222 A JACOBITE EXILE

large one. The captain thoughtfully placed Charlie and
Stanislas among the six men who were to remain without,
to prevent any of the inmates leaving the chateau. With
the rest he made a sudden attack on the great door of the
house, and beat it down with a heavy sledge-hammer.
Just as it gave way some shots were fired from the inside,
but they rushed in, overpowered the servants, and were
soon masters of the place. In half an hour they came
out again laden with booty, each man carried half a dozen
bottles of choice wine from the count’s cellar slung at his
belt. On their shoulders they carried bundles containing
silver cups and other valuables; while six of them had
bags of silver money that had been extracted from the
count by threats of setting fire to the chateau and burning
him and his family.

A halt was made two or three miles away, when the
silver was divided into shares as usual, the men being well
satisfied when they learned that Charlie and his compan-
ion claimed no part of it; some of the provisions they had
also taken were eaten; each man had a flask of wine, with
which the count’s health was derisively drunk.

“This has been a good night’s work,” the leader said,
“and you have each sixty rix-dollars in your pockets, which
is more than you have had for months past. ‘That will
keep us in provisions and spirits all through the winter;
but mind, although we took it without much trouble, we
have not heard the last of the business. No doubt by this
time the count has sent off a messenger to the nearest town
where there are troops, and for a day or two we shall have
to march fast and far. It is one thing to plunder villages,
and another to meddle with a rich nobleman.”

For the next forty-eight hours they marched by night
instead of by day, keeping always together, and prepared
to resist an attack. One morning they saw, from their
hiding-place among some high reeds near the river, a body