now that the Uhlans are rounding up escaped English and
French soldiers. Everyone knows that. They have been doing so for weeks
past."

"Ah! Of course. And they will not let anyone leave the town to give the
soldiers information of their coming?"

"No, Monsieur. They are making a special effort this time. They have
caught one or two, but the rest seem to grow in numbers, and are getting
more audacious owing to hunger. I have heard that they stopped and
plundered two army wagons full of provisions only a week ago. It is this
that has made the commandant at Marche determined to kill them all this
time."

"Well, I think we will dress, in case they come here and want to search
the house."

"You must not hide here, Monsieur, if that is what you want," replied
the innkeeper quickly. "I could not have that, for if they found anyone
in hiding they would burn the house down."

"What for?" asked Max in some astonishment.

"I know not, but they have done so. No doubt it is to make us all afraid
of harbouring fugitives. But you are a Belgian, Monsieur? You speak like
a Walloon."

"Aye; but I do not want to have aught to do with Uhlans if I can help
it. They so often make mistakes, and then it is too late to explain. I
think we will leave your house, Monsieur, and then you will run no
risks."

Max called Dale, and they put together their very slender belongings and
sallied out into the night. The innkeeper was certainly pleased to see
them go, and gave them as much help in the shape of information as it
was in his power to bestow. He told them, with a warning to them to be
careful to avoid the locality, the general position of the fugitive
soldiers and the villages in which cavalry patrols had lately taken up
their positions.

"It seems to me, Dale," remarked Max, as they left the inn and crept
along in the shadow of the houses towards the little bridge which
spanned the Ourthe, "that in leaving Liege we have jumped out of the
frying-pan into the fire. There we could hide in the lower quarters of
the town and pass as Walloon workmen easily enough, but here we are
strangers, and strangers are always objects of suspicion."

"Yes; we did not bargain for all this chasing around by German cavalry.
However, it will be good fun while it lasts, old man."

"Yes, but how long will it last? Here's the bridge. We can't cross it in
this moonlight; we should be sure to be seen and challenged. We must get
into the river and cross in