Violet Jacob > Flemington

INCHBRAYOCK
171
know that he had not betrayed him—or, rather,
that his report was in the hands of that accursed
beggar before they met among the broom-bushes!
Yet, what if he did know it ? Would his loathing
of the spy under the roof-tree of his brother’s
house be any the less ? He would never under¬
stand—never know. And yet he had been true
to him in his heart, and the fact that he had now
no roof-tree of his own proved it.
They slipped in under the bank of the island
and disembarked silently. The higher ground
in the middle of it crossed their front like the
line of an incoming wave, hiding all that was
going on on its farther side. They were to
advance straight over it, and to rush down upon
the thicket where the gun was entrenched with
its muzzle towards the Venture. There was to
be no working round the north shore, lest the
hundreds of eyes on the quays should catch
sight of them, and a hundred tongues give the
alarm to the rebels. They were to attack at
once, only waiting for the sound of another
shot to locate the exact place for which they
were to make. They stood drawn up, waiting for
the order.
Archie dropped behind the others. His heart
had begun to sink. He had assured himself over
and over again that Logie must be on Dial Hill;
yet as each moment brought him nearer to contact
with the enemy, he felt cold misgiving stealing on
him. What if his guesses had been wrong ? He
knew that he had been a fool to run the risk he