Page 206 - A Jacobite Exile

the whereabouts of the band. Mr. Ramsay hired a light cart, and that
brought us yesterday far into the forest. We camped there, and I had not

more than a couple of miles to walk to get here this morning."

"Have you seen the captain?" Charlie asked eagerly.

"Yes. I was stopped by some sentries, a quarter of a mile away, and was

kept there while my guide came on and got permission of the captain for
me to be brought in. When I met him, I had no great difficulty in

persuading him to let me stop, for Mr. Ramsay had given me fifty
rix-dollars to give him; and so, your honour, here I am, and here is a letter
from Mr. Ramsay himself."

"I cannot tell you how glad I am to have you, Stanislas. I am getting better,

but I am so weak that I took five hours, yesterday, to get six miles. Now I
have got you to talk to, I shall pick up strength faster than I have been
doing, for it has been very dull work having no one who could understand

me. There is only one man here who understands a word of Swedish."

"We will soon get you round, sir, never fear. I have brought with me four
casks of wine. They were left at the place where the cart stopped last night,
but the captain has sent off men already to bring them in. You will be all

the better for a suit of clean clothes."

"That I shall. It is a month now since I had a change, and my jerkin is all
stained with blood. I want a wash more than anything; for there was no
water near the hut, and the charcoal burner used to bring in a small keg

from a spring he passed on his way to his work. That was enough for
drinking, but not enough for washing-- a matter which never seemed to have

entered into his head, or that of the Jew, as being in the slightest degree
necessary."

"There is a well just outside," Stanislas said. "I saw them drawing water in
buckets as we came in. I suppose it was the well of this castle, in the old

time."