"Dear daughters, take everything!" cried the prelate acting under a new inspiration. "Your father in Christ requests you, adjures you, orders you to accept the booty--accept it quick!" he added as he felt the noose tighten. One of the three kneeling women rose and obeyed with alacrity; the other two remained on their knees and said: "You are only trying us, holy bishop!" "But these heathens are going to hang me--" "A holy man like you does not fear martyrdom." "No, my daughters, I do not fear martyrdom--but I think I am indispensable for the salvation of my flock. I pray you, carry that booty away! If you do not, I shall damn you! I shall excommunicate you! Confounded old hags! Miserable wretches, you will have to answer for my death on the day of judgment!" "Holy bishop, you seek to try us to the last. You just said to us that to touch the goods of the Church is mortal sin. Would you order us to commit a mortal sin?" "No! No!" screamed the other of the two mothers who had remained on their knees; she smote her breast and added: "Holy man, you could never think of ordering us to commit mortal sin! You are to receive martyrdom!--" "And from the heavens above you will throw your blessings upon us, great and good St. Cautin!" "Bishop, do you hear these poor old women? You sowed, now you are harvesting. Come, my Vagres, draw the rope!" Once more the hermit interposed in order to protect the prelate. At that moment the Vagres who were on the carts were heard crying: "The leudes! The Frankish warriors!" "There are seven of them! They are on horseback! They are leading a gang of chained men! Up, my Vagres! Death to the leudes! Freedom to the slaves!" "Death to the leudes! Freedom to the slaves!" shouted the Vagres and ran to their arms. "The Franks have come to capture me and take me back to the burg of the count!" cried little Odille. "Oh, Ronan, protect me!" "There will not be one of them left alive to carry you back!" "Ronan, no imprudence!" said the hermit. "These horsemen may be only a scouting party riding ahead of a numerous troop. Send out scouters against scouters; keep the bulk of your men in reserve and have them entrench themselves behind the wagons." "Monk, you are right. You talk like an experienced soldier. You must have made war?" "A little--occasionally--whenever it was necessary to protect the weak against the strong." "Frankish warriors!" cried Cautin clasping his hands with a triumphant air. "Friends! Allies! I am saved! Help, dear brothers in Christ! This way, my beloved sons in God! Fall upon this rabble. Deliver me from the hands of the Philistines! This way, my--" Giving a jerk to the rope around the neck of the holy man, Ronan suddenly checked his flow of speech by drawing the noose tight. "Bishop, no useless cries!" said the hermit; "and you, Ronan, no violence; drop that rope!" "Very well; but I shall bind his arms; and if he again breaks in upon my ears I shall run my sword through him--"