he man Corbould, who had been discharged by
the Intendant as soon as his wound had been cured, and who was supposed
to have gone to London. Humphrey was too far off to hear what they
said: he remained there some time, and three more men came out of the
cottage. Satisfied with what he had seen, Humphrey cautiously
retreated, and gaining the outside of the thicket, led away Billy and
the cart over the turf, that the noise of the wheels might not be heard.

"This bodes no good," thought Humphrey, as he went along, every now and
then looking back to ascertain if the men had come out and seen him.
"That Corbould, we know, has vowed vengeance against Edward and all of
us, and has no doubt joined those robbers--for robbers they must be--
that he may fulfil his vow. It is fortunate that I have made the
discovery, and I will send over immediately to the Intendant." As soon
as a clump of trees had shut out the thicket, and he had no longer any
fear of being seen by these people, Humphrey went in the direction which
the robber had mentioned, and soon afterwards he perceived the oak
scathed with lightning, which stood by itself on a green spot of about
twenty acres. It had been a noble tree before it had been destroyed;
now it spread its long naked arms, covering a large space of ground, but
without the least sign of vegetation or life remaining. The trunk was
many feet in diameter, and was apparently quite sound, although the tree
was dead. Humphrey left Billy to feed on the herbage close by, and
then, from the position of the sun in the heavens, ascertained the point
at which he was to dig. First looking around him to see that he was not
overlooked, he took his spade and pick-axe out of the cart and began his
task. There was a spot not quite so green as the rest, which Humphrey
thought likely to be the very place that he should dig at, as probably
it was not green from the soil having been removed. He commenced at
this spot, and after a few moment's labour his pick-axe struck upon
something hard, which, on clearing away the earth, he discovered to be
the lid of a wooden box. Satisfied that he was right, Humphrey now
worked hard, and in a few minutes he had cleared sufficient space to be
able to lift out the box and place it on the turf. He was about to
examine it, when he perceived, at about five hundred yards' distance,
three men coming towards him. "They have discovered me," thought
Humphrey; "and I must be off as s