Across the road, before any one guessed his intention, he was up on the back of the horse, before the yelled protest of the English gentleman came to his ears.
“Gentlemen all,” he called to the group, “good evening.”
Clapping his heels to the ribs of the restive animal, he rode madly away, just as Isaiah Pinchbecker, with half a dozen constables came running frantically upon the scene.
CHAPTER XXXI.
A REFUGEE.
Irresponsibly joyous, thus to be in a saddle, on a spirited horse, Rust was soon dashing across the common and turning about like a centaur, for ease and grace, glanced back to see who might be joining in the race. His naked sword was still in his hand. It was red from point to hilt. He wiped it on the horse, thereby causing the animal to plunge and to run in a frenzy of nervousness.
Adam chortled. The affair from beginning to end, from his present standpoint, appealed to his sense of humor. The consequences of his adventure would be presented to his mind soon enough. He merely knew now that he had won out of a tight corner, as a gentleman should, that a glorious animal was bounding beneath him and, that sweet night air came rushing upon him as if it opened its arms to receive him.
Aware that he would soon be pursued, and mentally acknowledging that the horse was not his own, he rode to a farm-house about a mile or so out from the town, and there dismounted. Reluctantly he said farewell to the charger, bidding the farmer have the animal returned to Boston in the morning, with his thanks and compliments. For the service he presented the wondering man with a piece of silver, the last he had of the small amount left him after paying the fares of the beef-eaters up to Massachusetts.
Coolly inviting himself to have a bite of the farmer’s scanty supper, he bade the man good night, about five minutes before the mounted constables came riding hotly to the place. He even heard them, when they left the farm and began to scour the woods to jump him up. At this he smiled with rare good humor, confident of the powers of superior wood-craft to baffle anybody or anything in all Massachusetts, save alone an Indian.
Understanding all the delighted chucklings of the forest as he did, he felt at once secure among the trees, as one of the family. Moreover he loved to be wandering in the woods at night. He continued to walk, on and on, beginning to wonder at last what he really intended to do. Then, at the thought of Garde, who might be expecting to see him, and whom he very much desired again to see, he waxed somewhat impatient with this enforced flight from the town where she was.