"Shall we turn back and take the by-road we passed awhile ago?" asked Dick, of Romberg, who was better acquainted with the country. "It is the only thing to do," said Romberg, suiting action to the word by turning his horse. When the party had moved a few rods back towards Cassel, there came from the direction of the city a sullen boom, breaking with startling effect the silence of the night. "The alarm-gun," said Romberg, checking his horse. "That is fired for deserters, is it not?" said Dick, following his example. "But deserters might have robbed gentlemen, and taken their clothes and horses, with which to escape," said Romberg. "That gun warns the country to look out for fugitives of any kind." "The Landgrave must have awakened too soon and given the alarm," said Dick. "I let him off with too small a dose." At that instant there was heard a distant hollow sound like thunder, but less uneven. "Horsemen galloping over the bridge at Cassel," said Romberg. "A pursuing party, without any doubt," said Dick. "Hang my thoughtlessness! The guards saw which way Antoine came. Well, we must reach the by-road before they do." "That is impossible," said Romberg. "We should meet them before we arrived there." "But if we wait here they will be upon us in a few minutes. And, if we resume our way towards Melsungen, we shall meet the party that Antoine discovered. Hark, I can hear that party now!" Romberg looked around, scanning the dark country on both sides of the road. Here the land was quite clear of trees, and every object was now and then made visible by the appearance of the moon through cloud-rifts. "There is a ruined abbey, at the head of that short lane," said Romberg. "Perhaps if we should hide there till these two parties meet,--" "As neither party would have come upon us on the way," said Dick, "they might suppose we had taken some other road, after all. Come, then. 'Tis our only chance." The three horses were instantly turned into the lane. The abbey was now used as a barn. The wide door was barred on the outside with a piece of wood, merely to keep it from being opened by the wind. The men dismounted and led the horses into the dark interior, which smelled of hay and grain. They closed the door, but there was no way of bolting it on the inside. The women now dismounted, and the party stood in silence, trusting that their horses would not in any way betray their presence. As fate would have it, the two forces of horsemen--the one commanded by the officer who had let Dick escape, the other by the Baron von Sungen--met near the mouth of the lane leading to the barn. Torches were lighted, and the two leaders conferred for some time. Then Von Sungen, who was not only the superior in rank but was also the more recently from Cassel and had the Landgrave's latest orders, got off his horse, seized a torch from one of the bearers, and started up the lane, followed afoot by six of his men.