company of marauders, were at the door of the cottage, which they forced open; and having entered, and found the damsel’s nag, still saddled, they asked who was there.  The damsel being out of sight, the good man answered:—­“There is none here but my wife and I; but this nag, which has given some one the slip, found his way hither last night, and we housed him, lest he should be devoured by the wolves.”  “So!” said the chief of the band, “as he has no owner, he will come in very handy for us.”

Whereupon, in several parties, they ransacked the cottage from top to bottom; and one party went out into the courtyard, where, as they threw aside their lances and targets, it so befell that one of them, not knowing where else to bestow his lance, tossed it into the hay, and was within an ace of killing the damsel that lay hid there, as likewise she of betraying her whereabouts, for the lance all but grazing her left breast, insomuch that the head tore her apparel, she doubted she was wounded, and had given a great shriek, but that, remembering where she was, she refrained for fear.  By and by the company cooked them a breakfast of kid’s and other meat, and having eaten and drunken, dispersed in divers directions, as their affairs required, taking the girl’s nag with them.  And when they were gotten some little way off, the good man asked his wife:—­“What became of the damsel, our guest of last night, that I have not seen her since we rose?” The good woman answered that she knew not where the damsel was, and went to look for her.  The damsel, discovering that the men were gone, came forth of the hay, and the good man, seeing her, was overjoyed that she had not fallen into the hands of the ruffians, and, as day was breaking, said to her:—­“Now that day is at hand, we will, so it like thee, escort thee to a castle, some five miles hence, where thou wilt be in safety; but thou must needs go afoot, because these villains, that are but just gone, have taken thy nag with them.”  The damsel, resigning herself to her loss, besought them for God’s sake to take her to the castle:  whereupon they set forth, and arrived there about half tierce.  Now the castle belonged to one of the Orsini, Liello di Campo di Fiore by name, whose wife, as it chanced, was there.  A most kindly and good woman she was, and, recognizing the damsel as soon as she saw her, gave her a hearty welcome and would fain have from her a particular account of how she came there.  So the damsel told her the whole story.  The lady, to whom Pietro was also known, as being a friend of her husband, was distressed to hear of his misadventure, and being told where he was taken, gave him up for dead.  So she said to the damsel:—­“Since so it is that thou knowest not how Pietro has fared, thou shalt stay here with me until such time as I may have opportunity to send thee safely back to Rome.”