“Keep on your hands and knees,” Hector whispered, “and feel the ground as you go to make sure that there are no broken branches that would crack if you placed your knee upon them.  We may come upon the Spaniards at any moment.  Keep close to me.  Touch me if you hear the slightest sound, and I will do the same to you.  The touch will mean stop.  Move your sword along the belt till the handle is round at your back; in that way there will be no risk of it striking a tree or catching in a projecting root.”

“I will do that, master, and will keep my knife between my teeth.  It may be that we shall come upon a Spanish sentinel who may need silencing.”

“No, Paolo; only in the last extremity and to save our lives must we resort to arms.  Were a sentry found killed in the morning they would know that their position in the wood had been discovered.  It is most important that they should believe that their ambush is unsuspected.”

Their progress was very slow.  When they were nearly opposite the centre of their position Paolo was suddenly touched by his master.  They listened intently, and could hear at no great distance ahead low sounds at regular intervals.

“Men snoring,” Paolo whispered in his ear.

They moved forward again even more cautiously than before.  Presently they stopped, for at the edge of the wood facing the camp they heard a slight movement and a low clash of arms, as if a sentinel on the lookout had changed his position.  Feeling sure that the guards would all be placed along the edge of the wood, they moved forward again, stopping every few yards to listen.  There was no doubt now that they were close to a large body of sleepers.  Occasional snores, broken murmurs, and a sound as one turned from side to side rose from in front of them.

“You go round on one side, I will go round on the other, Paolo.  We will meet again when we have passed beyond them.  It is important that we should form some estimate as to their numbers.”

In half an hour they met again, and crawled along for some distance side by side in silence.

“How many should you say, Paolo?”

“They were lying four deep as far as I could make out, master.  I kept very close to the outside line.  I could not count them accurately because of the trees, but I should say that there were about two hundred and fifty in a line.”

“That was very close to what I reckoned them at.  At any rate, it is a regiment about a thousand strong.  They are musketeers, for several times I went close enough to feel their arms.  In every case it was a musket and not a pike that my hand fell on.  Now we will go on till we are opposite our last watchfire, and then crawl up the hill.”

They were challenged as they approached the lines.

“A friend,” Hector replied.  “An officer of the prince’s staff.”

“Give the countersign,” the soldier said.