Digital heart book

Presently they came to the end of the grove. It stopped abruptly;
and there, a few yards before them, was the high road from
Risingham to Shoreby, lying, at this point, between two even walls
of forest.
At the sight Dick paused; and as soon as he stopped running, he
became aware of a confused noise, which rapidly grew louder. It
was at first like the rush of a very high gust of wind, but soon it
became more definite, and resolved itself into the galloping of
horses; and then, in a flash, a whole company of men-at-arms came
driving round the corner, swept before the lads, and were gone
again upon the instant. They rode as for their lives, in complete
disorder; some of them were wounded; riderless horses galloped at
their side with bloody saddles. They were plainly fugitives from
the great battle.
The noise of their passage had scarce begun to die away towards
Shoreby, before fresh hoofs came echoing in their wake, and another
deserter clattered down the road; this time a single rider and, by
his splendid armour, a man of high degree.


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