ant fashion--then she said something in an undertone to
Colomba, and gave her a freshly killed pheasant.

"Thanks, Chili," said Colomba. "Thank your uncle for me. Is he well?"

"Very well, signorina, at your service. I couldn't come sooner because
he was late. I waited for him in the _maquis_ for three hours."

"And you've had no supper?"

"Why no, signorina! I've not had time."

"You shall have some supper here. Has your uncle any bread left?"

"Very little, signorina. But what he is most short of is powder. Now the
chestnuts are in, the only other thing he wants is powder."

"I will give you a loaf for him, and some powder, too. Tell him to use
it sparingly--it is very dear."

"Colomba," said Orso in French, "on whom are you bestowing your
charity?"

"On a poor bandit belonging to this village," replied Colomba in the
same language. "This little girl is his niece."

"It strikes me you might place your gifts better. Why should you send
powder to a ruffian who will use it to commit crimes? But for the
deplorable weakness every one here seems to have for the bandits, they
would have disappeared out of Corsica long ago."

"The worst men in our country are not those who are 'in the country.'"

"Give them bread, if it so please you. But I will not have you supply
them with ammunition."

"Brother," said Colomba, in a serious voice, "you are master here, and
everything in this house belongs to you. But I warn you that I will
give this little girl my _mezzaro_, so that she may sell it; rather than
refuse powder to a bandit. Refuse to give him powder! I might just as
well make him over to the gendarmes! What has he to protect him against
them, except his cartridges?"

All this while the little girl was ravenously devouring a bit of bread,
and carefully watching Colomba and her brother, turn about, trying to
read the meaning of what they were saying in their eyes.

"And what has this bandit of yours done? What crime has driven him into
the _maquis_?"

"Brandolaccio has not committed any crime," exclaimed Colomba. "He
killed Giovan' Oppizo, who murdered his father while he was away serving
in the army!"

Orso turned away his head, took up the lamp, and, without a word,
departed to his bedroom. Then Colomba gave the child food and gunpowder,
and went with her as far as the house-door, saying over and over again:

"Mind your uncle takes good care of Orso!"

CHAPTER XI

It was long before Orso fell aslee