d, halting on a
ridge to note the wild flight, of a herd of deer which had just caught
eight of them.

"If so, we are likely to fall in with the hunters before long, I fear,"
remarked the captain.

"Why do you fear?" asked Maikar.

"Because they may be numerous and savage, and may take a fancy to make
slaves of us, and as we number only three we could not resist their
fancy without losing our lives."

"That would be a pity," returned Maikar, "for we have only one life to
lose."

"No; we have three lives to lose amongst us," objected the captain.

"Which makes one each, does it not?" retorted the seaman.

"True, Maikar, and we must lose them all, and more if we had them,
rather than become slaves."

"You are right, captain. We never, _never_ shall be slaves," said
Bladud.

They say that history repeats itself. Perhaps sentiment does the same.
At all events, the British prince gave utterance that day to a
well-known sentiment, which has been embalmed in modern song and shouted
by many a Briton with tremendous enthusiasm--though not absolute truth.

"Captain Arkal," said the little seaman, as they jogged quietly down the
sunny slope of a hill, at the bottom of which was a marsh full of
rushes, "how do you manage to find your way through such a tangled
country as this?"

"By observing the stars," answered the captain.

"But I have observed the stars since I was a little boy," objected
Maikar, "and I see nothing but a wild confusion of shining points. How
can these guide you? Besides, there are no stars in the daytime."

"True, Maikar; but we have the sun during the day."

Maikar shook his head perplexedly.

"Listen," said the captain, "and I will try to enlighten your dark mind;
but don't object else you'll never understand. All stars are not
alike--d'ye understand that?"

"Any fool could understand that!"

"Well, then, of course _you_ can understand it. Now, you have noticed,
no doubt, that some stars are in groups, which groups may alter their
position with regard to other groups, but which never change with regard
to each other."

"Each other," repeated Maikar, checking off each statement with a nod
and a wave of his javelin.

"Well," continued the captain, "there's one group of stars--about six--
plainly to be seen on most fine nights, two stars of which are always
pretty much in a line with a little star a short way in front of them--
d'ye see?"

"Yes."

"Well, that star shows exactl