Page:Tomlinson--The rider of the black horse.djvu/236

220 party at once departed. Near a brook that crossed the road their leader turned into the woods, and for nearly three hours led the way through an apparently pathless wood. Up the hills and through the heavily-wooded valleys they journeyed, seldom speaking and all the time keeping a careful lookout all about them.

At last they could once more see the road before them, and the old man leaping from his horse said to them, "Now I think ye 'll have no difficulty unless ye happen to run across Josh or some o' Claud Brown's men. I knew ye were bound for Morristown as soon as I set eyes on ye, an' I don't think ye 'll lose the way. Keep your eyes open for Josh."

"I did n't know the Thirteen came as far back as this," said Joseph.

"They go ev'rywhere. They have a place up here in the Ramapo Pass where they meet their friends, an' my advice to ye is not t' go that way. Can ye find yer way 'cross the country?" "Yes," said Robert. "We can do that, I know. But if we happen to fall in with Josh or any of Claud Brown's gang"— "Ye must n't fall in with 'em! That's what I'm tellin' ye not to do."