s Bourel, and Abraham Guille from Dos d'Ane, William Le Masurier from La
Jaspellerie, Henri Le Masurier from Grand Dixcart, Thomas Godfray from
Dixcart, and Thomas De Carteret from La Vauroque--just as Carette had come
across them and told them of my need. They had snatched their guns from the
hanging racks and come at once.

They gave a shout at sight of me behind the stack and Torode's body being
dragged slowly up the path. The Herm men gave them a hasty volley and went
off over Little Sercq towards Gorey, two of them carrying young Torode
between them, and the Sercq men came running across the Coupee to greet me.

"Sercq wins!" cried one.

"Wounded, Phil?" asked another, at sight of my arm, which hung limp and
bleeding.

"A scratch on the shoulder. Torode fired and I downed him with a rock."

"Shall we follow them and give them a lesson?"

"Let them go," I said. "I have got all I wanted, since Carette is safe."

"Come, then. She is just round the corner there, getting her breath. We
wouldn't let her come any nearer. And here comes your grandfather."

My grandfather took me to his arms with much emotion.

"Now, God be thanked!" he said, in his great deep voice, which shook as he
said it. "You are come back as from the dead, my boy. I had given you up
before, and when I knew you had gone across to Herm I gave you up again.
Jeanne Falla told me what poor Helier Le Marchant had told her."

"Jean Le Marchant and Martin were lying sick on Brecqhou--"

"They are safe at Beaumanoir."

"Carette does not know about Helier yet."

"Better so for the present. We buried him yesterday on Brecqhou. She
believed him dead long since, as did the others."

Carette jumped up out of the heather, at sound of our voices, and came
running towards us.

"Oh, Phil!" she cried, and flung her arms about my neck before them all,
and made me a very happy and satisfied man.

"You are wounded?" she cried, at sight of blood on my sleeve. "Oh, what is
it?"

"It is only a trifle, and you have spoiled your sleeve."

"I will keep it so always. Dear stain!" and she bent and kissed the mark my
blood had left.

I thanked the neighbours for coming so promptly to my help, and as we stood
for a moment at the road leading to Dos d'Ane, where Abraham Guille would
break off to get back to his work, my grandfather stopped them.

"Phil brings us strange and monstrous news," he said weightily. "It is well
you should know, for we may need your n