beneath our feet. The hounds came with us for a few yards, but, the
ground becoming softer the farther we went from the edge, they
halted, whined as though loath to part from friends, and then ran
back to meet Vetch and one of his buccaneers, who stood helpless at
the brink. They fired at us, but we were already out of range, and
with the sound of their execrations still in our ears we trudged
slowly but steadily towards the other side of the swamp.



Chapter 25: I Spend Cludde's Crown Piece.


Thankful as I was for my wondrous escape, my mind still misgave me,
both as to our own ultimate safety and as to what might befall
Mistress Lucy. I did not know the extent of the swamp, and maybe
Vetch and his companion would go back for their horses and,
circling round it, circumvent us. Uncle Moses relieved my fears on
this score, telling me that, while the swamp was little more than
half a mile across, it stretched laterally for several miles, and
we should reach the haven whither we were making long before the
swiftest horses could complete the circuit.

On the other point, the well being of Mistress Lucy, he could give
me no reassurance. 'Twas Wednesday: she came of age tomorrow; even
if Vetch was not aware of this, but believed that Friday, the day
of her birthday celebrations, was the actual birthday, it gave us
terribly little time to concert any movements on her behalf. And so
my joy of having recovered my freedom was tempered by uneasiness.