Then suddenly someone touched me. The ropes which bound my wrists were being severed with a blunt instrument. Now my legs were being released. Some fragments of rope dropped to the ground. _I was free!_ Nowhere was there any light, and still nobody spoke. Taking me by the arm, the man who had set me free led me forward through the darkness. Now we were close to the car. Men were beside it, apparently very busy, though what they were engaged in doing I could not ascertain. And then, all at once, the road became flooded with light—the headlights of the car had been switched on simultaneously. Almost immediately I saw what was happening. Several large bags had been placed inside the car, and others were being pushed in after them. What did they contain? For the moment I was puzzled. Then suddenly the obvious truth flashed across me. The group of men—I could see them indistinctly in the darkness—must be poachers, and poaching out of season I knew to be an offence punishable in France with a very heavy sentence. There seemed to be five men engaged in handling the sacks, while a sixth stood looking on. "_Entrez_" a voice beside me said suddenly. At the same instant I was gripped by the arm and pushed forward towards the car. "Who fired that shot?" I exclaimed quickly, in French. "I did—and saved your life," the man who held me answered. "Why?" "And you killed him?" "Yes." "The report sounded like a rifle shot." "It was a pistol shot. But what matters, so long as he is dead?" "Have you his revolver? Did you pick it up?" I asked anxiously. "Yes." "Show me both pistols." My thoughts were travelling with extraordinary rapidity. Rather to my surprise he handed the pistols to me without a word. Quickly I held them in the light cast by the car's lamps and hurriedly examined them. Yes, both were weapons of the same calibre, both took the same cartridges. Below the barrel of Gastrell's revolver was the small electric lamp from which the light had shone on to my face. I gripped the pistol tightly and the light shone out again. "I will return here in a moment," I said in French, as I moved away, for the man had released my arm.