“Bell” watched them at first without thinking of anything.  Then a thought occurred rather to his stomach than to his mind—­the thought that one of those fowls would be good to eat if it were cooked over a fire of dead wood.

He did not reflect that he was going to commit a theft.  He took up a stone which lay within reach, and, being of skillful aim, killed at the first shot the fowl nearest to him.  The bird fell on its side, flapping its wings.  The others fled wildly hither and thither, and “Bell,” picking up his crutches, limped across to where his victim lay.

Just as he reached the little black body with its crimsoned head he received a violent blow in his back which made him let go his hold of his crutches and sent him flying ten paces distant.  And Farmer Chiquet, beside himself with rage, cuffed and kicked the marauder with all the fury of a plundered peasant as “Bell” lay defenceless before him.

The farm hands came up also and joined their master in cuffing the lame beggar.  Then when they were tired of beating him they carried him off and shut him up in the woodshed, while they went to fetch the police.

“Bell,” half dead, bleeding and perishing with hunger, lay on the floor.  Evening came—­then night—­then dawn.  And still he had not eaten.

About midday the police arrived.  They opened the door of the woodshed with the utmost precaution, fearing resistance on the beggar’s part, for Farmer Chiquet asserted that he had been attacked by him and had had great, difficulty in defending himself.

The sergeant cried: 

“Come, get up!”

But “Bell” could not move.  He did his best to raise himself on his crutches, but without success.  The police, thinking his weakness feigned, pulled him up by main force and set him between the crutches.

Fear seized him—­his native fear of a uniform, the fear of the game in presence of the sportsman, the fear of a mouse for a cat-and by the exercise of almost superhuman effort he succeeded in remaining upright.

“Forward!” said the sergeant.  He walked.  All the inmates of the farm watched his departure.  The women shook their fists at him the men scoffed at and insulted him.  He was taken at last!  Good riddance!  He went off between his two guards.  He mustered sufficient energy—­the energy of despair—­to drag himself along until the evening, too dazed to know what was happening to him, too frightened to understand.

People whom he met on the road stopped to watch him go by and peasants muttered: 

“It’s some thief or other.”

Toward evening he reached the country town.  He had never been so far before.  He did not realize in the least what he was there for or what was to become of him.  All the terrible and unexpected events of the last two days, all these unfamiliar faces and houses struck dismay into his heart.

He said not a word, having nothing to say because he understood nothing.  Besides, he had spoken to no one for so many years past that he had almost lost the use of his tongue, and his thoughts were too indeterminate to be put into words.