"You must catch your hare before you cook him; remember that, lad," he observed.

"There is the difficulty," answered Jack. "They say that no one has caught sight of him except at a great distance; and I am told his horse flies like a meteor, and is as light as the wind. He can follow his master up-stairs as easily as a cat, and up a tree for that matter, I verily believe, and will leap down precipices high enough to break the bones of any ordinary man or horse. Thus there is scarcely a chance of coming up with him, although the country has been scoured again and again, and even some of his rogues have been caught and hung."

"A valuable animal that you speak of," observed Master Pearson coolly.

"I dare say his master is as proud of him as I am of my poor beast, who, though he has no great speed, is a trusty friend on the road, and has carried me many a long mile. 'Slow and sure' is his motto."

"I do not fancy that you always ride at a slow pace though, Master Pearson," observed Jack, laughing carelessly. "Your legs cling too tightly to your horse's sides, and you have too easy a seat in your saddle to care much for a slow beast, sure as he may be."

"I was bred in Yorkshire, Master Jack Deane," answered Pearson with a peculiar glance at Jack. "Every boy there knows how to bestride a horse as soon as he can run; though, to be sure, I won't deny that I have taken a gallop now and then in my day. And now I think we understand each other. You remember our meeting down by the river-side: I took a fancy to you on that night, and I told you I had something to talk to you about. Are you willing to hear it now? But I have no fancy that any pa.s.ser should hear the chance words we may let drop: so speak low when you reply my ears are sharp enough; and you will give me your word of honour that you will not repeat what you hear of me, unless I give you leave."

Jack, whose curiosity had been aroused by what Master Pearson had said, gave the required promise, and without further circ.u.mlocution his companion proposed to him a scheme which Jack would have been the wiser had he at the first refused to listen to.

Master Pearson showed himself to be an able diplomatist, and Mr Harwood would have been thoroughly satisfied had he heard the way in which his wishes were carried out.

"Think of what I have been saying, my lad," he continued. "You have got the right qualities in you, depend upon that, and it's your own fault if you don't rise in the world in the way I have pointed out. And now, farewell; we shall meet again before long, I doubt not; but I have some business to settle a short distance off the road, and I must get free of this crowd."

Saying this, Pearson shook Jack by the hand, and trotted past him at a quick rate. A wide ditch and hedge divided the road from a large field, along which the way was free and open. A few drovers only were in sight, urging on their cattle. Jack, who had kept his eye on his late companion, was somewhat surprised to see his seemingly sorry jade take a spring which cleared both hedge and ditch, and then to observe him cantering along the field at a rate which would have distanced many horses at a gallop.

"He is a strange person," thought Jack, "but he seems good-natured and well-intentioned. I cannot make him out, but as to doing what he advises, I must take time to consider about that."

CHAPTER EIGHT.

ATTACKED BY CATTLE-LIFTERS.

Jack, drawing up by the side of the road, waited till Brinsmead again overtook him, and then jogged on as before quietly by his side.

"Well, Master Deane, I hope you have not been engaged in any idle conversation with the varlets you have fallen in with along the road,"

said the old man. "There are some good men and true among them, but not a few rogues too, depend on that. For my part, I think it's generally wiser to keep myself to myself, unless one meets a G.o.dly man who can discourse discreetly on spiritual matters."

Jack was afraid that his good old friend was about to commence one of his long discourses. He therefore, to put a stop to it, and feeling that it was right to do so, mentioned his encounter with the stranger, though he was compelled by his promise not to say he had met him before, or to repeat the main subject of his conversation. He could not help remarking the contrast between the expression of honest Brinsmead's countenance, as he jogged along on his steady old grey horse, and that of Master Pearson: the one free and open, with a kind smile generally playing over it, and the other strongly marked and coa.r.s.e, with a cunning look in the eyes, and a constant tendency to a sneer on the lips.

"After all, I had better not trust that man," he said to himself. "His words are seemingly fair, but I don't altogether like him."

Brinsmead and Jack continued along the road for some way, with high banks and thick-set hedges on either side, till they reached a flat at the bottom of a dip, extending for a considerable distance, along which the water lay pretty deep, having long overflowed its proper banks, and wandered lazily for miles over meadows on either side of the road. Here they were stopped by a cart greatly overloaded with wood, the two heavy wheels of one side having sunk deep in the mud. An old man in smock-frock, and five or six other carters in the same dress were working hard, apparently to extricate the waggon.

"Why don't the fellows unload the cart?" exclaimed Jack; "they will never get it out otherwise."

The pack-horses and the other herds must have pa.s.sed before the accident had occurred; for there was scarcely room to allow the animals to get by between the cart and the ditch. Just as Mr Strelley's herd arrived at the waggon, over it went, completely blocking up the road.

"Had we not better try and help them?" exclaimed Jack to Brinsmead; "they will never do it of themselves, and we should soon get the wood off the waggon."

"Let us see how they manage for themselves first," answered Brinsmead.

"I don't see what business they have to upset their waggon just at this moment. It is my belief that they could have prevented the accident had they chosen, from the way it went over."

Meantime the drovers with shouts and blows were turning back the herd, to prevent them rushing into the water, which they were about to do when they found they could pa.s.s no other way.

"Shall we help you?" cried Jack to the carters. "We should soon with a few ropes be able to get your wheels on dry ground, if you take the weight off the top."

"Mind your own business, young man!" exclaimed a voice from the neighbourhood of the cart. "We know what we're about, and that's more than you do, I'm thinking."

"I do not like the look of things," said Brinsmead to Jack. "I will stay here, and you go back and see after the cattle; I don't know what may be happening otherwise."

Jack accordingly, whip in hand, rode back, the herd being much more separated than usual. As he went on, he saw a considerable number of stragglers in the rear; and as he approached them, what was his astonishment to find that they were being driven away by a dozen fellows or more across the country! He instantly put spurs to his horse and galloped after them, drawing a pistol, and holding it in his hand as he advanced. The cattle-lifters, however,--for such there could be no doubt they really were,--took no notice of his approach, only urging on the beasts the faster. As he came up to the nearest man, he pulled the trigger, but the pistol flashed in the pan; while the man at whom he aimed uttered a scornful laugh in return. His second pistol behaved in the same manner; and on putting his hand in his pocket for his powder-flask, he found that that had gone.

"You will get the worst of it," cried the man, "if you attempt to approach," drawing, as he spoke, a pistol from under his smock-frock.

"You had better go back and look after the rest of the beasts, and think yourself fortunate we have not taken the whole of them."

Jack had lifted his heavy stock-whip, intending to dash in at the man; but at that instant the report of fire-arms from the direction of the cart which had been upset reached his ears. It was too evident that Brinsmead and the rest of the men had been attacked, and Jack felt he could be of most use by riding back to a.s.sist them. As he was hastening on, approaching the rear of the frightened herd, a horseman who had just come along the road approached him. The stranger, from the pistols in his belt and his general appearance, was, he had no doubt, one of the gang of cattle-lifters. Jack, however, was not inclined to yield without a struggle. Drawing therefore a long knife, or rather dagger, which he carried in a sheath in his belt, he dashed at the horseman.

"Halloo there, my lad, sheathe your blade, if you have not a fancy for having your brains blown out!" exclaimed the other, quietly at the same time drawing a pistol from his belt.

Jack saw that he was covered by the weapon, and restraining his anger exclaimed, "These beasts are under my charge, and I want to know by what right you and your people dare to drive them off the road?"

"By the right of might," answered the robber, for such he seemed to be.

"Just calm yourself, my lad; perhaps we may settle matters more easily than you now fancy. You will understand that we could manage to carry off every one of your drove if we chose, but we do not wish to do that.

Will you listen to my terms?"

"I will listen to them, but will not undertake to agree to them,"

answered Jack. "What are they?"

"We will take ten shillings sterling a head for every one of the cattle in the drove. If you agree to that, those which have been driven off shall be returned; if not, we shall take the liberty of helping ourselves to as many as we fancy."

"I will mention the terms you propose to our head drover," answered Jack: "if he agrees to them, I have not a word to say to the contrary."

"Well, be smart about it, my lad. Will Brinsmead is a man of sense, so I have no doubt he will listen to reason on this occasion. Hasten down, therefore, to your friends in the swamp there; they and our men have played long enough at quarter-staff; and mark you, if Brinsmead does not like my offer, remind him I have the power to settle the business in another way."

Jack looked doubtfully at the horseman, fearing that when he went up to the front, more of the cattle would be driven off.

"You need not be afraid, Mr Deane; your cattle are safe enough, I give you my word for it: none shall be taken till you come back," said the robber, observing Jack's hesitation.

Jack found Brinsmead looking very disconsolate at the turn affairs had taken.

"We have fallen among the Philistines, Jack, and it's not likely they will let us go till they have fleeced us completely."

"Cheer up, Master Brinsmead!" said Jack. "I will speak to them, and see what can be done."

On this Jack called a parley with their opponents, who seemed prepared for the proposal; but not without much grief and many doubts did Will Brinsmead listen to the terms. Seeing, however, that his chance of escape was hopeless, he at length consented to pay the levier of black-mail his iniquitous dues. On this Jack rode back to the top of the rise where he had left the horseman, and told him that the arrangement was agreed to.

"Well, then, send your people to look after the beasts, and I will come down and settle with worthy Master Brinsmead. You will not find it silver thrown away, let me tell you; for we shall take care that not a crown more will you have to pay till you get safe back to your master with the profits of your journey."

With many a groan and sigh Brinsmead produced his leathern purse from a side-pocket carefully secured round him, and counted out the pieces into the broad palm of the cattle-lifter, who coolly deposited them in his pouch, as if he had been receiving the result of an honest bargain.

Meantime the waggon without much difficulty was lifted up from its position, and dragged on one side to allow the beeves to pa.s.s by.

"I will give you an acknowledgment if you like, friend," said the robber with a laugh. "If you will write out the paper, I will sign it with my mark; for as to writing, it's an art I never learned."

"How came you to know my name?" asked Jack. "I don't remember you."