should have found it difficult to follow him.
The chances were certainly in his favour. And yet he never swerved from
his course, but kept straight on across the downs on a line which took
him farther and farther from the sea. Every instant we feared to see
him dart away in the morass, but still he held his horse's head against
the hill-side. What could he be making for? He never pulled rein and
never glanced round, but flew onwards, like a man with a definite goal
in view.

Lieutenant Gerard and I were lighter men, and our mounts were as good as
his, so that it was not long before we began to gain upon him. If we
could only keep him in sight it was certain that we should ride him
down; but there was always the danger that he might use his knowledge of
the country to throw us off his track. As we sank beneath each hill my
heart sank also, to rise again with renewed hope as we caught sight of
him once more galloping in front of us.

But at last that which I had feared befell us. We were not more than a
couple of hundred paces behind him when we lost all trace of him.
He had vanished behind some rolling ground, and we could see nothing of
him when we reached the summit.

'There is a road there to the left,' cried Gerard, whose Gascon blood
was aflame with excitement.

'On, my friend, on, let us keep to the left!'

'Wait a moment!' I cried. 'There is a bridle-path upon the right, and
it is as likely that he took that.'

'Then do you take one and I the other.'

'One moment, I hear the sound of hoofs!'

'Yes, yes, it is his horse!'

A great black horse, which was certainly that of General Savary, had
broken out suddenly through a dense tangle of brambles in front of us.
The saddle was empty.

'He has found some hiding-place here amongst the brambles,' I cried.

Gerard had already sprung from his horse, and was leading him through
the bushes. I followed his example, and in a minute or two we made our
way down a winding path into a deep chalk quarry.

'There is no sign of him!' cried Gerard. 'He has escaped us.'

But suddenly I had understood it all. His furious rage which the miller
had described to us was caused no doubt by his learning how he came to
be betrayed upon the night of his arrival. This sweetheart of his had
in some way discovered it, and had let him know. His promise to deliver
himself up to-morrow was in order to give him time to have his revenge
upon my uncle. And now with one id