would be an effectualbar to his escape in that direction.
"And all the time this is the high-road to freedom," Scarlett said tohimself, as he swam on, thinking of how long it would take him to reachthe further side, and reaping now the advantage of having acquired anaccomplishment in his earlier days, whose value he little appreciatedthen.
The distance seemed greater than he had reckoned upon, and he had notbeen in the water for a long time before that night, the consequencebeing that after he had been swimming about ten minutes, a peculiarweary sensation began to make itself felt in his arms, and a strangeaching at the nape of his neck, as if he had been forcing his head toofar back so as to enable him to keep his lips and nostrils above thesurface.
Then, too, he became aware that swimming without clothes was one thing,with them clinging to his limbs another; and the thought occurred tohim, as unpleasant thoughts will, just when they are not wanted, that itwas somewhere out here he and Fred Forrester had lowered down a weightat the end of a piece of twine, to find in one spot it was twenty feet,in another twenty-five; but all over this eastern end there was a greatdepth of water.
It was impossible after that to help thinking about people losing theirlives. A boy had once been drowned out there through trying to crossthe ice before it was sufficiently strong, and--
A curious hysterical sensation attacked Scarlett Markham just then, andfor a few moments, unnerved by the excitement of the evening, he beganto strike out more quickly, under the mistaken notion that he wouldreach the opposite side much sooner; but the fatigue of the effortwarned him that he was doing wrong, and growing calmer, he turned overon his back to float for a few minutes, while he diverted his thoughtsfrom his position by forcing himself to think about his pursuers, whomhe could hear plainly enough calling and answering each other.
Then once more the thought forced itself upon him that it was terriblydeep down below, that he was growing utterly exhausted, and that if hesank and was drowned, no one had seen him enter the water, and hisfather--his mother--
"Oh, am I such a coward as this!" he muttered angrily. "After being inbattle and skirmish, and hearing the cannons roar, I will swim across."
He turned, and will did what will often does, gives to those who aredetermined powers that others do not seem to possess; and so it camethat the rest of the task grew comparatively easy, the bank which in thegloom had seemed to be so distant suddenly loomed over him, with thependent branches of the birches within easy reach, and a few momentslater he was ashore, had climbed the bank, paused to look back, and thenstarted off at an easy run, with the load of water he carried becominglighter at every step.
Later on, mounted men came round both ends of the lake, and began tosearch on the further side, but by this time the fugitive was well ontoward where he had left his horse and arms, and his dangers lay infront, and not behind.
Long before all this, Lady Markham had arrived at the Manor, with Lilweeping silently at her side. There had been a brief and formalleave-taking, a quick embrace from his mother, and Fred rode back withhis detachment, to reach the Hall, take possession of the quartersassigned to him, and after thinking deeply of the events of the night,he dropped asleep. He was aroused by the noise, and heard that thesentinels had fired upon an escaping figure, which had endeavoured tobreak into the room occupied by two of the officers.
There were those who said it was an attempt at assassination, and othersthat it was a false alarm, which the ill success of the search-partyseemed to confirm.
Then fresh sentinels were posted, and the day soon after began to breakwith its promise of a glorious morrow, and soon after the first glow oforange in the east told of the coming sun, and as it shone through thecasement of a long low room where a pale slight girl was lying asleep,it illumined the handsome sad countenance of one who had not slept, buthad knelt there praying for the safety of her son.
CHAPTER THIRTY.
A DESPERATE GALLOP.
To Fred's great satisfaction, the sturdy, serious-looking followers ofGeneral Hedley treated the Hall and its surroundings with a fair amountof respect.
They did not scruple to make bountiful use of the contents of thegarden; and, as far as they went, revelled on the productions of thedairy, while they one and all declared the cider to be excellent.
So comfortable were the quarters, that the absence of news of theexpected reinforcements gave great satisfaction to all but the general,who walked up and down Sir Godfrey's library fretting at the inaction,and shaking his head at his young follower, who was for the time beingacting as his secretary, but with no despatches to write.
"It's bad, Fred Forrester--bad," he said. "When you have anything todo, let it be done firmly and well. Let there be no procrastination.Your father ought to be here by now."
"I don't think it can be his fault, sir," said Fred, stoutly.
"It's somebody's fault," said the general, angrily. "No, no; I am sureit is not his. Well, I must have the men out to do something. No rust,Fred Forrester, no rust. What are you going to do?"
"Take my place in the regiment, sir, if you have no more writing for meto do."
"Don't want to go over to the Manor, then, to see the ladies, and askhow all are?"
"Of course I should like to, sir, but I was not going to ask leave."
"You can go, my lad. There is no news of the enemy, and the scouts arewell out in every direction. Be on the look-out though, and I cannotgive you more than three hours."
Overjoyed at this unexpected piece of good fortune, Fred hurried to hissleeping quarters, to try and give a few touches to his personalappearance, for, after months in the field, he did not feel at all proudof his sombre and shabby uniform.
This done, he made off just as the little force of well-mounted, sturdymen under the general's command were filing slowly out, and making forthe broad open park, where a long and arduous drill was to be carriedout.
It was a glorious day, and the prospect of being at home for even soshort a time, and seeing his mother and those who had been his bestfriends was delightful. There was no sign of warfare anywhere, such ashe had seen in other parts, in the shape of devastated crops and burnedouthouses. But as he rose one of the hills that he had to cross, aglint of steel, where the sun shone on a morion, showed where one of theoutposts was on the look-out. Further on, away to the left, he caughtsight of another, and knowing pretty well where to look, he had nodifficulty, sooner or later, in making out where the different vedetteswere placed.
"Puzzle an enemy to catch our weasel asleep," he said to himself,laughingly, as he trotted on. "Why, if all our leaders were likeGeneral Hedley and my father, the war would soon be at an end--and agood thing too."
He rode on, thinking of the reception he would get, and hoping that LadyMarkham would not behave coldly to him; and then the watchfulness of thepupil in military matters came out.
It was not his business to see where the outposts were, but it seemed tocome natural to him to note their positions.
"I might have to place men myself, some day," he said; "and it's as wellto know."
"Yes; there he is," he muttered, as he caught sight of another and thenof another far away, but forming links of a chain of men round the camp,well within touch of each other, and all ready to gallop at the firstalarm.
"There ought to be one out here," said Fred, at last, just as he wasnearing the Manor; and for the moment he was ready to pass him over, andthink of nothing but those whom he had come to see, but disciplinemastered.
The spot he was approaching was a little eminence, which commanded adeep valley or coombe, that went winding and zigzagging for miles, andhere he looked in vain for the outpost.
"Strange!" thought Fred; and he rode on a little further, till he wasnearly to the top of the eminence, when his heart leaped, and byinstinct he clapped his hand to his sword. For there, with loweredhead, cropping the sweet short grass among the furze and heath, was theoutpost's horse; and this, to Fred's experienced eye, meant the ridersho
t down at his post.
Half dreaming a similar fate, he looked sharply round, and then utteredan angry exclamation, as he touched his horse's flanks, and rode forwardto where the man lay between two great bushes.
But not wounded. The secret of his fall was by his side. By some meanshe had contrived to get a large flask of wine up at the Hall, and thevessel lay by him empty, while he was sound asleep.
"You scoundrel!" cried Fred, closing up and bending down to take hold ofthe man's piece, where it stood leaning against a bush.
As he raised it, a distant flash caught his eye, and there, windingslowly and cautiously along the bottom of the coombe, with advancedguards, came a strong body of horsemen, whose felt hats and feathershere and there told only too plainly that they belonged to theCavaliers.
To his horror, Fred saw that some of the advance were coming up the sideof