"Ay, it was. My breath was coming short, when you gave the word to
stop. Another half mile would have finished me. Those Welshmen run
well."
"I have no doubt we should have beaten them, easily enough, on the open
ground, Roger; but they are more accustomed to this forest work than we
are.
"Mind where you tread, and don't put your foot on fallen sticks. There
must be scores of them in the forest behind, yet, though I don't think
that they have struck our track. The nearest must be a quarter of a
mile away. I am not afraid of their overtaking us. It is the risk of
falling in with other parties that I am afraid of."
They now bore away to the right again. More than once they heard
parties moving near them, and stood quiet until their voices died away;
which they quickly did, as all were hurrying towards the spot whence
the shouting still continued.
For an hour they kept straight onward, and then the trees thinned; and
as they stepped out from the edge of the forest they saw, to their
delight, a few tents in front of them, and a large number of soldiers
scattered about. As they were seen, some of the soldiers caught up
their arms; but when they saw that but two men were approaching, they
laid them down again, and proceeded with the work on which most of them
were engaged; in polishing up their arms and armour, whose brightness
had been grievously dimmed by the rain.
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