e rogues by surprise, brought them to
a sudden stop, and gave us time to file out. The heavy rain which was
failing served to cover our movements almost as well as the baggage
horses which we had posted for the purpose; while we ran the less risk,
inasmuch as the flare they had kindled lit up the upper part of the
house but left the courtyard in perfect darkness.

Naturally, once outside, we did not linger to see what happened, but,
filing in a line and like ghosts up the bank of the stream, were glad
to hit on the road a hundred and fifty paces away, where it entered the
gorge. Here, where it was as dark as pitch, we whipped our horses into
a canter and made a good pace for half a league, then, drawing rein,
let our horses trot until the league was out. By that time we were
through the gorge, and I gave the word to pull up, that we might listen
and learn whether we were pursued. Before the order had quite brought
us to a standstill, however, two figures on a sudden rose out of the
darkness before us and barred the way. I was riding in the front rank,
abreast of Parabere and La Font, and I had just time to lay my hand on
a pistol when one of the figures spoke.

"Well, M. le Capitaine, what luck?" he cried, advancing, and drawing
rein to turn with us.

I saw his mistake, and, raising my hand to check those behind, muttered
in my beard that all had gone well.

"You got the man?"

"Yes," I said, peering at him through the darkness.

"Good!" he answered. "Then now for Bareilles, supper, and a full
purse; and afterwards, for me, the quietest corner of France! The King
will make a fine outcry, and I do not trust one gov--"

In a flash Parabere had him by the throat, and dragged him in a grip of
iron on to the withers of his horse. Still he managed to utter a cry,
and the other rascal, taking the alarm, whipped his horse round, and in
a second got a start of twenty paces. Colet, a light man and well
mounted, was after him in a trice, and we heard them go ding-dong,
ding-dong, through the darkness for a mile or more as it seemed to us.
Then a sharp scream came faintly down the wind.

"Good!" Parabere said cheerfully. "Let us be jogging." He had tied
his prisoner neck and knees over the saddle before him.

"You heard what he said?" I muttered, as we moved on.

"Perfectly," he answered in the same tone.

"And you think?"

"I think, Grand Master," he replied drily, "that the sooner you are out
of La M