Page:Tomlinson--The rider of the black horse.djvu/279

Rh "Did you bring a letter?"

"I had one, yes, sir," replied Robert quickly, "but because I would n't tell this villain," and he glared at Claudius Brown as he spoke, "to whom I had given it, he cut all my clothes into tatters and then set fire to Jacob's tavern, and not satisfied with that, tied me up in the barn, set fire to it, and hanged Jacob on the tree, where I take it you or your men found him."

"Did you do that? Take your hands off the man!" said the lieutenant to Brown.

"He would n't own up where the letter was. I'd had orders from somebody I don't think even you'd care to dispute." In spite of his manner, it was evident that the leader stood in some fear of what the officer might say or do. "I tried ev'ry way t' get 'em to own up peaceable, but they would n't do it."

"Quite likely," said the young officer dryly. "So you set fire to their buildings and tried to hang the man, did you?"

"I set fire t' th' tavern 'n th' barn. 'T was a nest o' snakes anyway, but I did n't intend t' kill either one o' th' men. I was goin' t' scare 'em into ownin' up where th' letter was."

"You people in the colonies beat me," said the young officer quietly. "I did n't want to