ght never entered her mind that any one
could doubt it after she had given her word that it was true. The men
were evidently amazed and impressed to hear her say such a thing in
such a sure and confident way, for prophecies boldly uttered never fall
barren on superstitious ears. Yes, this speech certainly impressed
them, but her closing remark impressed them still more. It was for the
ringleader, and Joan said it sorrowfully:

"It is a pity that you should plot another's death when your own is so
close at hand."

That man's horse stumbled and fell on him in the first ford which we
crossed that night, and he was drowned before we could help him. We had
no more conspiracies.

This night was harassed with ambuscades, but we got through without
having any men killed. One more night would carry us over the hostile
frontier if we had good luck, and we saw the night close down with
a good deal of solicitude. Always before, we had been more or less
reluctant to start out into the gloom and the silence to be frozen in
the fords and persecuted by the enemy, but this time we were impatient
to get under way and have it over, although there was promise of more
and harder fighting than any of the previous nights had furnished.
Moreover, in front of us about three leagues there was a deep stream
with a frail wooden bridge over it, and as a cold rain mixed with snow
had been falling steadily all day we were anxious to find out whether we
were in a trap or not. If the swollen stream had washed away the bridge,
we might properly consider ourselves trapped and cut off from escape.

As soon as it was dark we filed out from the depth of the forest where
we had been hidden and began the march. From the time that we had begun
to encounter ambushes Joan had ridden at the head of the column, and she
took this post now. By the time we had gone a league the rain and snow
had turned to sleet, and under the impulse of the storm-wind it lashed
my face like whips, and I envied Joan and the knights, who could close
their visors and shut up their heads in their helmets as in a box. Now,
out of the pitchy darkness and close at hand, came the sharp command:

"Halt!"

We obeyed. I made out a dim mass in front of us which might be a body of
horsemen, but one could not be sure. A man rode up and said to Joan in a
tone of reproof:

"Well, you have taken your time, truly. And what have you found out? Is
she still behind us, or in front?"

Joan answe