its
of the rascals who infest it.'

He cried out something which I took to be Latin, with his hands clasped
and his eyes upturned. 'The prayer of the just availeth much,' said he,
'and yet I had not dared to hope that mine would have been so speedily
answered. In me you see the unfortunate Abbot of Almeixal, who has been
cast out by this rabble of three armies with their heretical leader. Oh!
to think of what I have lost!' his voice broke, and the tears hung upon
his lashes.

'Cheer up, sir,' said the Bart. 'I'll lay nine to four that we have you
back again by tomorrow night.'

It is not of my own welfare that I think,' said he, 'nor even of that of
my poor, scattered flock. But it is of the holy relics which are left in
the sacrilegious hands of these robbers.'

'It's even betting whether they would ever bother their heads about
them,' said the Bart. 'But show us the way inside the gates, and we'll
soon clear the place out for you.'

In a few short words the good Abbot gave us the very points that we
wished to know. But all that he said only made our task more formidable.
The walls of the Abbey were forty feet high. The lower windows were
barricaded, and the whole building loopholed for musketry fire. The gang
preserved military discipline, and their sentries were too numerous for
us to hope to take them by surprise. It was more than ever evident that
a battalion of grenadiers and a couple of breaching pieces were what was
needed. I raised my eyebrows, and the Bart began to whistle.

'We must have a shot at it, come what may,' said he.

The men had already dismounted, and, having watered their horses, were
eating their suppers. For my own part I went into the sitting-room of
the inn with the Abbot and the Bart, that we might talk about our plans.

I had a little cognac in my _sauve vie_, and I divided it among us--just
enough to wet our moustaches.

'It is unlikely,' said I, 'that those rascals know anything about our
coming. I have seen no signs of scouts along the road. My own plan is
that we should conceal ourselves in some neighbouring wood, and then,
when they open their gates, charge down upon them and take them by
surprise.'

The Bart was of opinion that this was the best that we could do, but,
when we came to talk it over, the Abbot made us see that there were
difficulties in the way.

'Save on the side of the town, there is no place within a mile of the
Abbey where you could shelter man or horse,