By the third day we were come almost to the boundaries of the Kingdom of France. To the west of us lay a stretch of country which was as wild as a desert. It was only sparsely inhabited. The inhabitants owed no allegiance to any ruler alive. They were neither on the side of the Black Prince nor the King, for the country was half way between the two. In one word, it was the stamping ground for war and whoever had the upper hand was for the time its lord. It was about noon when we left the highway, for here it took a sharp turn towards the south, and continued our journey over a narrow path through the woods. There was a winding path that was beaten bare—used by many feet. My captor seemed well acquainted with the lay of the land for he went ahead with all the confidence in the world and indeed with more buoyancy than he had shown on the entire journey. At length we came to the banks of the stream, at a place with a long shelving landing made of smooth stones, paved clear down to the water’s edge. A rusted length of chain and a long boat-hook lay in the grass. To my observation it was a landing for a ferry. My companion bade me halt. “Where’s the boat?” he asked, gazing around. “They told me that the boat would be here to take us across.” He picked up the chain and threw it down again. He walked to and fro several times as though he was turning a question over in his mind. Then he came to a stop before me. “Can you swim?” he demanded. “Yes,” I answered. He sat down on a rock and began to remove his shoes. To throw him off his guard I did the same. When we had stripped ourselves he bade me tie my clothes into a firm bundle and fasten them around my neck. We went into the water a little at a time. The current was fairly swift, for it gathered here to broaden out into a wide sweep far beyond. I cast my eyes carefully down the river and saw that in the middle of this broadening lay an island, not very big to be sure, but covered with tall trees that grew so thick that the branches were woven into one another. “It is now or never,” I thought. In the next moment we were beyond our depths. I saw at once that my captor was as much at home in the water as he was on land. He swam with long, easy strokes and with no sense of fatigue. He kept his head continually turned toward me as a cat watches a mouse. I for my part paid no heed to him, for I was busy with thoughts of my own. Slowly, a bit at a time, I began to loose the knot that bound my clothes about my neck. When it was entirely free the bundle floated off. The weight of my shoes soon sank it beneath the surface. With a cry I dived after it. I drew myself as far under the water as I could. I put all the strength I had into every stroke. I held my breath so that no bubbles would arise and inform my captor where I was. It was down-stream with the current in a straight line.