ridge which we see before us,"
suggested Sybil.

"I was thinking the very same thing," added Lyon. "But if that