with his mother, and
felt annoyed that she, too, was mixed up in this affair. He had enough
to think of without that.

The gend'arme knew many stories about poachers and other outlaws and,
in order to beguile the time and entertain Baum, recounted some of
them. Such stories, however, have one unpleasant feature. It is rather
uncomfortable to listen to them, unless one's hands are free from
guilt. Baum nodded to him graciously, for it would not do, by look or
manner, to betray that he was in the least related to the abandoned
wretch who was walking ahead of them. The gend'arme said that he had
once been bitten in the finger by a murderer, whom he had helped to
arrest, and he showed Baum the scar.

Baum, at last, endeavored to put an end to these terrible stories. He
asked the gend'arme what regiment he had served in, and put the
question as graciously as if he were about to draw a medal from his
pocket and bestow it on the man. Now nothing can be pleasanter than to
recount one's military experiences. The forester told of his many
exploits, laughing heartily at his own stories, and Baum, seeing no
help for it, joined in the laughter. Thomas, who was walking on before,
turned around and grinned, and then went on. They reached the hut. It
was empty. Old Zenza had disappeared.

"She's looking for Esther, I'm sure," said Thomas.

"What's the matter with Black Esther?" asked the gend'arme.

"Black Esther!" repeated Thomas; "ha! ha! the lake'll wash her white
now. If any one would pay me well for it, I'd jump in, too."

He threw himself on the sack of leaves, and silently looked at the
hands with which he had beaten Esther last night. Then he threw his
head back and fell into a heavy sleep, and they could not get a word
out of him. Baum and the gend'arme rode away, intending to return to
the lake, in order to pursue their inquiries, and to leave directions
everywhere that the search should be kept up. Emerging from the forest,
they gained the highway, and here it was that they had met the covered
wagon.

They were again riding along the lake at a quiet pace. A large red cow
was walking along ahead of them. It stopped now and then to nibble the
grass and would look across the lake. When it came to a thicket, it
started, turned about quickly and ran so fast that it almost rushed
against Baum's horse.

"That cow has shied at something. There must be something lying there,"
said Baum, quickly alighting. His dyed hair ros