little that ever bothers him.
The fellow is a Puritan preacher--of the same breed as the
Huguenots--and possesses a head as hard as an oaken plank."

I nearly laughed at the unrestrained expression of aversion which swept
the girlish face. An instant the black eyes lost their gentleness, the
thin fingers clutched the silver cross.

"Mother of God! a heretic! a preacher of that doctrine! Never before
have I met his kind, nor do I care now to make close acquaintance. A
Puritan! _Sainte Marie_, have mercy! Yet surely in such stress as
this we may for the time overlook our differences in faith, and be as
men together? Is it not God's will? But I know little of conditions.
Is there some path open for escape from here? Then will I let this
Puritan be, save for a prayer to the Virgin."

"I fear there is none, unless you know of some back opening to this
rock hole."

He shook his head sadly, his gaze still on Cairnes.

"None, Monsieur; the passage endeth here."

"Then the three of us are safely cooped for those savages to work their
will upon. No pleasant thought that, yet little good can arise from
losing hope. For one, I fight it out, and let others do the praying.
Let us retrace our way to the big room, where we can hold council in
more comfort; perchance we may find yet some opening to the upper air.
Cairnes, lay hold upon the other side, and help to bear back this lamed
man to the altar."

I doubted greatly his compliance with my order, and determined to
settle this affair between us without more delay. But he came forward,
unwillingly enough and muttering.

CHAPTER XXXIV

THE TALE OF THE PRIEST

With all possible tenderness we bore the slender form of the helpless
priest along the dark, crooked passage, until we found a comfortable
resting-place for him against the altar.

"I thank you much, Messieurs," he said simply, the depth of his
gratitude apparent in uplifted dark eyes, glistening in the light of
the fire. "Members of our Order are more accustomed to blows than
kindness, so I have no words with which to express thanks for your
care."

"Think nothing of it," I returned hastily, and then, observing how the
Puritan drew back from beside him, added, "Master Cairnes, you might
busy yourself hunting more food--it will be exactly in your line--while
I attempt to bathe the limbs of the priest, and see what little may be
done toward alleviating his pain."

The mere thought of eating was