"No, it is no distance to speak of; not a mile, at most. We should be there and back in half an hour, if it was light; but there is only a path among the woods and it is dark.
"I think we had better have some lanterns, for I do not think I could find my way without them, tonight; at any rate, it would take us much longer."
"There, boy, that will do," the sergeant said, laying his hand on his shoulder. "I am satisfied, now, with the truth of your story. I thought, for a bit, you had something to do with the franc tireurs who are about here, but I see I was mistaken.
"Turn in again, lads. It is no use taking you out on a useless search, such a night as this, among these forests."
Ralph laughed aloud, as they turned to go down the passage again to the corner.
"Won't father laugh," he said, "when he hears that you thought I was a franc tireur. We haven't seen any, about Colmar. I don't think you need be afraid of them, if they ain't bigger or older than I am."
By this time they had entered the room again, and Ralph saw that Percy was already talking to the landlordwith whom, indeed, he was on the point of leaving the room. He turned round, upon hearing the party come in again, and gave a slight start of pleasure.
"I am soon back, Karl, and am glad that it is so for, frankly, I too am tired; and it is not a night for a dog to be out. I will go in with you."
"Stay, landlord," the sergeant said. "Give the boys another glass, each, before they go off."
"Thank you," Ralph said. "A glass of good beer never comes amiss."
The boys stopped, while the landlord filled their glasses.
"Now," said the sergeant, raising his arm. "Here's a health, to King William."
"Here's a health, to King William," Ralph repeated. "I am sure I wish him no harm.
"And now, with your permission, I will be off."
The landlord led them to an outhouse, in which were some trusses of straw. Just as he was about to leave them, Ralph said, suddenly:
"Ah! I had nearly forgotten about the priest. You have a priest here, have you not?"
"Of course," the landlord said. "Do you take us for heathens?"
"Not at all," Ralph said, apologetically; "but father told me to call, and pay him for some masses. My eldest sister was very ill, when we came away, and father worries about her.
"Where does the priest live?"
"The last house on the left, as you go out from the farther end of the village. But anyone will show you it, in the morning.
"You don't want the light any longer?"
For the boys had, while speaking, been taking off their boots, and making a show of preparing to lie down on the straw.
"No, thank you. Good night.
"Oh, I forgotwhat do you charge, a cask, for your best beer? Father wanted to know and, if the price suits, will send down a cart to fetch it."
The landlord named the price, and then said good night, and left them.
When he returned to the room where he had left the German soldiers, the sergeant asked him a question or two concerning the boys; and the landlord repeated the substance of the conversation which he had just had. This allayed the last suspicions which had remained in the sergeant's mind; and he congratulated himself, greatly, that he had not taken his men out, in such a night, upon a mere groundless suspicion.
"If the landlord repeats that yarn to the Germans, it will allay all suspicion," Ralph said, when they were left alone. "Otherwise the sergeant might have taken it into his head to come to have a look at us and, although it would not very much matter that he should discover that the birds had flown, still it
would have put him on his guard, and he might have doubled the sentries, and made it much more difficult for us.
"We have had a very narrow squeak for it this time, Percy, old boy."
"Very, Ralph! I would rather go through twenty battles, again, than feel as I felt when I saw you start, and thought that I should never see you again, alive."
"Well, we have no time to lose now, Percy. Have you got your boots on again? If so, let us start at once. The major and men must be very anxious, long before this. It must be full an hour since we came."
"It has been the longest hour I ever passed, Ralph. There now, I am ready, if you are."
"We must go out very quietly, Percy. I have no doubt that they have got sentries posted all about. They know that we are in the neighborhood I wish I knew how many there are of them."
"I found out, from the landlord, that all the fifteen men we saw here were billeted upon him," Percy said. "He told me at first, when I asked him, that he could do nothing for me in the way of a bed, because there were three or four in every room. I said that a stable and a little straw would do for us, very well, and then he thought of this outhouse.
"At the same rate, there must be at least a hundred men in the village."
They now opened the door of the outhouse, went quietly out, and made their way through a garden at the back of the house towards the wood.
"Stand still a few minutes, Percy," Ralph said, in a whisper, "and let us see if we can find out where the sentries are placed. I expect that they form a cordon round the village.