ruffian at my side, like his companions by the fire, slept through all,
and this dared me to what sounds like an act of madness. With a temerity
born of my anguish on Belviso's account, I rolled over and over until I
was close to the fire. There, I thrust my ankles into the flames,
regardless of the excruciating pain, and burnt away the cord that tied
me. I served my hands in the same way, and springing up, crept swiftly
to where I heard the crying lad and the scuffling. By what light the
fire afforded I saw that the two men were fighting for possession. One
was full length on the ground, the other crouched over him and upon him
with a knife in his teeth, but so intent upon his murderous design that
he had no eyes for me. I came quite close, made a sudden snap at the
knife, and plunged it with all my force into the neck of the topmost. It
drove right through him and pierced his victim; I think they must have
died at once, for except for one horrible gasping snort I heard nothing.
At the moment I felt myself caught by the ankle and heard, "Francis,
Francis, it is I." I pulled Belviso to his feet, cut the cord at the
wrist and plunged forward into the black of the wood, running downhill,
as near as I could judge, towards where I knew the brook was. We were
pursued, but in a darkness so impenetrable the chances were in our
favour, and we were never within a quarter-mile of being caught. We
gained the river side. "Jump!" I cried, and dragged Belviso in after me.
We could just bottom it. There we stayed, under a shelving bank, up to
our necks in cold water until the day began to break--not daring to move
lest we should happen upon our enemies, our teeth chattering together,
in a state of semi-death. How we endured it I don't know; but life is
sweet to young men.

Looking about with great caution, I could see nothing nor hear anything
of the brigands. We crossed the river and ran as fast as we could--
Belviso in dripping weeds and myself in my wet rags of the comedy. By