“I fear that the Cornet will not agree to our arrangement,” said Stephen, “though he may think that there is very little chance of ten or twenty men suddenly appearing in this part of the country to rescue us.”
“Still let us try,” said Andrew; “it will show him that we entertain some hope of being rescued, that our friends will revenge themselves on him if we are ill-treated. As to shooting us, I do not think he is the man to do that. We must run no small risk either way, and be prepared for it.”
“Well, lads, have you made up your minds?” asked the Cornet, who, though holding a subordinate rank, was a man of a certain age.
Andrew, as the eldest, made the proposal he had suggested.
“Not very likely that I should agree to it,” he answered. “I have you now in my power, and if your friends attempt to rescue you, I must pistol you as I promised.”
“Look here, Cornet,” said Andrew, “should you kill us, our friends will to a certainty cut you down in revenge; for supposing that twenty or thirty of them appear, you would have no chance, and as to giving our word not to attempt under such circumstances to escape, we cannot do it.”
“Well, then, you must take the consequences,” answered the Cornet; “you must ride on with your legs bound under you, but I will allow you the use of your hands, for if your horses were to fall you might break your necks, and I should have only dead men to convey to the camp.”
Stephen, who all along had had no wish to give his word, was glad of this arrangement. The Cornet ordering his men to halt, himself unloosed the prisoners’ hands, and bade them take the reins and see that they kept their horses on their feet. The cavalcade now moved forward at a more rapid rate than they before ventured to go. Neither Stephen nor Andrew had the slightest hope of being rescued, as few of the cavalry who had fled from Sedgemoor had kept together, each man having gone off in the direction where he hoped safety might most quickly be found. They concluded, with correctness, that many had been already captured, and that the dragoons were scouring the country in all directions in search of others. Their only consolation was, that they had fallen into the hands of a humane man, who was certainly not thirsting for their blood. Where there is life there is hope. They therefore rode on less downcast than under the circumstances might have been expected.