ve you the other day all spent, Herr
Kurzbold?"

"No matter for that," replied this insubordinate ex-president. "The
money in the lockers is ours, and we demand a portion of it now, with
the remainder after the banquet."

Without another word, Roland took the bunch of keys from his belt,
opened one of the lockers, lifted out a bag of gold, untied the thongs,
and poured out the coins on the lid of the chest, which he locked again.

"There is the money," he said to Kurzbold. "I shall send Greusel and
Ebearhard to share in its distribution, and thus you can invite them to
your banquet. My own portion you may leave on the lid of the locker."

With that he departed up on deck again, and said to his officers:

"Kurzbold, on behalf of the men, has demanded a bag of gold. You will go
to the cabin and receive your share. They will also invite you to a
banquet at the Krone. Accept that invitation, and if possible engage a
private room, as you did at Assmannshausen, to prevent the men talking
with any of the inhabitants. Keep them roystering there until all the
village has gone to bed; then convoy them back to the barge as quietly
as you can. A resolution has been passed that the money is to be divided
amongst our warriors on their return, but I imagine that they will be in
no condition to act as accountants when I have the pleasure of beholding
them again, so if anything is said about the apportionment, suggest a
postponement of the ceremony until morning. I need not add that I expect
you both to drink sparingly, for this is advice I intend to follow
myself."

Roland paced the deck deep in thought until his difficult contingent
departed towards the twinkling lights of the village, then he went to
the cabin, poured his share of the gold into his pouch, and followed the
company at a distance into Lorch. He avoided the Krone, and after
inquiring his way, stopped at the much smaller hostelry, Mergler's Inn.
Here he gave his name, and asking if any one waited for him, was
conducted upstairs to a room where he found Herr Kruger just about to
sit down to his supper. A stout lad nearing twenty years of age stood in
the middle of the room, and from his appearance Roland did not need the
elder man's word for it that this was his son.

"I took the precaution of bringing him with me," said Kruger, "as I
thought two horsemen were better than one in the business I had
undertaken."

"You were quite right," returned Roland, "and I congr