soldier, who drew up at the farm beneath them, and,
having given some message, went on his way, and could be seen calling
at other farms in the far distance. Later in the evening, other sounds
from the road attracted the ears of the fugitives, and, as the dusk was
settling over the country, they watched a party of weary soldiers
marching by, dragging behind them a couple of bloodhounds. These
halted at the farm and presently entered it.

"Taken up their quarters there for the night," said Henri, "and I
should say without a doubt that the cyclist messenger was sent to warn
the farmers all round, while parties of men have been sent in various
directions to try to trace us with hounds. Not a very pleasant
outlook, is it?"

"I shouldn't care a rap," declared Stuart, "if it weren't for the
hounds. Somehow or other we will obtain food and drink, and so long as
we get that we can keep on marching at night-time and can hide up
during the day; but hounds can track us anywhere, and will soon drive
us out of cover. We have got to set ourselves to work to beat them.
But how? It bothers me, and I can't see a way out of the difficulty."

Jules whistled; he often did that when he was rather bothered.

"Beastly idea being tracked by hounds," he said; "sends a chill down a
fellow's spine, and makes one's hair feel like rising. But isn't there
a way out? If those hounds are put on our track--and it beats me how
it is that they didn't discover that we had passed along the
road--they'll soon trace us into this cover, unless we can, as the
British say, contrive to draw a line across it which will break the
scent and take them off in another direction. What about the river?"

"The river, of course," exclaimed Henri. "I never gave it a thought;
but of course it's the thing for us. Why not start now; it's dark
enough, and we can make our way straight down to it. As for food, once
we get across, there's a farm yonder, just behind the railway, which
might easily provide something."

They were up on their legs by now, staring into the dusk which now
covered the country, and, having discussed the matter for a few
moments, and seen the wisdom of an instant move, they left the trees
and trudged off across the open fields till they gained a field track,
and, following that, reached the bank of the river. Stepping in, they
soon found themselves wading into deep water, and presently were forced
to swim.

"Hold on a minute," splutte