The Black Tor Part 25

"Very well. I suppose we must see who's best man."

"Of course.--Hallo! who's this?"

A figure was dimly-seen coming up through the bushes, along the track just mentioned, and directly after, it became fully visible as Master Rayburn with his fish-creel on his back, and rod on shoulder; and they saw the old man stop short and cry:

"Shade of good Queen Bess! What's the meaning of this?"

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

MASTER RAYBURN BEGINS TO THINK.

Neither of the lads answered, for a feeling of confusion which troubled them. They felt abashed at being seen in each other's company; but they had to stop, for the old man planted himself right in the middle of the narrow track, where it pa.s.sed between two blocks of stone, and as soon as the cob reached him, it began to sniff at his breast and creel, and stood still. "The wolf and the lamb together," said the old man drily, and in the most serious manner; "but which is wolf, and which is lamb?"

Then, without waiting for a reply, he caught sight of something in the dimming light beneath the trees, and said; "What's this? Surely, my dear lads, you two have not been fighting? You have--and with swords."

Mark's cheeks flushed, and his eyes fell for a moment before the old man's piercing eyes; but he recovered himself directly, before Ralph could speak, and said:

"Yes, we've had a desperate fight coming home. Set upon by about a dozen ruffians, and if it had not been for young Darley here--"

"You did as much as I did, or more," cried Ralph.

"Oh, never mind who did most. We don't know. Had enough to do without.

But we whipped them, Master Rayburn, and made the beggars run."

"Where was this?" cried the old man.

"In the vale at the foot of Ergles. They came down from the cave there."

"Were they a set of disbanded soldiers--those who came up to Cliff Castle, Ralph?"

"Yes, and to the Black Tor, too," cried Mark.

"I thought as much," said the old man eagerly. "Then this accounts for the witches seen on the mountain, and the thefts that have taken place."

"Too late, Master Rayburn," cried Mark, laughing. "We caught that fish first.--Didn't we, Darley?"

"Yes; we said that was it," replied Ralph.

"Then I am too late; and I had made up my mind to go out that way, after I had taken home my fish--after dark--and watch. So you had to run for it?"

"Well, I don't know about that," said Mark bluntly. "We retreated at last, when they got too many for us, but we charged six of 'em.--Didn't we, Darley?"

"Yes; and upset four, and the other two ran," said Ralph modestly. "But we only had to fight two at a time, and of course that made it even."

"Very," said the old man drily; and his eyes sparkled in the gloom at the frank way in which the two deadly enemies were relating their adventures.

"Then some more came down from up above," continued Mark, "and two more got up again, and the odds seemed to be too great, and we retreated."

"And very wisely too," said Master Rayburn. "But let me look at your hurt, Mark, lad.--Tut-tut! soaked with blood.--Wound in the thigh."

"Ah! Don't touch it," shouted the lad. "You hurt."

"This must be seen to, my dear boy. I'll come home with you and dress it."

"Yes do, please. It makes me wriggle like a worm on a hook; but he's hurt too."

"Yes, I see. Roughly-bandaged, but, tut-tut-tut--why, the sword thrust has gone through. There is blood on both sides."

"But it's only through the skin, I think," said Ralph.

"Only through the skin, my lad! It must be worse than that. But the other side? You paid them for this, I hope."

"Oh yes, we gave them as much as we could, but we didn't kill any one."

"But we saw them carrying one away," said Ralph.

"Oh yes: so we did."

"The villains! And they wounded you both like this."

Mark glanced at Ralph, and Ralph glanced at him.

"No," said Ralph quietly; "they did not wound us."

"Then how came these injuries?" said the old man anxiously.

"Oh, never mind," cried Mark pettishly; "it doesn't matter. We got 'em--somehow."

"How was it, Ralph Darley?" said the old man sternly.

"He overtook me, and we quarrelled, and fought," said the lad quietly.

"Ah!"

"And just in the middle of it we found that these men had surrounded us."

"Yes, yes, yes; don't make such a fuss about it, Master Rayburn," cried Mark hastily. "And then we had to join and whip the beggars, and we did whip 'em at last; and my leg hurts horribly, and you stand there talking, instead of coming home to doctor it."

"Yes," said the old man, looking at the lad curiously, and then at Ralph. "Come along, boy. You, Darley, you had better come up to the Black Tor, and be attended to there."

"No, thank you, Master Rayburn; I must make haste back. Come and see to my arm when you have done his."

Ralph turned upon his heel as he spoke, and hurried away through the bushes; while, feeling puzzled, and yet pleased and hopeful, Master Rayburn gave the cob its head, and walked on and up the steep zigzag beside his young friend, carefully avoiding all allusion to the lads'

duel, and discussing the possibility of an expedition to drive the marauders out of their stronghold.

"I'm not a man of war, Mark," he said; "but I shall have to carry a pike instead of an eel-spear against these villains. We shall none of us be safe."

"Oh yes, we'll talk about that to-morrow," said Mark peevishly. "This hurts horribly. I say, don't say anything to my father about my fighting alongside that young Darley. I was obliged to, you see."