"When Cochlaeus gets to Hautcoeur, and the master of the castle takes him down to the dungeon, he will see at a glance that the prisoner is not the man he wants. He will not stay an instant longer, and I can imagine his chagrin. I can seem to see him coming up the steps out of the dungeon in a whirlwind of anger, and after some maledictions on the lord of Hautcoeur, he will get his men and horses out, and they will come back in haste as hot as when he left the inn." "We have six hours' start," said Herman, easy on this point. "I know; but mark the pace we're going, and must go, because of that poor woman in the pillion behind us. We can't go faster than she can travel. It would nearly kill her if we mended the pace. Given a free hand, we'd be at the gates of Worms in two hours; but with our going at this pace Cochlaeus will be there, waiting for us." "Then it's sheer madness to make for Worms!" exclaimed Herman. "We must go somewhere else, and take Worms later." They were in the forest depths again, and although they were talking they were keeping a keen look out. Both riders halted suddenly, and the others behind, brought up unexpectedly, were in a bunch, the horses beating against each other. There was no necessity for speech. Each clutched the horse's reins on which he rode convulsively, and a thrill of fear passed through them. "Let us get out of this path," whispered the forester, swinging his horse aside. "Follow me, but quietly. I'm going over there, where it's dark, and we shall not be seen." He said it easily, but he was afraid. As the others drew up with him among some bushes, so high and dense that no passer-by on the forest path could see their horses, they watched, their consternation none the less; for who could tell what might happen! "Keep perfectly quiet," Engel whispered. "I pray the horses may neither neigh nor jingle their harness." Away on the forest path they saw some horsemen, they knew not how many. Some of them carried flaming torches, the light of which fell on themselves and their comrades, on their own armour, which glanced as the light played on it, and on the weapons and metal trappings of their chargers. They were soldiers, moving on with a steady-going easiness, in no great haste, and careless as to whether they were seen and heard.