.

"He hears them," said the priest, significantly.

"So soon!" exclaimed Claude. "Then we must scatter. The horses will
be of no use. Our last chance is the woods."

In a moment the alarm was made; hasty directions were given for each
one to take care of himself, and if he eluded the pursuers, to follow
the path to the place where the schooner lay. Meanwhile the horses
were to be driven ahead by the Indian as far as possible. The Indian
at once went off, together with the deserter, and these two drove the
horses before them into the woods, along the path. Then Zac followed.
Lifting Margot in his arms, he bore her lightly along, and soon
disappeared in the woods.

Then Claude took Mimi in his arms, and hastened as fast as he could
towards the shelter of the woods. But Claude had not Zac's strength,
and besides, Mimi was more of a dead weight than Margot, so that he
could not go nearly so fast. Zac was in the woods, and out of sight,
long before Claude had reached the place; and by that time the rest
of the party, both horses and men, had all disappeared, with the
exception of Pere Michel. The good priest kept close by the young
man, as though resolved to share his fate, whether in life or death.
If it was difficult while carrying Mimi over the path, Claude found
it far more so on reaching the woods. Here he dared not keep to the
path, for the very object of going to the woods was to elude
observation by plunging into its darkest and deepest recesses. Zac
had gone there at a headlong rate, like a fox to his covert. Such a
speed Claude could not rival, and no sooner did he take one step in
the woods, than he perceived the full difficulty of his task. The
woods were of the wildest kind, filled with rocks and fallen trees,
the surface of the ground being most irregular. At every other step
it was necessary to clamber over some obstacle, or crawl under it.

"We cannot hope to go far," said the priest. "Our only course now
will be to find some convenient hiding-place. Perhaps they will pass
on ahead, and then we can go farther on."

At this very moment the noise of horses and men sounded close behind.
One hurried look showed them all. Their pursuers had reached their
late halting-place, and were hurrying forward. The place bore traces
of their halt, which did not escape the keen eyes of their enemies.
At the sight, Claude threw himself down in a hollow behind a tree,
with Mimi beside him, while the priest did the same.