The horses heard it first and pricked their ears.

Next minute the riders heard it, too.

It was the tramp, tramp of horses' feet upon the road, coming on at a leisurely pace, together with the jingling of arms and the sound of voices.
Tom's heart beat thick and fast, but his hand did not tremble as he followed Lord Claud's example and got ready his pistol.

Like two figures carved in stone sat the two liers-in-wait, their well-trained horses as motionless as themselves.
Crack! crack! The silence of the night was broken by the ominous sound.

A yell of pain and fury arose.