monsieur to look to
his pistols."

"I am ready, Jacques."

"Come, then, and if I say 'Gallop!' stretch your horse to his utmost."

He advanced carefully, I following, and watching him intently.
Presently, without turning round, he said: "It is as I thought; the
horsemen are there; we cannot get through without a fight."

"Then we must fight, Jacques; it is impossible to turn back. They will
not expect a rush, and we may catch them off their guard. But it will be
amusing if they turn out to be simply peaceful travellers."

"Amusing and satisfactory, monsieur. Are you ready? We will ride abreast
at the bottom; it will give us greater strength."

Jacques was a splendid horseman, and he had taught me to ride almost
from the first day I could sit a horse's back. From him, too, as well as
from my father, I had learned how to use a sword, though my weapon had
never yet been drawn in actual conflict, and even now I hoped against
hope that the horsemen below were not waiting for us.

But if Jacques' view were correct, then we must fight. Because of the
trust reposed in me, I could not yield; either I must win a way through,
or leave my dead body there on the bank.

My companion's voice recalled me to action. "Fire your pistol directly
we come within range," he said, "and then lay on with the sword."

"But we must give them warning, Jacques!"

"It is needless; they have seen us, and are preparing. _Corbleu!_ it is
as I thought! See, there is the man who overtook us in the village.
Monsieur, there is no escape; it is a fight to the death!"

"I am ready!"

CHAPTER III

The Fight by the Way

They watched us furtively, as, with seeming carelessness, we descended
the slope, slowly at first, but gradually increasing the pace as the
ground became less steep. There were five of them in all, and presently
I perceived that the one a little in advance of the group was the
unknown cavalier whom we had directed to the house of Etienne Cordel.

"Draw level, monsieur. Now!" and the next instant we were dashing down
the remaining part of the slope at terrific speed.

It was a wild ride, a ride so mad that many a night afterwards I started
from sleep with the sensation of being hurled through space. The horses
flew, their hoofs seeming not to touch the ground; had we wished, we
should have found it impossible to check their headlong career. Nearer
and nearer we approached; the horsemen wavered visibly, their leader
alo