Charlie ate a few mouthfuls of meat, and then lay down and slept, for some hours, on a bed of leaves.  He was awoke by loud and excited talking among the men, and learnt from Honred that one of the men, who had been left on watch at the mouth of the path by which he had entered the forest, had just brought in the news that a party of a hundred infantry, led by the Jew, had arrived with a cart.  In this the body of Ben Soloman had been sent off, while the troops had established themselves in the little clearing round the hut.

“This comes of letting that Jew escape,” the captain said.  “No doubt he told the story his own way, and the Jewish traders went to the governor and asked that troops should be sent to root us out.  Well, they are far enough away at present, and I have sent off to have their movements watched.  It is a good nine miles, from here to the hut, and they may look for a week before they find this place, unless that rascally Jew has heard of it from the woodman, or they get hold of the fellow himself, though I should think they will hardly do that.  I fancy he has some cause of quarrel with the authorities, and will not put himself in the way of being questioned closely, if he can help it.”

The next morning when Charlie awoke, two men were standing beside him.  His eyes first fell on the one who had been to the town, and who held a large bundle in his hand.  Then he turned his eyes to the other, and gave an exclamation of pleasure, as he saw that it was Stanislas.  He looked pale and weak, and was evidently just recovering from a severe illness.

“Why, Stanislas!” he exclaimed.  “This is a pleasure, indeed.  I never for a moment dreamt of seeing you.  I heard from the Jew who guarded me that you got away, but I was afraid that you had been badly wounded.  Why, my brave fellow, what brings you here?”

“I have come to be with your honour,” the man said.  “It was, of course, my duty to be by your side.  I was very ill for a week, for I had half a dozen wounds, but I managed, after the assailants left me, to crawl back to Mr. Ramsay’s to tell him what had happened.  I don’t remember much about the next few days.  Since then I have been mending rapidly.  None of the wounds were very serious, and it was more loss of blood, than anything else, that ailed me.  Mr. Ramsay searched high and low for you, and we had all given you up for dead, till a few hours before this man arrived with your letter.

“We heard you had killed Ben Soloman.  I had a long talk with your messenger, who received a handsome present from Mr. Ramsay, and he agreed to conduct me here, upon my solemn promise that, if the captain would not receive me, I would not give any information, on my return, as to the whereabouts of the band.  Mr. Ramsay hired a light cart, and that brought us yesterday far into the forest.  We camped there, and I had not more than a couple of miles to walk to get here this morning.”