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"I--no, I mean--that is--he was kind to us, we shouldna be--"

"I said go back!"

She opened her h to protest, then flinched as William made a sudden move in her direction, fist clenched Without an instant of conscious decision, Roger swung fro MacKenzie’s jaith a crack that jarred his arered and fell to one knee, shaking his head like a pole-axed ox Morag’s gasp was drowned by startled exclamations froer heard a sound behind hih to chill the blood; the s back

There was a brief pst! of igniting powder, and then a phfooun went off with a roar and a puff of black ser found hi in a confused sort of ith one of the otherand half-deafened As he shoved his assailant off, he caught sight of Morag, kneeling in the leaves, dabbing at her husband’s face with a bit of wet laundry Williahly away, scra, face blotched red with fury

Roger spun on his heel, slipping in the leaves, and shook off the grip of thefor the shelter of the bushes Then he was into the thicket, twigs and s face and ar and the huff of breath came just behind hirip of iron

He seized the hand and twisted hard, hearing a crack of joint and bone The hand’s owner yelled and jerked back, and Roger flung hiround on one shoulder, half-curled, rolled, broke through a saned down a steep clay bank and into the water, where he landed with a splash

Scrabbling to find a foothold, he plunged and coughed and flapped upright, shaking hair and water from his eyes, only to see Willia his enee, MacKenzie launched hi like a cannonball crashed into Roger’s chest and he fell back into the water in athe distant shrieks of worappled with the twistingthe botto for air

His head broke the surface Hisair, and he heard the wheeze of his breath, and MacKenzie’s, too MacKenzie broke away, floundering, and stood upright a few feet aheezing like an engine as water poured fro, hands braced on his thighs and his arhtened, wiping away the wet hair plastered over his face

"Look," he began, panting, "I--"

He got no further, for MacKenzie, still breathing heavily hih the waist-deep water The reen eyes were very bright

Belatedly, Roger thought of soal MacKenzie But the son also of Geillis Duncan, witch

So noise, and flocks of startled birds rose screeching froun

65

ALAMANCE

The Governor then sent Captain Malcole, with his Letter, requiring the Rebels, to lay down their Arleaders &c About half past ten Capt Malcolm and the Sherif returned with the Information that the Sherif had read the Letter four several Times, to different Divisions of the Revels, who rejected the Terms offered, with disdain, said they wanted no time to consider of them, & with Rebellious Clamours called out for

Battle

--"A Journal of the Expedition against the Insurgents," Wm Tryon

"YE’LL WATCH FOR MACKENZIE" Jamie touched Geordie Chishol the ood lads, they’d be careful They’d find hi back toward them

He told hi as hollow this time as it had before Christ, what had happened to theaside the brush with as h it were a personal ene out, they’d see MacKenzie in ti perfectly well that in the midst of enemies and the heat of battle, one fired at whatever moved, and there was seldom time to check the features of a man who came at you out of the smoke

Not that it would make so much difference who did for MacKenzie, if anyone did Brianna and Claire would hold hihtly so