Kings of Carrick

28 THE KINGS OF CARRICK.
upon them. Stride by stride he shortened the distance, until
he reached within fifteen or twenty yards of them, when he
commanded them, as he drew a pistol from the holster of his
saddle, to halt. The command fired them with fresh energy
to effect their escape, and they lashed their horses to their
topmost speed.
" Stay," shouted Auchendrane, " draw rein at once, or you
will never draw rein again."
The pursued paid no attention to his call ; on the contrary,
the more loudly Auchendrane demanded their surrender the
more anxious they were, and the greater efforts they put
forth, to make good the order of their going. Over the rough
road they went, men and horses, helter-skelter. Mure drew
nearer and nearer. Anew he threatened, but the fugitives
were deaf alike to his threats and his calls, and plied whip
and spur the more vigorously.
Auchendrane was in no mood to be trifled with. He did
not know that the followers of the Earl of Cassillis might not
be in force hard-bye, and that each striding effort of his horse
might not be bearing him on to his own undoing. So, ceas-
ing to parley, he took aim and fired. The shot was wide of
its mark. A second shot grazed the side of one of the fugi-
tives, though without wounding him seriously, and a third
whizzed past between them, bringing them into uncomfort-
ably close quarters with the leaden messenger.
The fugitives drew rein and slackened the speed of their
horses. In an instant Auchendrane and his troopers were
alongside of them, the troopers with muskets unslung, waiting
but the word of command to shoot them dead in their tracks.
But it was not Mure's purpose so to dispose of them ; and he
sternly ordered them to wheel about and ride towards the
force under Bargany, which was still awaiting the issue of
the chase.
The men, who were indeed spies, were at once taken before
Bargany, who subjected them to a rigorous examination of