from in front rang through the air.  The Richards were on guard, but either Perrowne had forgotten to tell them about blank cartridge, or they did not think proper to obey the order.  “Come on a bit farther, lads, till we find where these villains turn in,” cried the Squire.  In another minute the victors combined with the Richards’ party, and chased the thoroughly demoralized Rawdonites, whose guns and pouches strewed the ground, to a desolate rocky spot beside a swamp, where felled trees lay in indescribable confusion, over which the fugitives scrambled in desperate haste for home.  The lawyer caught sight of a figure that he knew, far up the rocky slope, preparing to leap down from a prostrate trunk resting on three or four others, and aimed his rifle at it.  The Squire threw up the weapon just in the nick of time.  “It’s ower gude a death for the likes o’ him, Coristine.  Gie him time to repent, an’ let the law tak’ its coarse.  The cunning scoundrel!  Even at the risk o’ ’s life he wadna let us ken whaur his waggon road is, but I’ve a thocht, man, that it’s yonner whaur the rock rises oot o’ the swamp.”  Then the good Squire took off his hat, and thanked God for the defeat of the evil doers.

Light though the night was, to continue the pursuit would have been the height of folly.  The force was mustered and inspected by the so-called Colonel Carruthers, and the Sergeant-Major Terry.  Including themselves, it was found to consist of no fewer than seventeen persons, one of whom was a woman, and the other a lad of about fifteen years of age, Matilda Nagle and her boy Monty.  “I will show you where the road is,” she said to the Squire; “it is hard to find, but I know it.  When Stevy tried to find it, Harding and he put him to sleep, so that I couldn’t wake him up.  Harding is asleep now too; I put him, and Monty helped, didn’t you, Monty?”

Carruthers looked, and saw that the woman’s right hand and that of the idiot boy were alike stained with blood.  All his own men were safe and sound, not a scratch on any one of them.  The veteran’s rapid tactics had given the enemy hardly an opportunity to return the fire, and had destroyed their aim from the very beginning.  All honour to the sergeant-major!  All had behaved well.  Father Hill and his friend Hislop felt like boys; and while the Sesayder took a fatherly interest in Rufus, the parent of Tryphena and Tryphosa was pleased with the bearing of the Pilgrims.  Ben Toner’s conscience was a little troubled about his treatment of old man Newcome, but he also had a feeling that he was getting nearer to Serlizer.  The veteran and Mr. Perrowne were filled with mutual admiration; and Coristine felt that that night’s work had brought to his suit, as an ordinary year’s acquaintance could not have done, the vote and influence of the Squire.  The victors gathered up the spoils of the vanquished, and, by a unanimous vote, handed them over to the grateful Richards, whom Carruthers and Perrowne warmly thanked for their timely aid.  “It’s about time, Squire, we crushed them fellows out,” said father Richards, to which the Squire replied:  “If you and your sons are ready, we’ll do it to-morrow as soon as the inquest is over.”