The Jew shrugged his shoulders when the narration was finished.  The presence of brigands was a matter of indifference to him.  The next day, the charcoal burner went off at noon.

“Where does he go to?” Charlie asked his guard.

“He has got some charcoal fires alight, and is obliged to go and see to them.  They have to be kept covered up with wet leaves and earth, so that the wood shall only smoulder,” the man said, as he lounged out of the hut to his usual seat.

Charlie waited a short time, then went to the pile of logs, and picked out a straight stick about a yard long and two inches in diameter.  With one of the heavier ones he could have killed the man, but the fellow was only acting under the orders of his employer, and, although he would doubtless, at Ben Soloman’s commands, have roasted him alive without compunction, he had not behaved with any unkindness, and had, indeed, seemed to do his best for him.

Taking the stick, he went to the door.  He trod lightly, but in the stillness of the forest the man heard him, and glanced round as he came out.

Seeing the stick in his hand he leaped up, exclaiming, “You young fool!” and sprang towards him.

He had scarce time to feel surprise, as Charlie quickly raised the club.  It described a swift sweep, fell full on his head, and he dropped to the ground as if shot.

Charlie ran in again, seized a coil of rope, bound his hands and feet securely, and dragged him into the hut.  Then he dashed some cold water on his face.  The man opened his eyes, and tried to move.

“You are too tightly bound to move, Pauloff,” he said.  “I could have killed you if I had chosen, but I did not wish to.  You have not been unkind to me, and I owe you no grudge; but tell your rascally employer that I will be even with him, someday, for the evil he has done me.”

“You might as well have killed me,” the man said, “for he will do so when he finds I let you escape.”

“Then my advice to you is, be beforehand with him.  You are as strong a man as he is, and if I were in your place, and a man who meant to kill me came into a lonely hut like this, I would take precious good care that he had no chance of carrying out his intentions.”

Charlie then took two loaves of black bread and a portion of goat’s flesh from the cupboard; found a bottle about a quarter full of coarse spirits, filled it up with water and put it in his pocket, and then, after taking possession of the long knife his captive wore in his belt, went out of the hut and closed the door behind him.

He had purposely moved slowly about the hut, as he made these preparations, in order that the Jew should believe that he was still weak; but, indeed, the effort of dragging the man into the hut had severely taxed his strength, and he found that he was much weaker than he had supposed.