Phil got near enough to the buggy to make a grasp at the hinder part of it, but Emile had seized the reins and whip, and at this instant giving the horse a cut, the animal sprang away, and the buggy was soon out of Phil’s reach and whirling rapidly towards town.
Phil stopped, and ran to Jouncer, hurriedly unhobbling him, determined to ride after that young rascal and denounce him to the authorities of the town. He forgot all about Chap. His only thought was to go after Emile.
But Chap had not forgotten himself. He had waited a good while at the upper junction, and at last had made up his mind that Phil must have been detained at some house below, and that he would ride down and meet him. It was of course impossible that he should have passed the junction. So it happened that just as Phil was about to start, Chap came galloping along on Kit.
As quickly and clearly as possible under the circumstances, Phil told his friend what had happened, and the two started off on a gallop down the road.
Chap was very angry, and deeply deplored the fact that he had not arrived a few minutes sooner. Nothing but a State’s prison would stop this French boy’s atrocities. And now he had actually stolen a gun! This was enough, even if nothing else could be proved. They could certainly shut him up now. Phil had about the same ideas, but he did not say so much.
Jouncer was a horse of great endurance, and was well fed every day, and he galloped bravely; but Kit had been out to pasture for a month or more, and doing no work had had no grain, and this swift pace, added to the previous travel of the day, soon began to tell upon him, and he weakened visibly.
“Chap,” cried Phil, “we will have to hold up! Kit can’t stand it. We shall kill him if we keep on.”
They stopped, and it was evident that what Phil said was true. Kit was puffing and heaving at a terrible rate. The boys were now at least seven or eight miles from Hyson Hall, and it was plain that Kit could not get there that night.
Chap proposed that Phil should ride on after Emile while he went to the nearest house and stayed all night with the horse, but Phil was not willing to do this.
He felt that he ought to see for himself that Kit found comfortable quarters, and he was not certain that Jouncer ought to be galloped for the five miles that lay between them and the town, and gallop he certainly must to overtake that French boy, who would have no pity for his horse.