We concluded to take the chances, and, ascending the bank, we walked and ran as fast as we could for about two miles further.
All at once it struck me that with all our progress the hounds sounded as near as when we started.

I shivered at the thought, and though nearly ready to drop with fatigue, urged myself and Harney on.
An instant later their baying rang out on the still night air right behind us, and with fearful distinctness.

There was no mistake now; they had found our trail, and were running us down.

The change from fearful apprehension to the crushing reality stopped us stock-still in our tracks.
At the next breath the hounds came bursting through the woods in plain sight, and in full cry.

We obeyed our first impulse; rushed back into the swamp, forced our way for a few yards through the flesh-tearing impediments, until we gained a large cypress, upon whose great knees we climbed--thoroughly exhausted--just as the yelping pack reached the edge of the water, and stopped there and bayed at us.