that glim for? Anything wrong below?"

The runners kept silence; we heard the click of a pistol lock.

"In the King's name," Lillywhite shouted, "get off that nag and lend a
hand! We've a prisoner."

The horseman gave an incredulous whistle, and then began to shout, his
voice winding mournfully uphill, "Hallo! Hallo--o--o." An echo stole
back, "Hallo! Hallo--o--o"; then a number of voices. The horse stood,
drooping its head, and the man turned in his saddle. "Runners," he
shouted, "Bow Street runners! Come along, come along, boys! We'll roast
'em.... Runners! Runners!"

The sound of heavy horses at a jolting trot came to our ears.

"We're in for it," Lillywhite grunted. "D------n this county of Kent."

Thorns never loosed his hold of my collar. At the steep of the hill the
men and horses came into sight against the white sky, a confused crowd
of ominous things.

"Turn that lanthorn off'n me," the horseman said. "Don't you see you
frighten my horse? Now, boys, get round them. . . ."

The great horses formed an irregular half-circle round us; men descended
clumsily, like sacks of corn. The lanthorn was seized and flashed upon
us; there was a confused hubbub. I caught my own name.

"Yes, I'm Kemp... John Kemp," I called. "I'm true blue."