The man began to move slightly, and Lettice realized that he was merely stunned by her blow. Another moment and he might recover sufficiently to add to the hopelessness of the situation. In the distance there was a faint plash of oars; it might be that those who approached would reënforce these assailants. Her wits were sharpened by despair. She leaned over and extricated the pistol from the belt of the wounded man, and rushed to a safe distance from her prisoner. If he had a knife it would take him but a moment to cut his bonds as soon as he should be aware of them. She must act quickly, for the regular plash of the oars came nearer and more near.
Ellicott Baldwin, still struggling desperately, heard a cry, “Look out!” A shot whizzed through the air, and his adversary loosened his hold, and in a second was felled to the earth. Lettice’s pistol had done good service. She had wounded the man in the ankle, for she had purposely fired low. “Here, here,” she cried, thrusting the second pistol into Mr. Baldwin’s hand, and he, with one dazed look, rushed to where she stood.
CHAPTER XII.
Escape.
Lettice ran desperately fast to gain her horse, but for a moment it seemed that all were lost, for the sound of oars had ceased, and instead, shouts were heard; an approaching party of men answered their comrades, who, worsted by a girl’s stratagem, would stand at nothing. It took but a few minutes for Lettice’s captive to free himself, and his first movement was toward the girl. He was in a fury. One sweep of his sword, one shot from his pistol, and their chances were gone.
Ellicott Baldwin, between his set teeth, hissed, “I will kill her and myself, too, before she shall fall into their vile hands.” Suddenly, as if to favor them, the moon disappeared behind a dense cloud, and when it struggled forth again, the man and the maid had vanished. Where? It seemed as if the earth had swallowed them up. The horses stood there, but not a sign of their riders. On each side of the road lay level stretches overgrown with weeds and bordered by straggling blackberry bushes. Farther away, where a shallow creek made up into the land, were trees growing to the water’s edge.
“Beat the bushes! Search everywhere!” cried Lettice’s late captive. “I’ll have that girl if she’s above ground. The little jade, to play me such a trick!”
But not a sign of the fugitives could be found, and after more than an hour’s fruitless search, the men returned to their boats and to their station on Kent Island.
Meantime, Lettice and her companion had made their escape through the girl’s knowledge of the country. She had whispered, “Over the fence! Quick!” and herself had led the way by springing into the bramble bushes on one side the road. The thorns played havoc with her light gown, but she tore herself free from them, ran along a few steps, and leaped into a hollow filled with rubbish. Here an old house had stood; now it was burnt to the ground, and among and around its blackened foundations grew tall weeds which completely hid it from view. Lettice led the way, and her companion followed blindly. At the rear the ground sloped gradually down to the creek, so that by stooping low, as they made a pathway through mullein, wild carrot, and ragweed, they could not be seen by those nearer the road. Fortunately, their followers did not strike upon the tumble-down house, or it would not have been an easy matter to reach the creek without being seen.
Neither spoke till the silver gleam of the little creek showed in the moonlight, now struggling through the clouds.