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Froo, the sons whitefaced and silent, the oldwith cold satisfaction

"Ich war dort Ich habe ihn geschen," said Herr Gottfried, sweat trickling down his cheeks at the recollection I was there I saw

Sue from the women, the Pastor had ridden into the stableyard, to find two long tails of dark hair hanging froently in the wind above the crudely painted legend Rache

"That e,’ " Lord John translated for me

"I know," I said, my mouth so dry I could barely speak "I’ve read Sherlock Holmes You ; he seized ency Grey’s look sharpened at whatever the , and he broke in with an abrupt question, answered by frenzied noddings

"He’s co round to me, his face set in alarone in search of Herr Mueller, only to find that the patriarch had nailed his grisly trophies to the barn and then left the fare, to see ht have collapsed at this I could feel the blood draining from my cheeks, and was sure I looked as pale as Pastor Gottfried

"Why?" I said "Is he--he couldn’t! He couldn’t think I had done anything to Petronella or the baby Could he?" I turned in appeal toward the Pastor, who pushed a pudgy, tre its carefully larded strands

"The clerical gentleman doesn’t knohat Mueller thinks, or what his purpose is in co here," said Lord John He cast an interested eye over the pastor’s unprepossessing form "Much to his credit, he set off alone, hell-for-leather after Mueller, and found him two hours later--insensible by the side of the road"

The huge old farone for days without food on his hunt for revenge Inte the Lutherans, but under the stiue and emotion, Mueller had drunk deeply upon his return, and the enorhts of beer he had consumed had been too much for him Overcome, he had contrived to hobble his mule, but then had wrapped hi arbutus by the road

The Pastor hadwell acquainted with theit would not be improved by drink Instead, Gottfried had mounted his own horse and ridden as quickly as he could, trusting to Providence to bring him here in time to warn us

He had had no doubt that my Mann would be competent to deal with Mueller, no one…

Pastor Gottfried looked helplessly froehen?" he suggested,clear with a jerk of his head toward the paddock

"I can’t leave," I said, and gestured toward the house "Mein--Christ, what’s nephew?--Mein junger Mann ist nicht gut"

"Ihr Neffe ist krank" Lord John corrected briskly "Haben Sie jeehabt?"

The Pastor shook his head, distress altering to alar to me "He er of contracting the disease, is that so?"

"Yes" The shock was beginning to recede slightly, and I was starting to pull o at once It’s safe for hier Ian is, though" Ion end--little wonder if it was, I thought Then I thought of the scalps on Mueller’s barn door andwith horror

Lord John was speaking authoritatively to the little Pastor, urging hirip on his sleeve Gottfried was lanced back at ly at hih I felt as distressed as he did

"Danke," I said "Tell hiht, will you?" I said to Lord John "He won’t go, otherwise" He nodded briefly

"I have I told him I am a soldier; that I will not let any harm come to you"

The Pastor stood for aearnestly to Lord John Then he dropped the bridle, turned with decision and crossed the dooryard to ently on net," he said "Benedicite"

"He said--" began Lord John

"I understand"

We stood silently in the dooryard, watching Gottfried ruously peaceful out here, with a soft autu about their business overhead I heard the far-off knocking of a woodpecker, and the liquid duet of theblue spruce No owls, but naturally there would be no owls now; it was edy belatedly occurred to e? The Mueller farm was several days ride from the mountain line that separated Indian territory from the settlements, but he could have reached several Tuscarora or Cherokee villages, depending on his direction