But he was neither so cool nor so
sanguine, to relax so greatly in his speed as to permit of his being
overtaken by the desperates whom he had so cleverly foiled. He knew the
danger, the utter hopelessness, indeed, of a second encounter with the
same persons. He felt sure that he would be suffered no such long parley
as before. Without restraining his horse, our young traveller simply
regulated his speed by a due estimate of the capacity of the outlaws for
pursuit a-foot; and, without knowing whither he sped, having left the
route wholly to the horse, he was suddenly relieved by finding himself
upon a tolerably broad road, which, in the imperfect twilight, he
concluded to be the same from which, in his mistimed musings he had
suffered his horse to turn aside. He had no means to ascertain the fact,
conclusively, and, in sooth, no time; for now he began to feel a strange
sensation of weakness; his eyes swam, and grew darkened; a numbness
paralyzed his whole frame; a sickness seized upon his heart; and, after
sundry feeble efforts, under a strong will, to command and compel his
powers, they finally gave way, and he sunk from his steed upon the long
grass, and lay unconscious;--his last thought, ere his senses left him,
being that of death! Here let us leave him for a little space, while we
hurriedly seek better knowledge of him in other quarters.
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