An instant more, and they would pass me, or else they would discover me.
If I should spring to my feet and run up the road, the horsemen would ride me down at once.
If I should climb the fence, my form, outlined against the sky, would be a mark for many carbines.
If I should lie still, they might pass without seeing me.
But what could I expect from my companion?
Who was he? ... Why was he there? ... Had he seen me? ... Had the rebels, if indeed they were rebels, seen him? ... If so, were they pursuing him?
But no; they were not pursuing him, for he had come from the direction of Young's Mill. He would have met the horsemen had he not hidden.
If I could but know that he had seen me, my plan surely would be to lie still.
Yes, certainly, to lie still ... if these riders were rebels.
But to lie still if my companion was a friend to the rebels? If he was one of theirs, should I lie still?