"Stop!" I cried as the party came up. Immediately the women checked their horses, but the man seemed as though he would ride on, heedless of me. When he saw that his companions obeyed my bidding, however, he wheeled around savagely.

"Who are you, my man?" he cried. It was Benet Killigrew who spoke. Evidently the women had carefully obeyed my bidding.

"Thank you, Killigrew, for carrying out my plans," I said. "Now you can ride back to your father and the priest, and tell them what a fool you have been."

I heard him growl an oath which I will not here set down.

"What want you?" he cried.

"I could have shot you easily," I said, "but that is not my way. Go back now, I will take care of the lady."

He saw the trap into which he had fallen, but he was not a man to give up easily.

"Ha!" he laughed, "after all, I'm glad of this. You thought I should play into your hands, but, by Heaven, you play into mine!"

[Pg 140]

He leaped from his horse as he spoke, and I believe that for the moment in his eagerness to fight he had forgotten why he was there.

Bidding Chestnut stand still, I placed myself on guard while Benet drew his sword.

"I like not fighting before women," he cried; "they faint at the sight of blood, but, by Cormoran, I love you, Trevanion! We'll fight for the maid, and the best man shall have her."

"Stop a minute," I said. "This is Mistress Nancy Molesworth, is it not?"

"Yes,"—it was the maid herself who spoke.

"And you do not wish to go with this man Benet Killigrew?"

"No, no. I will go no further with him now. I only came here thus at your bidding!"

"Did you?" growled Benet, "but you will go further with me. Trevanion, you are over confident, my man. Because you threw me by a trick I had not practised, you ventured on this scheme? I love you for it, but you are a dead man, Trevanion"; and he gave a laugh of wild joy.

For the moment I repented I had not wounded him unawares and taken away the maid without his knowing who had done it, but only for a moment. It is but a coward's device to hurt an unprepared man. Besides, although Benet Killigrew was a wild rake, and ill-fitted to be the husband of such a maid as Nancy Molesworth, he was a brave man, and loved a fight, and as such I respected him.

Without waiting he attacked me hotly; all the same I saw he was wary, and was not weakened[Pg 141] by over-confidence, as he was when we wrestled. His eyes continued to gleam with a fierce joy, and he laughed like a man well pleased.

"You thought to beat Benet Killigrew," he cried, "you thought to use him as a tool, eh?"

For full three minutes we fought without either gaining advantage, and I realized how much depended on the skill and strength of my right arm. I saw too that Benet meant to kill me; every thrust he made meant death had I not been successful in parrying them. Never before had I fought with such a man; never before had I seen such a gleam of joy, a joy that was devilish, as I saw in Benet Killigrew's eyes.

I had no chance of noticing the two women, for Benet pressed me sorely. I fancied I heard some slight screams, but of these I recked nothing. A woman always cries out at a man's blows. For the first few minutes I acted on the defensive. I was anxious to test my antagonist, before seeking to disable him, for this was all I wanted to do.

Presently, therefore I prepared myself for a method of attack of which I fancied Killigrew would be ignorant, but in making it I placed myself at a disadvantage, for my heel caught on a big stone which lay in the road, and I was thrown off my guard. He was not slow in making use of this, as may be imagined, and I doubt much if I could have saved myself, for I stumbled back a couple of paces, and as I stumbled I saw his sword arm raised. Before he could strike, however, his arm was caught from behind, and in a second I was my own man again.

[Pg 142]

He gave a savage oath, and furiously threw aside the one who had kept him from taking advantage of my mishap.

In a second I saw that it was Mistress Nancy Molesworth who had come to my aid, and while I felt ashamed that I needed to be helped by a maid, the incident in the battle nerved my arm.

"Come on, Benet Killigrew," I said, "that stone shall not serve you again."

"Bah, you were at my mercy," he cried, "but you were saved by the maid Nancy. Well, the best man shall have her!"

After that no further word was spoken, for we fell to again, and each of us fought like grim death. And now Benet fought not so much for the joy of fighting, as for the sake of claiming the maid who had held his hand, and for revenge on me. I too fought in deadly earnest, for now that the maid had rendered me such signal service I felt more than ever desirous of ridding her from the power of the Killigrews, and perhaps I desired to show her even at that moment that I was a better man than my opponent. Besides, I knew that Otho Killigrew and his brothers might be upon me at any moment, so that whatever was done must be done quickly. With this in my mind I became less cautious, being anxious to finish the business, and Benet, noting this, thought, I expect, that my guard was becoming weak; whereupon, imagining I was yielding ground, he rushed on me with so little care that he spitted himself on my sword, while his weapon fell from his hand.

Precious though every moment was, I undid his[Pg 143] doublet and examined the wound I had made. The blood came freely, but I did not think it was mortal. For this I was glad, because I wished not to have his life resting on me.

"You have got the maid, Trevanion," he gasped, "but I shall not die. Some time we shall fight again," and with that he fell into a swoon.

"We are followed!"

It was the maid Nancy who spoke, and instantly I heard the sound of horses.

"Mount!" I cried quickly, and then I saw that the serving-maid had not alighted from her horse. Whistling to Chestnut that he might come to me, I turned to help Mistress Nancy to get on her horse; but she would have nought to do with me. Instead she led her steed to a high stone, and without my aid sat in her saddle. I jumped on Chestnut's back, therefore, and galloped southward, with the two women close to me.

Both of them rode well. The maid Nancy sat her horse gracefully, as every well-born woman should, while Amelia Lanteglos rode carelessly and easily, as is common among country wenches who make a practice of riding horses barebacked. For a couple of miles neither spoke; we rode hard as was natural, but at the end of that time I drew my rein for a moment. I was anxious to listen whether we were followed. The women, however, rode forward.

"Stop!" I said.

"For why?" It was Mistress Nancy who spoke.

"I wish to listen whether the Killigrews are[Pg 144] riding behind us, or whether they have stopped with Benet."

Upon this they obeyed my behest, I thought unwillingly. I listened for a few moments, but no sound reached me.

"They must be staying awhile with Benet," I said aloud.

"Yes, but they will follow us. Let us forward!"

"Whither?" I asked, for her tones nettled me. She spoke as though I were a servant.

"There is but one place," she replied sharply. "Your promise was to take me to Polperro."

"And when you get there?" I asked.

"Your work will be done then, sir."

"But the Killigrews will follow you to Polperro."

"I have friends there who will protect me. Let us waste no more time."

We rode forward without another word, although, to tell the truth, her discourteous mode of speech cooled my ardour. Apparently she did not remember that I had been scheming and fighting for her liberty. Evidently I was no more to her than a lad who might open a gate through which she might enter into liberty. What became of me in opening the gate, she cared not. This ill-agreed with my nature, although, when I remembered my promise to Peter Trevisa, I felt tongue-tied. The truth was, I wot not what to do. My bargain with Trevisa hung like a millstone around my neck, and the fact that I could not altogether shake off the thought that I meant to[Pg 145] take the maid to Treviscoe made me ashamed to speak to her.

I do not pretend to be a hero such as story-tellers rave about, and I must confess that the thought of having Trevanion under easy circumstances became hourly more dear to me. All the same I wanted to act worthily of my name, and the thought of the helplessness of the women who rode near me made me anxious for their safety.

"We must ride through Wadebridge," I said at length.

"Why?"

"Because of the river."

"Very well."

After that we lapsed into silence again. A mile or two further on I sought to draw her into a conversation, but in vain. Evidently she had accepted my escort as the one means of escaping from the Killigrews, but she loved me no more than she trusted them. I was as distasteful to her as they were, and she would have scorned my help had any other means presented themselves. I could see too that she did not trust me, and that if I acted contrary to her wishes she would leave me. Now that she had gained her liberty she felt confident of her own strength and ingenuity. The fact that no sound of the Killigrews followed us gave her assurance, and in her ignorance of what might happen she fancied herself well out of harm's way. For myself she was sure I must have some purpose of my own to serve, and it was for her to use me in so far as I could be of[Pg 146] any value to her, taking precautions all the time, however, that I did not betray her.

This was how the matter appealed to me, and every mile of the journey confirmed my belief. Moreover I felt she was just, for although my heart revolted at the thought of taking her to Treviscoe, I knew I had not given up hopes of getting back Trevanion.

All this made me a sorry companion, and made me hang my head as I rode along.

"We must decide what road we take after we reach Wadebridge," I said as we drew near the little port.

"How? why?" she asked.............