But the moment he said it he knew it would be foolish to try to move Luke. It would aggravate his terrible injuries and Luke had their father’s build, he was tall for his age, and would be too heavy to be lifted safely. Kane tilted Luke’s chin a little and tried to get his eyes to focus on him.

‘Listen to me, Luke. I’ll have to leave you to get help. I won’t be gone very long. You’re going to be all right. You mustn’t worry, don’t worry.’

Luke blubbered something, then his eyes rolled and closed.

Kane cried out, ‘My God! Don’t die, Luke. I’ll get help, don’t give up! I’m going now!’ He didn’t take his eyes off his brother’s body until he’d leapt on his pony again.

As he rode, as swiftly as he dared, he harshly accused himself. ‘It’s all your fault! You’re the eldest, you should have refused to go along with this silly race. You should have told Mama what Luke was planning.’

It was several seconds before he realised that he could hear more than the wind in his ears or his muttered fears; someone was shouting to him from behind. He reined in and watched in utter relief as three riders picked their way carefully towards him. One was leading Luke’s pony.

The fact that the three riders turned out to be the Blake family did not diminish his relief. At that moment he didn’t care that his father hated Peter Blake and his mother would not have his name mentioned in the house. The presence of an adult meant the terrible weight of sole responsibility for his brother’s fate was lifted from his shoulders. Mr Blake would know what to do.

It was Rosina who spoke to him. ‘Simon Peter recognised this pony as belonging to Master Luke. Obviously something is very wrong. Can we help?’

‘Luke’s had a bad fall,’ Kane plunged straight into the facts, ‘not far back there. He’s lying over a boulder close to the meeting house. Please do something, he’s very badly hurt. I’m afraid he’ll die!’

‘We must have ridden close past him on our way back from the mine. I’ll go back with you, Master Kane,’ Peter Blake said, taking charge of the situation, ‘and see what I can do for your brother.’

Turning to Rosina he handed her the reins of the runaway pony. ‘You take the pony and Simon Peter straight to the manor, my dear. I can hardly go there myself at this point, but you can tell them to expect Master Kane and myself along with the injured boy and to send at once for a doctor.’

The company parted, two for the manor, two of them to return to the scene of the accident.