ordered the alarm to be sounded, and began to marshal his men, eager to do the best he could to avert the consequences of this surprise. CHAPTER XXX. THE PURSUIT. "White as a white sail on a dusky sea, When half the horizon's clouded and half free, "Hope, for a time, Suns the young floweret in its gladsome light, Ir will be remembered that we left Kate a few chapters back, about to be embarked on the river. Clouds had been hovering, all the latter part of the morning, around the horizon; and about noon these had collected into the thunder-storm, which we have seen pass over Chestnut Neck. Kate and her captors, however, escaped the tempest, it being almost an hour in advance of them. With rapid strokes the refugees urged their boat along, as if desirous to gain their destination, whatever it was, before nightfall. For nearly an hour they continued to advance in this way, between shores still overgrown with forest, with here and there a small clearing peeping out on the river. At last, on turning a sudden bend in the stream, they came in sight of a considerable settlement. A small field piece was mounted near the bank; and quite a number of armed men lounged about; while a couple of sentinels marched to and fro behind the cannon. On a flag-staff, in front of one of the houses, floated the stars and stripes of the confederated states. Kate had noticed, that, as this settlement opened to view, the refugees had kept away, as close as possible to the other side of the river: but scarcely had they rounded the point and come fairly in view of the sentinels, when a hail sounded across the water. To pass this armed party was almost impossible, for the boat had still a considerable distance to go before it would be in front of the dwellings: and even if it should safely reach and pass that point, it would be within range of their muskets for a long distance below, to say nothing of the field piece. The heart of our heroine beat high with hope. Here, when she least expected it, was succor. For she resolved, the instant the boat came to, to declare herself and claim protection, even if Arrison had his pistol at her heart. The refugees appeared as disconcerted as she was overjoyed. They looked at each other and at their leader in dismay; but continued pulling lustily, still hugging the opposite shore. They were not allowed to go far, however, unchecked; for the sentinels, finding their summons disregarded, fired at the boat; and the ball of one of them passing close to Arrison, he suddenly ordered a halt. "This is the devil's own work," he said, savagely. "Keep still, Miss, or I'll put my knife into you," he added, as Kate seized the opportunity to waive her handkerchief; and he snatched the handkerchief from her. "They are getting ready to fire their field-piece. We shall never be able to pass them. Who'd have thought that the rebel knaves would have rallied so quickly." "We'd better turn back," said one of the men, who seemed the leading person after Arrison. "It's been slack water for some time, and the tide will begin to run up directly; it's making up, in fact, already, along shore. Before we could get by, with no wind and a head tide, they'd smash our boat to pieces with their cursed gun.” "Back let it be then," said Arrison, after a minute's angry reflection. "We'll lose the bounty, lads; but," he continued, as if by a sudden thought, "we'll have the prize; and gad! I'll find a way to make that pay you better than if we had gone on.” A burst of brutal merriment from the man was the answer to this sally, which, though partly enigmatical to Kate, had yet sufficient meaning to her to terrify her beyond description. For the words seemed to imply that the return of the ruffians would involve her in a more dreadful peril than even that which she had escaped. The sentinels had remained quiet, watching the boat during this pause, because evidently expecting obedience to their summons. But when the refugees turned her head up the stream, and began vigorously propelling her in that direction, there was a general stir on shore, and several persons, hastily running to the bank, fired their muskets at the retreating boat. The balls came whistling by, and one even struck the gunwale not far from Kate. Simultaneously the field piece was trained after the fugitives, while a man ran to the nearest house as if for fire to discharge it. "Pull, pull for your lives, my boys," shouted Arrison, leaning forward and assisting the man who pulled the stroke oar. "If we once get round the point again, we are safe.” Kate saw, from the velocity with which they moved, that this object would soon be gained. She feared also that the patriots had not seen her, and would probably not pursue the boat. With the quick decision and boldness of her character she rose suddenly from her seat, and screamed for help, making gestures of appeal to those on shore. But, almost instantaneously, Arrison, who had seen her rise, struck her a violent blow, which felled her nearly senseless into the stern-sheets. Here she lay, comparatively helpless for a while, stifling the moan which pain extracted from her. Meantime, however, her scream had been heard on shore. The firing of the field piece was stopped. But, in its place, a boat, which lay near the bank, was instantly manned by several of the men, and a pursuit begun. The refugees had, indeed, a considerable start; but so energetically did the patriots row, that, before the former had got half a mile beyond the bend, the latter were seen rounding it gallantly in full chase. The struggle soon became one of thrilling interest. The refugees had the lightest boat, but were fatigued with their day's toil, and with their exertions at the oars in descending the river; while the patriots were entirely fresh. In a short while, consequently, it became apparent that the former were losing ground. Arrison, at this, broke into a torrent of oaths, and urged his crew afresh. "Pull, pull,” he cried; "do you want to taste cold hemp, you rascals?" The stimulus of these words produced a perceptible influence on the speed of the boat. The refugees, stripped to their shirts, and with their chests and arms bared, toiled at the oars till the big drops of perspiration gathered like beads upon them. The stout ashen blades, with which they propelled their craft, bent until they seemed about to snap in two. The boat itself fairly leaped along, the water surging under her bows, or whirling in roaring eddies from the rudder. "We hold our own now," cried Arrison, swaying to the strokes of the oarsmen. "Pull, pull, and we'll gain on them. There, we made something at the short bend. No," he added, suddenly, his inflamed face reddening still more, "they cut across after us. Pull, pull, I say," he shouted, As he spoke, he glanced over his shoulder continually and in perceptible anxiety. The men knew that the chase was for life and death; and rallying all their strength, they struggled on. Meantime the exertions of the other crew were not a whit behind those of the refugees. Their helmsman could be seen stimulating them by pointing to Kate; and continually one or more of them glanced over his shoulder to see how the chase went on. The water flashed and glittered in the fading sunlight, as it fell showered from the blades of their oars; while the cataract of foam that rolled under the bows of their craft, proved with what velocity they were driving her along. "Give way, stronger and longer," shouted Arrison, looking over his shoulders for the thirtieth time during the last half hour, "they gain again on us. Give way, or we are lost." They had just crossed from one side to another of the river, in order to take the shortest cut up the next reach, and Arrison had confidently expected to see their pursuers follow in his track. But the patriots, by selecting a somewhat different course, had apparently secured more of the current, for they were now rapidly coming up, lessening the distance between the two boats astonishingly. The refugees, like hounds incited by a fresh blast of the hunter's horn, sprang anew to their task; and for awhile their boat perceptibly increased her swiftness. But the pursuers, observing how much they had gained by their helmsman's dexterity, cheered lustily, and stretched to their strong blades, like thorough-breds coming down the last quarter. Gaining steadily now at every stroke, they rapidly approached, huzza following huzza, in the confidence of approaching victory. Much of this advantage was evidently owing to their helmsman, who, by still continuing his adroit manœuvres, constantly cut off more or less of the distance, or availed |