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Show ) 198 TI 0 E B U OK'. CIIAPTEU XVIII. I, 0 V l~ A T ll 0 E ll U C R • ~IrKE's principal1lan ernbrncecl only a spcecly flight fron1 tlte country after providinQ; a gooll supply of n1oncy or of portable plate and of hor. es. Ilc thir, ted for a pnrticnlnr revenge, but he llicl not desire to comlnit unnecessary nets of violence 'vhich 1night pro-roke pursuit or subject hi1n to severe retrilJution in the event of his capture. \Vhcn the evening arrived for tho execution of his project, ho 'vas not yet prov it1etl 'vith a horse such as he thought cle~irable for a rapitl flight, and he feared that tho e 'vhich 'vcre to be brouo-ht to~ him~ mio-ht not be very S\vift. "\Vhen b .. ' b J\fiss Fair£<tx appenred at the Poplar Spring, ricling an nnin1al 'vhich 'vas rcputcu to be one of the fleetest in the county, be "ras suddenly tCinptccl to obtain posses· sion of the horse. But he ref-lectocl that if he permit· ted 1\1iss Fairfax to go on to Itoebnck after taking her horse, the nJann 'vhieh she 'vonlll give n1ight lc.rtcl to the defeat of hi." entire , chmne. It occurred to him, therefore, that it would b() safer to carry her with him nnJ detain her in some secure place until he was.reatly to set off on his long journey. BeHitlc~, in attempting to jnsti(y a rash act to hin1sclf, he couccivetl a vagne notion that she 1night be valuable as a hostage in certain contingencies. IIis con<luct and his reasoning 'vcre alike absurd, ancl sc~rvcd to provo ho\V incompc~ tent a negro is-even one cotnparaLi vcly shrewd-to devise or execute nny cornplicated schCino. "\Vithout , llOEDUCK. 199 expb.inlng to hjs follo,vcr,,, Jnke nnd Cnto, the object of his proceeding, he gave thc1n the orders which, as ,ve have seen, they exccutct~ until Jake, obeying his own l),'lS. ion. , ntteruptccl an ncL of violence in con ·j ten L ·with ]\.fike's plan. \Vhcn l\like flc<..l fro1n J\Iarlin's cabin he hastenerl to Willowba11k. "I'he hour \vhich he had appoiule<..l ior 1neeting blinJ J>cte in the grove 'vas already past. ~rho two rnen upon 'vhorn l\Iikc had relied, 'vith the as ·istance of IIannih:ll in the hon.'e, to exccnte tho robbery u1Hlcr his lc:tcl, "\"\'"ere left behind. On arriving before the mansion he deliberated whether he should undertake the enterprise " rith no other aid than that ()f his confederate, IIannibal. lie anticipated no resistn- nee which they could. not easily overco1ne. But he feared that if nuy force Ghonld 1Jecon1e necess:wy, llannib: ll n1ight f:1il to ~ npport him, or pos:ibly n1ight oppo.'e J~itn. IIe therefore conchH~ed to call in ~he two nwn who were to accompany bhnd P ete. "\V1th that view ho procee<.lc<l to the grove and found Pete with ~he two negroes. They had been greatly perplexed by l\1ike's delay, nnd 'vero nbout to abandon the enterprise and return to tl1ci r several haunts. lie Qff'ereu thetn son1e plan ible explanation of his detention and of the ab"'ence of Jake and Cato. lie toll them of the trea ure w hieh ·was to be obtain eel in the house, and enlisted thCin in the robbery. "\Vhi1o be was engaged in making this new arrangen1ent., Cato 1tn.u n1ounted Arab at l\Iarlin's cabin and followe<l him; bnt \vhen he catue to 'Villowbank he could not fincl his leader, n.ncl kno\ving nothing of the re~lc~czvou' at the grove, he turned back, and after nd1ng some distance let the horse loo 'e and took to the woo<ls. Arab, finuing hirnseli' at liberty, 'vent on to the cal> in. |
