But the horse shied suddenly away
from the head of the lance, which was flashing in the moonlight. Ned
retained both his seat and his rifle. He fired at the nearest of the
Mexicans, who fell from his saddle, and then, seeing that but one
alternative was left him he gave Old Jack the rein and galloped from the
grove into the west.
Amid all the rush and terrific excitement of the moment, Ned thought of
his comrades. It was not possible for him to join them now, but they
were three together and they might escape. The Panther was a wonderful
borderer, and Obed White was not far behind him. He turned his attention
to his own escape. Two more shots were fired at him, but in both cases
the bullets went wide. Then he heard only the thud of hoofs, but the
pursuing horsemen were very near.
Something whizzed through the air and instinctively he bent forward
almost flat on the neck of Old Jack. A coiling shape struck him on the
head, slipped along his back, then along the quarters of his horse and
fell to the ground. He felt as if a deadly snake had struck at him, and
then had drawn its cold body across him. But he knew that it was a
lasso. The Mexicans would wish to take him alive, as they might secure
valuable information from him.
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