times, he made his escape. They
carried the carcasses to a wood, lit a fire, and feasted upon them.
Then, having cooked the rest of the flesh, they divided it among
the band.

By this time the wine was finished. The next day they again saw
horsemen in the distance, but remained in hiding till they had
disappeared in the afternoon. They then went into a village, but
scarcely had they proceeded up the street when the doors were
opened, and from every house men rushed out armed with flails,
clubs, and axes, and fell upon them furiously, shouting "Death to
the robbers!"

They had evidently received warning that a band of plunderers were
approaching, and everything had been prepared for them. The band
fought stoutly, but they were greatly outnumbered, and, as but few
of them carried firearms, they had no great advantage in weapons.
Charlie and Stanislas, finding that their lives were at stake, were
forced to take part in the fray, and both were with the survivors
of the band, who at last succeeded in fighting their way out of the
village, leaving half their number behind them, while some twenty
of the peasants had fallen.

Reduced now to twelve men and the captain, they thought only of
pushing forward, avoiding all villages, and only occasionally
visiting detached houses for the sake of obtaining flour. The
country became more thinly populated as they went on, and there was
a deep feeling of satisfaction when, at length, their leader
pointed to a belt of trees in the distance, and said:

"That is the beginning of the forest. A few miles farther, and we
shall be well within it."

By nightfall they felt, for the first time since they had set out
on their journey, that they could sleep in safety. A huge fire was
lit, for the nights were now becoming very cold, and snow had
fallen occasionally for the last four or five days, and in the open
country was lying some inches deep. The next day they journeyed a
few miles farther, and then chose a spot for the erection of a hut.
It was close to a stream, and the men at once set to work, with
axes, to fell trees and clear a space.

It was agreed that the captain and two of the men, of the most
pacific demeanour, should go to the nearest town, some forty miles
away, to lay in stores. They were away five days, and then returned
with the welcome news that a cart, laden with flour and a couple of
barrels of spirits, was on a country track through the forest a
mile and a half away.