for man and
horse were made of cheap unbleached domestic and weighed less than three
pounds. They were easily folded within a blanket and kept under the saddle
in a crowd without discovery. It required less than two minutes to remove
the saddles, place the disguises, and remount.

At the signal of a whistle, the men and horses arrayed in white and
scarlet swung into double-file cavalry formation and stood awaiting
orders. The moon was now shining brightly, and its light shimmering on the
silent horses and men with their tall spiked caps made a picture such as
the world had not seen since the Knights of the Middle Ages rode on their
Holy Crusades.

As the train neared the flag-station, which was dark and unattended, the
conductor approached Gus, leaned over, and said: "I've just gotten a
message from the sheriff telling me to warn you to get off at this station
and slip into town. There's a crowd at the depot there waiting for you and
they mean trouble."

Gus trembled and whispered:

"Den fur Gawd's sake lemme off here."

The two men who got on at the station below stepped out before the negro,
and as he alighted from the car, seized, tripped, and threw him to the
ground. The engineer blew a sharp signal, and the train pulled on.

In a minute Gus was bound and gagged.

One of the men drew a whistle and blew twice. A single tremulous call like
the cry of an owl answered. The swift beat of horses' feet followed, and
four white-and-scarlet clansmen swept in a circle around the group.

One of the strangers turned to the horseman with red-winged ensign on his
cap, saluted, and said:

"Here's your man, Night Hawk."

"Thanks, gentlemen," was the answer. "Let us know when we can be of
service to your county."

The strangers sprang into their buggy and disappeared toward the North
Carolina line.

The clansmen blindfolded the negro, placed him on a horse, tied his legs
securely, and his arms behind him to the ring in the saddle.

The Night Hawk blew his whistle four sharp blasts, and his pickets
galloped from their positions and joined him.

Again the signal rang, and his men wheeled with the precision of trained
cavalrymen into column formation three abreast, and rode toward Piedmont,
the single black figure tied and gagged in the centre of the
white-and-scarlet squadron.

CHAPTER II

THE FIERY CROSS

The clansmen with their prisoner skirted the village and halted in the
woods on the river bank. The