After thinking for some time he went up to a group of eight or ten
horses which were fastened by their bridles to a large store wagon on
the outside of the baggage camp. Malcolm unfastened the bridles and
turned the horses heads outwards. Then he gave two of them a sharp prick
with his dagger, and the startled animals dashed forward in affright,
followed by their companions. They passed close to one of the sentries,
who tried in vain to stop them, and then burst into the camp beyond,
where their rush startled the horses picketed there. These began to kick
and struggle desperately to free themselves from their fastenings. The
soldiers, startled at the sudden noise, sprang to their feet, and much
confusion reigned until the runaway horses were secured and driven back
to their lines.

The instant he had thus diverted the attention of the whole line of
sentries along that side of the baggage camp, Malcolm crept quietly up
and passed between them. Turning from the direction in which the horses
had disturbed the camp, he made his way cautiously along. Only the
officers had tents, the men sleeping on the ground around their fires.
He had to move with the greatest caution to avoid treading upon the
sleepers, and was constantly compelled to make detours to get beyond
the range of the fires, round which groups of men were sitting and
carousing.

At last he reached the outside of the camp, and taking advantage of
every clump of bushes he had no difficulty in making his way through the
outposts, for as the enemy was known to be far away, no great vigilance
was observed by the sentries. He had still to be watchful, for fires
were blazing in a score of places over the country round, showing that
the foragers of the army were at their usual work of rapine, and he
might at any moment meet one of these returning laden with spoil.

Once or twice, indeed, he heard the galloping of bodies of horse, and
the sound of distant pistol shots and the shrieks of women came faintly
to his ears. He passed on, however, without meeting with any of the
foraging parties, and by morning was fifteen miles away from Tilly's
camp. Entering a wood he threw himself down and slept soundly for some
hours. It was nearly noon before he started again. After an hour's
walking he came upon the ruins of a village. Smoke was still curling up
from the charred beams and rafters of the cottages, and the destruction
had evidently taken place but the day before. The