Page:Tomlinson--The rider of the black horse.djvu/259

Rh dius Brown with a laugh. Apparently the leader was so rejoiced at the unexpected good fortune which had befallen him that he was not mindful of the treatment two of his followers had received at the hands of the powerful young express. "If you have, stand up!" he added.

As Robert did not speak or move, he was roughly seized by the shoulders and lifted to his feet. Jacob Gunning had not moved from his position during the encounter, and as Robert glanced about him, his absolute helplessness was so apparent that he knew that any further attempt at defending himself would only cause him to increase his own peril. Accordingly he stood still and fearlessly looked into the faces of the men before him. Only once did he look at his hat, which had been flung in his fall far to one side of the barn, and quickly he turned his eyes away. Between the folds of his hat the small thin letter which had been intrusted to him had been placed, and for a moment there was a slight hope in his heart that it might not be found, If he should not be able to deliver it into the hands of the one to whom it had been ad- dressed, it would at least be a relief to know that it had not been secured by his enemies.