first two hours of the journey. He was not at all certain that, now that
the cost of making an attachment of his property was to be added to the
amount of his tax, Ephraim Foulsham would be willing to advance the money;
and, even if the sum could be raised in such a manner, it was so much
increased that he could not hope to see the wished-for mill under erection
until another season at the earliest.

At the end of the second hour he had accomplished at least nine miles of
the distance, and could well afford to indulge in a brief halt while
partaking of his food.

"Nine miles from home means eleven from Portsmouth," he said aloud, as if
the sound of his own voice gave him encouragement. "By this path Salem
cannot be more than twenty-four miles away, and I must make it in five
hours in order to reach Boston by sunrise. It can be done if I do not
allow myself too much time in which to rest my legs, and-"

He ceased speaking very suddenly, for at that instant, as if they had
descended from the clouds, two horsemen stood before him.

The moss-covered path had deadened the sound of the animals' approach as
they came up from the rear.

Walter recognized both the new-comers. The foremost was Samuel Haines, a
man who had made an unsuccessful attempt to get the appointment to
distribute stamped paper in New Hampshire, and the other James Albert, a
half-breed Indian, who was well known in Portsmouth as a quarrelsome
fellow, ready to take part in any business, however disreputable, so long
as he was provided with an ample supply of rum.