"I have tumbled into a wasp's-nest," he thought; "but I am disguised and they will take me for a little beggar. I must find out if my father is here." So he put out his hand and began to beg, in the piteous tone that he had heard the gypsies adopt and had sometimes adopted himself, laughing in his sleeve, during his travels with that honorable company. They released him at once, but ordered him to go away, and, when he pretended not to understand, they threatened him by going through the motions of taking aim at him. He was about to go, being fully determined to return, when another voice, coming from the inn, issued an order in German; whereupon, instead of turning him out-of-doors, they seized him by the collar again and pushed him into the kitchen. There, before he had time to collect his thoughts, he found himself confronted by a tall, thin, dark individual, in military costume, who said to him with an Italian accent: "Come here, boy, and if you have a letter, give it to me." "I haven't any letter," replied Mario, looking the stranger in the face with perfect self-possession. "A verbal message then, eh? Speak!" "Before I speak," said the boy, with great presence of mind, "I must know to whom I am speaking." "_Diable_!" said the stranger with a scornful smile, "we are a very wary youth; that is well enough! This is the countersign: _Saccage_ and _Macabre_. What name has been given you?" "La Flèche," replied Mario, at random. "What? what is that?" said the Italian frowning. "There's no rhyme there." "Wait!" cried Mario, inspired by that reply, "that isn't all. Isn't there a _pillage_ in your countersign?" "That rhymes better," said the other, smiling dismally; "but that isn't all yet, you little monkey! Your memory is failing you!" "Perhaps so," said the child; "there's another word, I know. Isn't it Sancho?" "There we are! Now then, stand in this corner and don't stir. I am Lieutenant Saccage; Captain Macabre will be here in a quarter of an hour. He's the one to whom you must give your message, which I care very little about, for my part. I say, you fellows, hold your tongues!" he shouted to the horsemen, who were going to and fro around the house, talking a little louder than seemed to be necessary. Profound silence ensued, and he who styled himself Lieutenant Saccage said to Mario, who was meditating upon the means of gaining admittance to another room, to find his father or someone who could give him some news of him: "My good friend, it is well that you should know the countersign, for your protection. We send away or arrest everyone who tries to enter this house; we fire on everyone who tries to go out. Do you understand that?" "But I have no reason for trying to go out," replied Mario, cautiously; "I am looking round to see if there's anything to eat; I am hungry." "That makes no difference to me, my boy. We are hungry too, and we're waiting for the captain to give us orders to eat."