"His arms were taken from him!" exclaimed Hieyas; "he was not allowed to kill himself?" "No, your lordship, he was beheaded alive; and up to the moment that his head fell, he never ceased to insult his victor." "Tosa is a zealous servant," said Hieyas, with a shade of irony. "He is an infamous wretch," murmured the Prince of Nagato, "and he shall bitterly expiate his crime. I will avenge you, brave Sado!" "How cold death is!" said Hieyas, his hands growing chill at the touch of that pale flesh; he turned, and gave Sado's head to one of the officers standing near him. "Tosa may ask me what he will," he added, addressing the envoy; "I can refuse him nothing. But there was another messenger; what tidings does he bring?" The second messenger advanced, and prostrated himself in his turn. "Yet another piece of good news, master," said he; "your soldiers have taken Fusimi, and are about to begin the attack on Kioto." At these words Nagato, who still held Raiden's hand, pressed it so violently that the poor fellow almost screamed. "Attack Kioto! What does that mean?" whispered the Prince, with horror. "If that is so," said Hieyas, rubbing his hands, "the war will soon be over. The Mikado once in our power, Osaka must fall of its own accord." "We must be off," said the Prince, in Raiden's ear. "Hieyas is just dismissing the messengers," said Raiden. As they raised the drapery which enclosed the tent, a red glow lighted up the woods. "What is that?" asked Hieyas. Several officers left the tent to inquire. A vast flame arose in the direction of the sea; the wind fanned it, and brought the sound of crackling, snapping wood. "What can be burning on that shore?" was the cry. "There are no villages that way." "It is some boats," said a man, who came running in. "Our boats!" sighed Raiden; "well, that's nice!" "No one knows where they came from; all at once they were seen stranded on the beach." "Are there many of them?" "Some fifty. We went up to them; they were empty. Those large boats, well equipped, struck us as suspicious." "We thought of Soumiossi." "So we set fire to them; now they're blazing brightly." "What a pity! what a pity!" said Raiden; "our fine boats! What shall we do?" "Silence!" said the Prince; "let us try to get away." "I'm afraid it won't be so easy as to enter." They saw that they were free to roam about the camp, no one heeding them; and they moved off in search of an outlet. "Kioto attacked, and I am here!" said the Prince, a prey to strange agitation. "Our fleet is destroyed. I need two hundred horses; where am I to get them?" "There are plenty of them here," said Raiden; "but how are we to get hold of them?" "We will come back with our comrades," said the Prince; "see how the horses are fastened." "Merely by the bridle to the trunk of a tree." "They are tied behind the tents in groups of five or six, as well as I can see in the darkness." "Yes, master." "We must capture them."