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CN le tn see TL gage tmnd gemnoenti
he laughed. — fohe eG .
But the laugh died on his lips, for, while the horse was). |
still on the bolt, he saw one of the‘field gates lying ‘right. ~~
. . ‘ oh an
« ¥ : \
‘
| WILD’ MARGARET, oT
"Steady, old man!" said Blair, tightening the rein. a“ It >
~ Was a rum noise, but don’t lose your head. ° ‘Steady ! and
across the narrow road, 9 A
_ Now, at any time, this is-a sight which is calculated to
_ Make a horseman look and feel serious; because, however
- Slowly the horse may be going, if he is not pulled’up in oe,
time before he reaches the prostrate gate, his legs will get
entangled in the bars, and he must inevitably fall. But —
_ When a horse is bolting, the situation becomes dangerous
and deadly. oe 7 ina
~ To pull him up in time Blair saw would be impossible,
even for him. He looked swiftly at the banks on either
. Side, with the idea of turning him up them, but they were
too high. There was only one thing to do, and that was
to drop off as easily as possible as the horse fell. >
' A moment more and. the catastrophe came. The run- —
away horse’s fore-feet struck between the top bars, his off
hind leg caught the lower one, and with a crash anda
Startled shake of the head, the colt came down all of a
eap. - / os ne
Blair had been ready a moment before, and as the horse
fell he managed to get out of the stirrups and roll ‘out of
the saddle. . yy
_ It was nicely and cleanly done, as only a steeplechaser
could have done it, and he was on his Jegs and bending over
\
the horse almost the next instant.
Plunging and kicking, the colt tried to extricate himself
from the awful trap, and Blair had coaxed him on his
legs, and was leading him out when he heard a strange .
noise behind him, and saw a tall form standing on the
? .
ank above his head.
' At that instant, for the first time, the thought of foul a
play occurred to him. Grasping the bridle with one hand -.
and his whip with the other, he turned and looked up. :
The sky was. black as night, but a flash of lightning.
clove the heavens just then, and by its lurid light he saw
the face of Jem Pyke. He thought that he was dreaming. |
It seemed too incredible. When last he had seen the man. |
it had been at Leyton, where Pyke lived. _How could he.
_ Possibly be here? . 7
He gazed up at him for a second or two, which seemed
an age; then he opened his lips to speak, but the thunder
. Toared and blotted out his voice. - . wo
With a wild laugh the man glowered down upon him, -
motionless as. Blair himself, then, with a spring, threw
Imself upon him. © | 7 Y .