he night was singularly clear: the waning moon after
she had emerged from a bank of low-lying clouds, lit up the surrounding
landscape with a radiance that was intensely blue.

Groping his way about in the stables Diogenes found his saddle which he
himself had lifted off his horse, and from out the holster he drew a
pair of skates. With these hanging by their straps upon his arm, he left
the building behind him and turned to walk in the direction of the
river.

The little city lay quite peaceful and still under the weird brilliancy
of the moon which threw many-hued reflections on the snow-covered
surfaces of roofs and tall gables. It was piercingly cold, the silver
ribbon of the Rhyn wound its graceful course westward to the North Sea
and from beyond its opposite bank a biting wind swept across the dykes
and over the flat country around, chasing myriads of crisp snowflakes
from their rest and driving them in wanton frolic round and round into
little whirlpools of mist that glistened like the facets of diamonds.

Diogenes had walked briskly along; the skates upon his arm clicked at
every one of his movements with a pleasing metallic sound. He chose a
convenient spot on the river bank whereon to squat on the ground, and
fastened on his skates.

After which he rose and for a moment stood looking straight out
northwards before him. But a few leagues--half a dozen at most--lay
between him and Haarlem. The Rhyn as well as the innumerable small
polders and lakes had left--after the autumn floods--their usual trail
of narrow waterways behind them which, frozen over now, joining,
intersecting and rejoining again formed a perfect, uninterrupted road
from hence to the northern cities. It had been along these frozen ways
that the daring and patriotic citizens of Leyden had half a century ago
kept up communication with the outer world during the memorable siege
which had lasted throughout the winter, and it was by their help that
they were able to defy the mighty investing Spanish army by getting
provisions into the beleaguered city.

A young adventurer stood here now calmly measuring in his mind the
distance which he would have to traverse in the teeth of a piercing gale
and at dead of night in order to satisfy the ambition of a friend. It
was not the first time in his hazardous career that he had undertaken
such a journey. He was accustomed to take all risks in life with
indifference and good humour, the only thing that matte