Well," thought Dick, "between then and now I will find me the means to

bring that traitor under; for I think, by the mass, that I be now

absolved from any gratitude or obligation; and when war is open, there is

a fair chance for all."

In the meanwhile, here he was in a sore plight.

For some little way farther he struggled forward through the forest; but

what with the pain of his wounds, the darkness of the night, and the

extreme uneasiness and confusion of his mind, he soon became equally

unable to guide himself or to continue to push through the close

undergrowth, and he was fain at length to sit down and lean his back

against a tree.

When he awoke from something betwixt sleep and swooning, the grey of the

morning had begun to take the place of night. A little chilly breeze was

bustling among the trees, and as he still sat staring before him, only

half awake, he became aware of something dark that swung to and fro

among

the branches, some hundred yards in front of him. The progressive

brightening of the day and the return of his own senses at last enabled

him to recognise the object. It was a man hanging from the bough of a

tall oak. His head had fallen forward on his breast; but at every

stronger puff of wind his body span round and round, and his legs and

arms tossed, like some ridiculous plaything.

Dick clambered to his feet, and, staggering and leaning on the

The Black Arrow