Cuthbert had been certain that an instant pursuit would be set on foot, and the moment that he was out of sight of the battlements he changed the direction in which he had started, and turning at right angles, swept round the city, still keeping at a distance, until he reached the side next the mountains, and then plunged into the woods on the lower slopes of the hills.

“They will,” he said, as they halted breathless from their run, “follow the road toward the south, and scour the country for awhile before it occurs to their thick German skulls that we have doubled back on our tracks.  Why, what is it, Cnut?”

This exclamation was provoked by the forester throwing himself on his knees before Sir Cuthbert, and imploring his pardon for the dire strait into which his imprudence had drawn him.

“It was a dire strait, certainly, Cnut.  But if you got me into it, at least you have extricated me; and never say more about it, for I myself was near committing the imprudence to which you gave way, and I can well understand that your English blood boiled at the sight of the outrage to the flag of England.  Now, let us waste no time in talk, but, keeping to the foot of this mountain, make along as far as we can to the west.  We must cling to the hills for many days’ march before we venture again to try to cross the plains.  If possible, we will keep on this way until we reach the confines of the country of the Swiss, who will assuredly give us hospitality, and who will care little for any threats of these German barons, should they hear that we have reached their asylum.”

By nightfall they had already traveled many leagues, and making a fire in the wood, Cuthbert asked Cnut for an account of what had taken place on the previous day.

“We ran for life, Sir Cuthbert, and had not noticed that you had been drawn into the fray.  Had we done so, we would have remained, and sold our lives with yours; but hoping that you had passed unnoticed in the crowd, and that you would find some means to rejoin us we kept upon our way.  After running down three streets we passed a place where a courtyard with stables ranged round it was open.  There were none about, and we entered, and taking refuge in a loft hid ourselves beneath some provender.  There we remained all night, and then borrowing some apparel which some of the stablemen had hung upon the walls, we issued into the town.  As we neared the great square we saw some men employed in erecting a platform in the midst, and a suspicion that all might not be right, and that you might have fallen into the hands of these German dogs, beset our minds.  After much consultation we determined to see what the affair meant, and making our way on to the walls which, indeed, were entirely deserted, we took refuge in that turret where you saw us.  Seeing the crowd gather, and being still more convinced that some misfortune was about to occur, I again went back to the stables, where