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152 "Not he!" retorted Bill. "He's got the spirit, deuce take him. He'll walk into the lion's mouth, sure as a die. And it's us that has to take care he don't walk out again."

"No fear o' that," said Robin, with an oath.

"What if he should come quiet?" suggested Tom.

"Sneaking by like them king's men do when they're after us?" cried Bill. "Dost think Ann won't keep too good a lookout for him for that? No. If he comes with the redcoats, she'll know long afore they be here, and they'll find all taut as they did yesterday morn. And if he comes alone, he'll walk in right enough; but he'll never walk out no more!"

There was a hoarse laugh at this, which passed round the circle, as the men repeated the words the one to the other. And then, quite suddenly, there fell a silence upon them all.

Tregenna felt that his heart almost stopped beating; for he was under the impression, for the first moment, that he had been discovered. But the hush had hardly fallen upon the group below, when a faint tapping was heard upon one of the great doors of the barn.