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from unusual privation, and a prolonged restraint.
The major opened the gate of the field, and stationed himself in a way to
turn the animals in the desired direction, while his father went into the
stable to set them free. The first horse came out with great deliberation,
being an old animal well cooled with toil at the plough, and the major had
merely to swing his arm, to turn him into the field. Not so with the next,
however. This was little better than a colt, a creature in training for his
master s saddle; and no sooner was it released than it plunged into the yard,
then bounded into the field, around which it galloped, until it found the
water. The others imitated this bad example; the clatter of hoofs, though
beaten on a rich turf, soon resounding in the stillness of the night, until it
might be heard across the valley. The captain then rejoined his son.
 This is a good deed somewhat clumsily done, Bob, observed the father, as he
picked up his rifle and prepared to proceed.  An Indian ear, however, will not
fail to distinguish between the tramping of horses and a charge of foot.
 Faith, sir, the noise may serve us a good turn yet. Let us take another look
at the fires, and see if this tramping has set any one in motion near them. We
can get a glimpse a little further ahead.
The look was taken, but nothing was seen. While standing perfectly
motionless, beneath the shadows of an apple-tree, however, a sound was heard
quite near them, which resembled that of a guarded footstep. Both gentlemen
drew up, like sportsmen expecting the birds to rise, in waiting for the sound
to approach. It did draw nearer, and presently a human form was seen moving
slowly forward in the path, approaching the tree, as if to get within its
cover. It was allowed to draw nearer and nearer, until captain Willoughby laid
his hand, from behind the trunk, on the stranger s shoulder, demanding
sternly, but in a low voice,  who are you?
The start, the exclamation, and the tremor that succeeded, all denoted the
extent of this man s surprise. It was some little time, even, before he could
recover from his alarm, and then he let himself be known by his answer.
 Massy! exclaimed Joel Strides, who ordinarily gave this doric sound to the
word  mercy -- Massy, captain, is ityou! I should as soon thought of seeing a
ghost! What in natur has brought you out of the stockade, sir?
 I think that is a question I might better ask you, Mr. Strides. My orders
were to keep the gate close, and for no one to quit the court-yard even, until
sent on post, or called by an alarm.
 True, sir--quite true--true as gospel. But let us moderate a little,
captain, and speak lower; for the Lord only knows who  s in our neighbourhood.
Who  s that with you, sir?--Not the Rev. Mr. Woods, is it?
 No matter who is with me.He has the authority of my commands for being here,
whoever he may be, while you are here in opposition to them. You know me well
enough, Joel, to understand nothing but the simple truth will satisfy me.
 Lord, sir, I am one of them that never wish to tell you anythingbut truth.
The captain has known me now long enough to understand my natur , I should
think; so no more need be said aboutthat .
 Well, sir--give me the reason--and see that it is given to me without
reserve.
Page 135
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
 Yes, sir; the captain shall have it. He knows we scrambled out of our houses
this afternoon a little onthinkingly, Injin alarms being skeary matters. It
was an awful hurrying time! Well, the captain understands, too, we don t work
for him without receiving our wages; and I have been aying up a little, every
year, until I  ve scraped together a few hundred dollars, in good half-joes;
and I bethought me the money might be in danger, should the savages begin to
plunder; and I  ve just came out to look a ter the money.
 If this be true, as I hope and can easily believe to be the case, you must
have the money about you, Joel, to prove it.
The man stretched forth his arm, and let the captain feel a handkerchief, in
which, sure enough, there was a goodly quantity of coin. This gave him credit
for truth, and removed all suspicion of his present excursion being made with
any sinister intention. The man was questioned as to his mode of passing the
stockade, when he confessed he had fairly clambered over it, an exploit of no
great difficulty from the inside. As the captain had known Joel too long to be
ignorant of his love of money, and the offence was very pardonable in itself,
he readily forgave the breach of orders. This was the only man in the valley
who did not trust his little hoard in the iron chest at the Hut; even the
miller reposing that much confidence in the proprietor of the estate; but Joel
was too conscious of dishonest intentions himself to put any unnecessary faith
in others.
All this time, the major kept so far aloof as not to be recognised, though
Joel, once or twice, betrayed symptoms of a desire to ascertain who he was.
Maud had awakened suspicions that now became active, in both father and son,
when circumstances so unexpectedly and inconveniently threw the man in their
way. It was consequently the wish of the former to get rid of his overseer as [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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