He had the calmness of one dealing with an everyday incident; yet the incident was--it should have been--tremendous. We stood waiting silently for an eternity, as one waits for a hare to break covert before the beaters. From down the long hill came a small sound of horses’ hoofs--a sound like the beating of the heart, intermittent--a muffled thud on turf, and a faint clink of iron. It seemed to die away unheard by the runner beside me. Presently there was a crackling of the short pine branches, a rustle, and a hoarse whisper said from above: “Other’s cleared, Thorns. Got that one safe?” “All serene.” The man from above dropped down into the road, a clumsy, cloaked figure. He turned his lanthorn upon me, in a painful yellow glare. “What! ’Tis the young ’un,” he grunted, after a moment. “Read the warrant, Thorns.” My captor began to fumble in his pocket, pulled out a paper, and bent down into the light. Suddenly he paused and looked up at me. “This ain’t------ Mr. Lilly white, I don’t believe this ain’t a Jack Spaniard.” The clinks of bits and stirrup-irons came down in a waft again. “That be hanged for a tale, Thorns,” the man with the lanthorn said sharply. “If this here ain’t Riego--or the other--I’ll ...” I began to come out of my stupor. “My name’s John Kemp,” I said. The other grunted. “Hurry up, Thorns.” “But, Mr. Lillywhite,” Thorns reasoned, “he don’t speak like a Dago. Split me if he do! And we ain’t in a friendly country either, you know that. We can’t afford to rile the gentry!” I plucked up courage. “You’ll get your heads broke,” I said, “if you wait much longer. Hark to that!” The approaching horses had turned off the turf on to the hard road; the steps of first one and then another sounded out down the silent hill. I knew it was the Free Traders from that; for except between banks they kept to the soft roadsides as if it were an article of faith. The noise of hoofs became that of an army. The runners began to consult. The shadow called Thorns was for bolting across country; but Lilly white was not built for speed. Besides he did not know the lie of the land, and believed the Free Traders were mere bogeys. “They’ll never touch us,” Lillywhite grumbled. “We’ve a warrant... King’s name....” He was flashing his lanthorn aimlessly up the hill. “Besides,” he began again, “we’ve got this gallus bird. If he’s not a Spaniard, he knows all about them. I heard him. Kemp he may be, but he spoke Spanish up there... and we’ve got something for our trouble. He’ll swing, I’ll lay you a------” From far above us came a shout, then a confused noise of voices. The moon began to get up; above the cutting the clouds had a fringe of sudden silver. A horseman, cloaked and muffled to the ears, trotted warily towards us. “What’s up?” he hailed from a matter of ten yards. “What are you showing that glim for? Anything wrong below?” The runners kept silence; we heard the click of a pistol lock.