"
"But," quoth I, as our men put their horses to the gallop. "How the
devil could any one have got so soon upon our track?"
"Why, Idsleigh may have turned informer, in his own interest--he was
in a devilish difficult position--and men would be sent with our
descriptions to the post-houses. 'Tis merely possible. Or our
hackney-coachman may have guessed something, and dogged me to the
Strand, and informed. If they found where we started, of course they
could track us from stage to stage. 'Tis best to be safe--though I
scarce think they're in our pursuit."
"Egad, they're in somebody's!" I cried. "Their postilions are shouting
to ours to stop."
"Never mind those fellows' holloing," called Philip to our riders.
"'Tis a wager--and I'll double that crown apiece."
We bowled over the road in a way to make me think of Apollo's chariot
and the horses of Phaeton; but we lengthened not a rod the stretch
betwixt us and our followers, though we nullified their efforts to
diminish it. We could make out, more by sight than by hearing--for we
kept looking back, our heads thrust out at either side--that the
pursuing post-boys continued bawling vehemently at ours. What they
said, was drowned by the clatter of horses and wheels.
"Well, they have seen we are two men," said Philip, "and still they
keep up the race. They certainly must want us. Were they merely in a
hurry to reach Hastings, they could do that the sooner by sparing
their horses--this is a killing pace.
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