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Dick crossed himself. "Would ye have me shoot upon a leper?" he cried.
The hand would fail me. Nay, now," he added--"nay, now, let be! With
"
sound men I will fight, but not with ghosts and lepers. Which this is, I
wot not. One or other, Heaven be our protection!"
"Now," said Matcham, "if this be man's courage, what a poor thing is man!
But sith ye will do naught, let us lie close."
Then came a single, broken jangle on the bell.
"He hath missed his hold upon the clapper," whispered Matcham. "Saints!
how near he is!"
But Dick answered never a word; his teeth were near chattering.
Soon they saw a piece of the white robe between some bushes; then the
leper's head was thrust forth from behind a trunk, and he seemed narrowly
to scan the neighbourhood before he once again withdrew. To their
stretched senses, the whole bush appeared alive with rustlings and the
creak of twigs; and they heard the beating of each other's heart.
Suddenly, with a cry, the leper sprang into the open close by, and ran
straight upon the lads. They, shrieking aloud, separated and began to
run different ways. But their horrible enemy fastened upon Matcham, ran
him swiftly down, and had him almost instantly a prisoner. The lad gave
one scream that echoed high and far over the forest, he had one spasm of
struggling, and then all his limbs relaxed, and he fell limp into his
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