half-mile, with my heart going thump upon my ribs. I had an awful fear
that they would turn, and catch me; and I knew that the night-riders
wanted no witnesses of their adventures in the dark.

About four miles from home, I came to an open part of the road, where
the snow came down in its full fury, there being no hedge to give a
little shelter. It was so thick that I could not get Greylegs to go
on. He stood stock-still, and cowered, though I beat him with my hank
of cord, and kicked his ribs. It was cruel of me; but I thought of Mrs
Cottier, with her beautiful kind face, lying in a drift of snow, and
the thought was dreadful to me. I got down from the saddle, and put my
lantern on the ground, and tried to drag him forward, but it was
useless. He would not have stirred if I had lighted a fire under
him. When he had the instinct to stand still, nothing would make him
budge a yard. A very fierce gust came upon me then. The snow seemed to
whirl upon me from all sides, so that I got giddy and sick. And then,
just at the moment, there were horses and voices all about me, coming
from Salcombe way. Somebody called out, "Hullo," and somebody called
out "Look out, behind"; and then a lot of horses pulled up suddenly,
and some men spoke, and a led horse shied at my lantern. I had no time
to think or to run, I felt myself backing into old Greylegs in sheer
fright; and then some one thrust a lantern into my face, and asked me
who I was. By the light of the lantern I saw that he wore a woman's
skirt over his trousers; and his face was covered by one of those
great straw bee-skeps, pierced with holes for his eyes and mouth. He
was one of the most terrible things I have ever seen.

"Why, it's a boy," said the terrible man. "What are you doing here,
boy?"