Horse! horse! ... and chase!--MARNION.
Farmer Nye and Robert Munson remained standing with their heads
uncovered, looking after the fugitives until the sound of their horses'
hoofs died away in the distance, and then they turned towards each other
and impulsively grasped each the other's hand, and shook hands as
comrades.
Next Farmer Nye turned to the negroes who were squatting about the
stable-yard, wondering, no doubt, at all they had seen and heard; and he
told them to disperse to their quarters, and keep still tongues in their
heads, if they wished to keep their heads on their shoulders.
"And now we'll go back to the house and get a drop of home-brewed, and
go to bed," said the farmer, starting off at a brisk trot, and beckoning
his young companion to follow him.
"I mean to manage so as Old Purley shall be made to believe as the
prisoner escaped through his door," said Munson, as he came up.
"That'll be bully!" said the farmer.
They went back to the house, consulted the tall old-fashioned clock in
the corner of the hall, found it was just eleven, and they took their
drop of "home-brewed," and went to rest.
Robert Munson, with design, threw himself down upon the mattress outside
the carefully locked door of the chamber, from which he had helped his
prisoners to escape. And being very much fatigued, he fell asleep, and
slept long and late.
The first persons up in the house were the farmer's daughter Kitty, and
her old maiden aunt Molly.
They came down from their attic chambers and walked on tiptoes past the
sleeping Munson, so as not to wake him. They went down stairs and had
breakfast got ready, but had to wait very long before either the farmer
or the young man appeared. When they did come down, however, and
apologized for their tardiness, the women inquired for the other guests,
and were told that they must not be disturbed.
The day passed slowly.
It was late in the afternoon before old Purley awoke and finding the
room quite dark, and feeling himself still very drowsy, he merely turned
over and went to sleep again. And still overpowered by the combined
action of the laudanum and the beer-opium and hops, he slept on until a
very late hour of the night, when at length he awoke; but perceiving
that all was quite dark and still, he lay quietly in bed, thinking this
was about the longest night he had ever spent in his life. At last he
got up, and opened the blinds to see if it was near day. And perceiving
by a faint light streak along the horizon that the morning was at hand,
he opened the other blinds, and began to dress himself as well as he
could in the semi-darkness.