"Everything sounds different.

It's being tired, and feeling the pain of my wound.

Soon be home now." Then he began thinking of his father, and what he would say about the two encounters; and in imagination he saw his stern frowning face.
But he was satisfied that Sir Morton would be glad to hear the news about Captain Purlrose and his men, and he began to think that there would be some talk of attacking the gang of thieves in their lurking-place; for, as Master Rayburn had said, they could not be allowed to harbour there.
Ralph gave quite a jump now, for he heard a sharp rustling sound, followed by the rattle of a little stone, a short distance behind him, and he increased his pace, with his heart beating heavily.
"Just as if some one was following me," he thought, "and stepped upon a stone, and sent it rolling." But he soon calmed down again, though he did not slacken his pace, keeping on as fast as his weakness and the darkness would allow, with the result that it was not more than half of his ordinary rate.
Again he was startled by a sound behind, this time as if a piece of dead wood had cracked sharply, from the weight of some one following.
This time it was nearer, and succeeded by a rustling, plainly enough caused by some one or something forcing a way through the bushes.

Some one or something?
The lad felt that it must be something.

If it had been some one, he would have spoken; but what thing could it be?
He was in a dense part of his way now, with the sky quite hidden by the overhanging boughs, so that it was not possible to see more than a few feet behind or before him, and hence he looked back in vain; and though he listened intently there was no heavy snorting breath, such as he would probably have heard if it had been pony or cow.
"It's some one tracking me," thought the lad at last, as again he heard, very near him now, the rustle of the leaves and the flying back of twigs.
So impressed was he now, and satisfied that whoever followed might mean him harm, that he essayed to draw his sword as he hurried on; but the sheer agony caused to the stiffened wound made him drop his hand at once, and trust to getting out of the wood to where the ground was more open, and he could reach the cliff, for he felt that now he could not be many hundred yards from the way leading to the step-like path cut in the stone.
Again there was a quick rustle, as if his pursuer had tried to diminish the distance, and a minute later this sounded so near that, convinced of his follower being one of the men who had attacked them that evening, Ralph suddenly faced round--just when the sensation was strong that some one was about to leap upon him and strike him down--and shouted aloud: "Keep back, whoever you are.