"Let them go--for heaven's sake, let them go, John," wailed Lolla.
"There is a devil fighting for them--he will kill you if you try any
longer to keep them from their friends."

"Pah! What child's talk is this? Be thankful that I do not beat you with
my stick for letting them get free!"

"Listen to her, John," said Peter, warningly. "She speaks the truth. It
was a devil that spoke from the air. I saw his horns and his red tail.
Be careful--he may be here now."

John laughed, scornfully.

"Run away, if you are afraid," he said. "I will manage alone now. I
would not trust you--you have failed me once, both of you. Do not think
you can frighten me into failure because you are as brave as
a--chicken!"

"Let them go, I say," said Peter, with a sternness in his voice that
gave Bessie a new ray of hope. "I have had my warning, I will profit by
it."

"You coward!" sneered John.

But that was too much for Peter. With a cry of rage he sprang forward.

"I fear no man, no man I can see or touch," he cried. "And no man shall
call me coward!"