s half a dozen men were lying on a thick couch of
straw. Malcolm's guide repeated the history of the newcomer, and then
passed through with him into a smaller apartment, where a man was
attending to several sauce pans over a fire.

"Rollo," he said, "I bring you a substitute. You have been always
grumbling about being told off for the cooking, just because you
happened to be the oldest of the band. Here is a lad who will take your
place, and tomorrow you can mount your horse and ride with the rest of
us."

"And be poisoned, I suppose, with bad food when I return," the man
grumbled--"a nice lookout truly."

"There's one thing, you old grumbler, it is quite certain he cannot do
worse than you do. My jaws ache now with trying to eat the food you gave
us this morning. Another week and you would have starved the whole band
to death."

"Very well," the man said surlily; "we will see whether you have gained
by the exchange. What does this boy know about cooking?"

"Very little, I am afraid," Malcolm said cheerfully; "but at least I can
try. If I must be a cook I will at least do my best to be a good one.
Now, what have you got in these pots?"

Rollo grumblingly enumerated their contents, and then putting on his
doublet went out to join his comrades in the hall, leaving Malcolm to
his new duties.

The latter set to work with a will. He saw that it was best to appear
contented with the situation, and to gain as far as possible the
goodwill of the band by his attention to their wants. In this way their
vigilance would become relaxed, and some mode of escape might open
itself to him. At dusk the rest of the band returned, and Malcolm found
that those who had met him with the captain were but a portion of the
party, as three other companies of equal strength arrived at about the
same time, the total number mounting up to over thirty.

Malcolm was conscious that the supper was far from being a success; but
for this he was not responsible, as the cooking was well advanced when
he undertook it; however the band were not dissatisfied, for it was
much better than they had been accustomed to, as Malcolm had procured
woodwork from the disused part of the castle, and had kept the fire
briskly going; whereas his predecessor in the office had been too
indolent to get sufficient wood to keep the water on the boil.

In the year which Malcolm had spent in camp he had learned a good deal
of rough cookery, for when on active duty the o