As might be supposed, soldiers were at once despatched all over the
country in search of the fugitive; and the Queen, relapsing into one of
her dark fits of cruelty, began to persecute the Christians more
severely than ever. Still, Mark Breezy strove to influence her towards
mercy, and in some measure restrained her.

Meanwhile Ravonino and his party pushed on in hot haste towards their
place of refuge in the wild forest.

The dangers to which they were exposed and the risks they ran on this
adventurous journey were too numerous to be related in detail. We can
only touch on a few of them here.

Laihova, it may be mentioned in passing, failed to join them, certainly
not from want of will, but because the place where he had concealed
himself was discovered while he lay awaiting the signal to join his
friends. Two female relations who knew of his hiding-place were caught,
convicted, if we may so put it, of Christianity! and put to the torture.
Although true-hearted, these poor girls were so agonised by suffering
and terror that, in a moment of weakness, they disclosed the secret.
But even among prison authorities there were found followers of Jesus--
secretly, however, for fear of the tyrant Queen--and one of these sent a
swift messenger to Laihova to warn him. Had the youth been an ordinary
man the warning would have been too late, for close on the heels of the
messenger came the soldiers with his death-warrant. But Laihova was
gifted with cool courage and unusual speed of foot. Trust, also, in the
certainty of God's blessing, whether life or death should be his
portion, filled him with that spirit of enthusiastic energy which goes
so far, in all circumstances of life, to ensure success. He soon
distanced his pursuers, left them out of sight behind, and, finally,
found refuge with a Christian friend, who hid him over an oven in his
house when he had reached the last stage of exhaustion from hard
running, and could not have advanced further without rest. The soldiers
came up and searched the house while he was asleep, but happily did not
observe the oven! They remained there, however, over the night, and
thus rendered it impossible for Laihova to join his friends at that
time.

Ravonino could not, of course, afford to delay. Knowing also that his
young friend was well able to take care of himself, and that his soul's
anchor was the Lord, he felt comparatively little anxiety in starting
without him.

To let