But the balls had been falling about him like hailstones, and as the sounds of pursuit grew fainter, he found himself bleeding profusely from a wound in the leg.  He dropped behind a fallen tree, and partially stanched the wound with some leaves which he bound on with a handkerchief, fortunately left in his coat pocket on retiring that night.

This was scarcely accomplished, when sounds of approaching footsteps and voices told him the danger was not yet over.

He crouched close in his hiding place, and hardly dared breathe as they passed and repassed, some almost stepping on him.  But he remained undiscovered, and at length they abandoned the search, and returning to the vicinity of the house, gathered up their wounded and went away.

Yet Leland felt that it was not safe for him to venture back to his home, as they might return at any moment; but to remain where he was with his wound undressed was almost certain death.

He resolved to accept Mr. Travilla’s offered hospitality, if his strength would carry him so far, and was rising to make the attempt, when the cracking of a dead branch told him that some living thing was near, and he fell back again, listening intently for the coming footsteps.

“Robert!  Robert!” called a low tremulous voice.

“O Mary, is it you?” he responded, in low but joyous accents, and the next moment his wife’s arms were about his neck, her tears warm upon his cheek, while Archie stood sobbing beside them.

“Thank God, thank God that you are alive!” she said, “But are you unhurt?”

“No, I am bleeding fast from a wound in my leg,” Leland answered faintly.

“I’ve brought lint and bandages,” she said, “let me bind it up as well as I can in the dark.”

“Daren’t we strike a light?” asked Archie.

“No, my son, it might bring them on us again, and we must speak low too.”

“Yes, father; but oh what will you do? you can’t come back home again?”

“No; I must go to Ion at once, while I can do so under cover of the darkness.  Travilla has offered to hide me there.  Archie, my brave boy, I can trust you with this secret.”

“Father, they shall kill me before I’ll tell it.”

“I trust you will not be tried so far,” Leland said with emotion.  “I would not save my life at the sacrifice of yours.  I leave your mother in your care, my boy; be dutiful and affectionate to her, and kind to your little brother and sisters.  Mary, dear, you and Archie will have to manage the plantation in my absence,” and he went on to give some directions.

“I will do my best,” she said tearfully, “and as we have been for months past frequent visitors at Ion, I can surely go to see you there occasionally without exciting suspicion.”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Father,” said Archie, “you can never walk to Ion; let me bring my pony and help you to mount him; then I will lead him to Ion and bring him back again.”