But she saw that not only expostulations but even promises were useless, and from this moment, therefore, she was haughtily silent. She resolved that, at present, she would make no further efforts at resistance, since they would only be fruitless; but that, yielding to necessity, she would accompany her captors; determining to reserve all her strength for a crisis, which she now deemed not improbable, when death might probably be her only resource from dishonor.
“If you don’t try to escape,” said Arrison, seeing she did not speak, “we’ll not disturb you, except to lead your horse; and in that case you may ride. But if you give us trouble, we’ll make you dismount and walk; and if you refuse to do this, I’ll blow your brains out.”
The ruffian; as he spoke, drew a pistol from his breast, while he laid his hand emphatically upon her arm. Kate knew that he would keep his promise, both from his past reputation and his present determined look.
“Don’t touch me, sir,” she said, sternly, shrinking back by an impulse she was unable to control, “I will go quietly, since go I must.”
The man answered by a brutal laugh, but removed his hand and put up his pistol. Turning to two of his gang, whom he called by name, he directed them to take Arab by the bridle, close to the bit, one on either side, and so lead the animal.
“And now, miss,” he said, “we’ll be off; for we must put many good miles of land and water between us and Sweetwater before night; because, in matters of this kind,” and he sneered in his cold-blooded way again, “it’s just as well, you know, to clinch the nail. There’s nothing like making even a sure thing surer.”
Without further word the party set forth, in something like military order. Two of the gang went a hundred yards in advance; then came the two who were leading Arab; and, a hundred yards behind, the remaining two brought up the rear. Arrison, at first, walked beside Kate, but as they progressed, he shifted his position frequently, now going ahead even of those in advance, and now dropping to the extreme rear, always on the watch against surprise. Occasionally he addressed our heroine, but as she adhered firmly to her purpose of not answering, and scarcely made an effort to conceal her scorn, he finally relapsed into silence.
Their way led through old and half-overgrown wood-roads, through most of which a vehicle would have found it impossible to pass. Familiar as Kate considered herself with the by-ways of this description in the neighborhood of Sweetwater, most of these they now followed were quite strange to her. She soon lost all knowledge of their whereabouts, in consequence.
Her suspicion that they were following the river towards its mouth became a certainty, as the day wore on, when they emerged suddenly on the banks of a deep, and comparatively wide stream, the shores of which she recognized immediately. A boat lay concealed, under the shadow of overhanging trees and bushes, as if awaiting them.
“You’ll dismount here,” said Arrison, breaking silence for the first time for several hours. “Remember my threat, which, if you scream or resist,” he added, with an oath, and a meaning tap of his breast, “I’ll keep.”