Page:Randall Parrish - The Red Mist.djvu/294

 276 we could make ten of these before we were obliged to seek shelter, it would bring us well into the foothills of the Alleghanies, with plenty of hiding places near by—ay! and there must be cabins also back in those valleys where food could be obtained. With Anse Cowan, and his crew, off on an expedition in the opposite direction, I felt a confidence which yielded fresh audacity—it was going to be easier than I had supposed. Another night—our horses rested and fed—would bring us safely into Hot Springs, and beyond that point the road would be comparatively clear.

The pike had been well built, and was still in good condition. Armies had not marched this way, and the surface was unrutted by cannon wheels, or ploughed up by cavalry hoofs. No doubt forage trains had traversed it from end to end, and many a scouting party of troopers, but these had left few signs of their passage. We rode swiftly, the star-gleam sufficient for guidance. Noreen did not speak, did not even glance toward me, her horse keeping even stride with mine, her slender figure, shapeless in its draping cavalry cape, bent slightly forward. The road lay like a white ribbon between its fringe of trees, winding about to avoid the hills; once, afar off to the left, I caught the glimmer of distant water.

I know not how long we rode, or how far, for my