When the riders had come within a few yards of this building, two men,
hearing the sound of horses' hoofs, came out. As their eye fell upon
the party they gave a shout, ran out into the road, and drew their
swords.
Roger and Oswald rode at them. Parrying a thrust of one of the men,
Oswald cut him down; while Roger, with a tremendous blow from his
staff, stretched the other man on the road.
"Ride on, girls! We will follow you," Oswald shouted.
Jessie was sitting behind John, and they and Janet dashed forward, and
rode into the water. Oswald and Roger followed, as six men, armed with
spear and sword, ran out from the house. Seeing that they were too
late, the leader shouted to the others: "Fetch out the horses, and
chase them!" and, before the party had gained the opposite bank, their
pursuers dashed into the water.
"Don't press your horses too hardly," Oswald said, as they galloped
along. "They are too close behind us for us to get help from any of the
small villages, but they dare not follow us into Longtown, and we have
barely a ten miles' ride."
They had some two hundred yards' start, and for the first four miles
held their own; then their pursuers began to gain upon them.
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