Page:Tomlinson--The rider of the black horse.djvu/254

238 his impulse to leap down from the mow and rush to the aid of Jacob. However, he decided to await developments; but he lifted his head above the hay and discovered that he could distinctly hear all that was being said.

"I have n't seen him go past here," Jacob was saying.

"That's as good as sayin' ye have seen him come here. Now where is he, Jake? He's nothin' to you, an' ye 'll save yerself a heap o' trouble jest by givin' him up."

Robert's fears returned and he was tempted to try to flee from the barn. He realized how strong was the pressure upon Jacob, and he did not know him well enough to estimate his powers of resistance. If he only knew how many were in the assembly he could better decide. He resolved to creep up nearer to the side of the barn, and perhaps he might be able to find some small opening there through which he could see as well as hear what was occurring outside.

Cautiously he threw back the hay, and crawling stealthily over the mow he began to creep nearer the side he was seeking. In the midst of his endeavors he ceased abruptly as the voice of Claudius Brown suddenly became louder.