So, at your peril, I insist upon your turning back into the great road, without a moment's delay!"

Say ye so? il mio bravo Camarado?" replied Antonio, in a sort of quiet taunting tone.-"Per Baccho! siete troppo ostinato!-maandiamo dunque-and since I must submit-”

For a moment, there was a cessation of words, and they seemed to be in the act of turning their horses to retrace their steps, when the sudden report of a pistol, roused Miss Malcolm from the chill torpor which had taken possession of her in the dreadful suspense the men's dialogue had thrown her into. Her scream of despair followed instantly after the shot:

"Ah, traitor!" cried Brandywyn, " I might have looked for this much at your hand; but for once you have failed;" and immediately a tremendous blow of a sabre from the sinewy arm of the smuggler, fell at once on the head, arm, and side of the Italian, and hurled him from his saddle upon the ground.

The horse, alarmed by the pistol-shot, the shock of the blow, and the sudden fall of his rider, all which took place nearly in the same

breath, darted off with Miss Malcolm into the wood. But he had not proceeded more than ten or twenty yards, when having no power of keeping his back from being so muffled so muffled up, she was swept down to the ground by a horizontal branch, and though she luckily fell on a mossy bank, and the shock was in some degree shielded off by the drapery that enfolded her, she was so stunned and confused, that she lay for a time unable to avail herself of her freedom to escape. She had sufficient presence of mind left, however, to free herself, and creep into a bush where she heard, rather than saw, a most tremendous conflict between the two ruffians.

Antonio having risen without much injury from the soft ground he was thrown on, was enabled to scan the figure of his antagonist on horseback, with the sky above him, much better than Brandywyn could see him. By a wary and well directed thrust of his sword, he gave his opponent's horse a mortal wound in the body, that brought him immediately to the ground, and before the rider could extricate himself from the fallen animal, Antonio succeeded in wounding him also very desperately. But this only roused Bran

dywyn to greater exertion, for starting up, he attacked his enemy with the utmost alacrity.

The combat then raged with dreadful fury, and for some time without advantage to either party. Several severe wounds, chiefly cuts, however, were given and received on both sides, guards being altogether neglected, as of little avail in the obscurity. Many were the random blows that fell without effect. Their rage increased. The most horrible imprecations broke from them amidst the clash of their weapons. The whole length of their blades occasionally shearing against each other, produced entire sheets of flame, that for a moment rendered even their demon-like countenances visible.

At length, whether from some new wound, or owing to the loss of blood from some of those he had already sustained, Brandywyn became faint. He gave way before the renewed blows of Antonio, and as he retreated, staggering, but at the same time defending himself to the last against the invigorated onset of his enemy, he fell backwards, over the dead body of his horse, uttering a deep groan.

The ruffian flew towards him with a hellish

and exulting shout, making sure of his victim, when in his eagerness, he also tumbled headlong over some impediment lying in his way, and ere he could recover himself, lights appeared rapidly flaring into the thicket, and horses came gallopping, and he had just time to regain his legs, and dart off into the deepest part of the wood, before the scene of their combat was surrounded and filled by about a dozen horsemen.

"This way with your lights !" cried an officiallooking person, who was at the head of a party of

constables.

"Here seems to be a man on the ground murdered. Scour the wood some of ye, and do you Gaston, Willis, and Burton, gallop in different directions around the outside of it. Look sharp, d'ye hear, and if you see any one flying, stop him in the King's name, or shoot him if he wont stand on your order.—Where can they have conveyed the Lady, Mr Robertson? Can she be hereabouts, think ye? or have we been misled by some fresh adventure? I hope she may have come by no harm!"

" I

"God in his mercy grant that she may be safe!" replied the attached old servant. cannot think but we have hit upon the right

place, for Ferdinando here tells me he tracked their horses, by the light of his torch, fresh along the road from the very spot where he first lost sight of them, nearly all the way to the edge of this wood; and, moreover, he says he observed that one of the hinder shoes had a bit broken off its heel, and here you see this dead horse, with his heels up, has the very broken shoe he speaks of God grant they may not have murdered my young mistress!"

The Italian servant, who had dismounted, now held his torch over the face of the lifeless man, as he lay on his back doubled across the body of the dead horse, and signified in Italian to Mr Robertson, that he knew him to be one of the ruffians he had observed. But all doubt was speedily put an end to, by the appearance of Miss Malcolm herself, who, recovering in some degree from her deadly apprehension, and being reassured that she had friends near her, crept from her concealment, and came forward, to the infinite joy of the good old Robertson, who went upon his knees to Heaven for this providential restoration of his Lady, whom he considered as by far the most