Page:Barbour--Metipoms Hostage.djvu/99

Rh enough. Twilight settled and the forest became full of shadows. By this time, however, they had left the lowlands and were proceeding generally northwestward through  open woods. David’s captors did not appear to be apprehensive of meeting any one, although it was evident that they wanted to  get their prey well out of that part of the  country before pursuit might be started. So far as the boy knew there lay no settlement  for many miles in the direction they were  taking, since the little village at Sudbury lay  well to the west and the Concord settlement  more to the east. For that matter, he reflected hopelessly, they might easily pass within a stone-throw of either place in the  darkness without danger of being seen.

When an hour or more had passed, the woods ended and, in the starlit darkness, a  broad meadow stretched for miles. Here and there lay the glimmer of water, and David  knew that they had come to the edge of the  Sudbury Marshes through which wound the  Crooked River. A halt was called, and David’s gag was removed that he might eat the cracked raw corn that they fed him. At first his jaws were too stiff to move and his lips  and tongue were numb, but presently he was