ure for the
purpose of extracting information from obstinate prisoners. At first
the man maintained his resolution, but when he saw that his captors were
in earnest, and about to light the fire, his courage failed him. He
confessed that he was a scout, and that Addedomar was there with several
other well-known chiefs and a body of four hundred men.

Thereupon the man was bound and put in the safe keeping of several men,
whose lives were to be forfeited if he should escape. Then Gunrig,
Dromas, Beniah, Arkal, Maikar, and several other chief men retired under
a tree to hold a council of war. Their deliberations resulted in the
following conclusions.

First, that the number of warriors at their disposal, counting those of
King Hudibras and those under Gadarn, amounted to a sufficient force
wherewith to meet the invaders in open fight; second, that a junction
between their forces must be effected that night, for, according to
usual custom in such circumstances, the enemy would be pretty sure to
attack before daybreak in the morning; and, third, that what was to be
done must be set about as soon as darkness favoured their operations.

"You can guide us in the dark, I suppose," said Gunrig, turning to
Beniah.

"Ay, as well almost as in the light," replied the Hebrew.

"Let the men feed, then, and be ready for the signal to start," said the
chief to his officers, "and see that no louder noise be heard than the
crunching of their jaws."

The night was favourable to their enterprise. The moon was indeed
risen, but clouds entirely hid it, yet allowed a soft light to pass
through which rendered objects close at hand quite visible. Before
midnight they started on the march in profound silence, and, led by
Beniah, made a wide _detour_ which brought them to the encampment of
Gadarn. As may easily be understood, that chief was well pleased at the
turn events had taken, for, to say truth, his little joke of trotting
Beniah about the land and keeping him in perplexity, had begun to pall,
and he had for some days past been hunting about for a plausible excuse
for abandoning the search and going to visit King Hudibras.

His difficulty in this matter was increased by his unwillingness to
reveal the true state of matters to Bladud, yet he knew that unless he
did so the prince would utterly refuse to abandon the search for Cormac.
Another thing that perplexed the chief greatly was--how the Hebrew,
knowing Branwen as he did, ha