"If they don't come down upon us by the travelled road," thought the marquis, "it must be because they have seen us crossing the flat, and are waiting for us by the wood of Veille, in the sunken roads with which Bellinde is probably familiar. Perhaps the knaves are nearer to us than we think; for the mist is becoming dense, and I am beginning to be doubtful whether those figures I see yonder are young oaks or mounted men waiting for us." He stopped Mario again to tell him of his apprehensions. Mario looked at the trees and said: "Let us go on! there are no mounted men there." They rode forward. But as they skirted the copse which, at that time, extended to the farm of Aubiers, they suddenly found themselves at close quarters with a party of horsemen who were approaching at their right, and who shouted "Halt!" in resounding tones. They were French voices, but Bellinde's adventurers were Frenchmen. The marquis hesitated an instant. It was no easy matter to recognize those men, who were still in the shadow of the trees, while the Bois-Dorés were far enough in the open to be fully exposed to them. "Let us ride straight on!" said Mario. "If they are not enemies, we shall soon find it out." "_Vive Dieu_!" replied the marquis, "they must be the _reitres_, for they are following us! Ride hard, my dear child." And he thought: "May God give my poor horses strength of leg!" But the horses had travelled too far over the heavy ploughed land not to have lost their first freshness, and the men behind them pressed them so close that the marquis expected every moment to hear bullets whistling about his ears. He lost ground by trying, in spite of Mario's remonstrances, to keep behind him so that he might receive the first discharge. One horseman, better mounted than the rest, almost overtook him and shouted: "Will you stop, you knave, or must I kill you?" "God be praised, it is Guillaume!" cried Mario; "I know his voice!" They turned about and were not a little surprised when Guillaume charged upon them and threatened to pull the marquis from his horse. "How now, cousin!" said Bois-Doré; "don't you recognize me?" "Ah! who in the devil would recognize you in that rig?" replied Guillaume. "What is that white thing you have on your head, cousin, and what sort of a petticoat are you wearing floating about your hips? I was most anxious for news of you; then, when we approached, I thought that I recognized your horse and Mario's. But I concluded that you were robbers who had stolen the horses, perhaps after murdering you! Can that be Mario? Upon my word, you are both arrayed in strange fashion!" "True," said the marquis, remembering his kitchen apron and his oilcloth cap, which he had not thought, nor indeed had leisure to remove; "I am not equipped as a warrior, and you will oblige me, cousin, by supplying me with a hat and arms, for I have nothing but a kitchen knife at my side, and we may have a fight on our hands at any moment."