The Spaniard's only reply was to hold his head a little higher. It was his plan now to assume his haughtiest manner. The little fear that he had done wrong, that his act in forcing Paul into the ring against a professional swordsman, a gladiator as it were, was mediaeval, and that harm might come to him from it, clung to him. But pride bade him never to show it. As he and Braxton Wyatt went into the Chateau of Beaulieu, the doors of the log prison closed upon the four comrades. Paul, under the care of Luiz, reached it first but the others were just behind. Paul sat on the floor and leaned against the wall. The others bent tenderly over him. But Paul looked up at them and smiled. "It isn't much," he said. "The sword only grazed me. My clothing saved me from a bad cut. But I wish you boys, whatever happens, would remember that Spaniard, Luiz. He's been kind to me." "We'll do it," said Henry. "I don't know what will come of all this, Paul, but I feel sure that we'll succeed." "Of course," said Paul, "but you came just in time, and that was a great shot of yours." "We were in the woods," said Henry, "and we saw the crowd gathering. We knew some mischief was afoot, and they were so eager on it that we came up unnoticed. I wanted Tom to stay back, but he was afraid he would be needed." "And Shif'less Sol?" said Paul. "Where is he?" Henry laughed. "The shiftless one is about the shiftiest man in the wilderness," he replied. "Do you suppose that he would ever walk into a trap, when there was nothing inside the trap worth the risk? Didn't he know that Tom and I were sufficient for any task that might be ahead of us this morning?" Paul laughed, too, and the others were glad to see the color coming back into his face. "Good old Sol," he said, "I'm glad he didn't come too. He's somewhere out there in the woods, and he's the one link between us and Kentucky. We'll be sure to hear from him." They talked of their plans, but for the time, they could see no way. Shif'less Sol might go on alone to New Orleans, but it needed the presence of the five to be convincing. "He wouldn't go anyhow," said Paul. "Sol would never leave us here." Luiz brought them food and water at noon, and then they were left again to themselves. CHAPTER XI THE SPANIARD'S OFFER The afternoon passed without incident in the log prison save another and very welcome visit from Luiz, who brought water and some cloth bandages to be used on Paul's shoulder. Henry and Long Jim, familiar with hurts, dressed it carefully and skillfully. Paul's healthy blood would quickly do the rest. "It will be stiff a little for three or four days," said Henry, "but you'll forget in a week that you ever had it." Then he turned to Luiz. "We'd like to thank you," he said, "I know you don't understand our words, but maybe you take our meaning."