ld discover them by the light of the fire, they
made a halt and cut the cords that confined the prisoner.

"Take breath for a moment," said one of his conductors, "and then away
with us through thick and thin, before the bloodhounds rally."

"Captain Nicholas, shall we give them another round?" said a voice
which struck Bertram as one which he had somewhere heard before.

"No, no, Tom,--let us be quiet whilst we are well: we have executed our
work in a workmanlike style: another discharge would but serve to point
out the course of our flight: for fly we must; a little bird whispered
in my ear that they have a rear guard: and it will be well if we all
reach our quarters this night in safety: to do which, my lads, our best
chance will be to disperse; so good night to you all, and thanks for
your able services. Mr. Bertram, I will put you in the way."

All the rest immediately stole away like shadows amongst the bushes;
and Bertram again found himself alone with Edward Nicholas, who now
guided him away from the neighbourhood of the abbey by intricate and
almost impracticable paths up hill and down--through blind lanes and
the shadowy skirts of forests--and once or twice along the pebbly
channels of the little mountain brooks. On such ground Bertram often
lost his footing; and Nicholas, who kept a-head, was more than once
obliged to turn back and lend him his assistance. It was with no little
pleasure therefore that at length he found himself again upon a level
path which wound amongst the crags and woodlands--but in so mazy a
track that it required little less than an Indian sagacity to hit it.
From this they immerged into a series of ridings cut through the
extensive woods of Tre Mawr; and, as they approached the end of one of
these alleys, Bertram saw before them a wide heath stretching like a
sea under the brilliant light of the wintry moon which had now attained
her meridian altitude.

"Here," said Nicholas, as they issued upon the heath, "here we must
part: for the road, which I must pursue, would be too difficult for a
person unacquainted with the ground.--You, I suppose, admire this
bright moon and the deluge of light she sheds: so do not I; and I
heartily wish some poet or sonneteer had her in his pocket: for a dark
night would have favoured our retreat much better. As it is, we must
cross the heath by separate routes. You shall have the easiest. Do you
see that black point on the heath? It is a stone of remark