Then I jumped, and nearly upset the boat, but taking an oar I began to row for life, and as we drew away from those grim, black walls the fire belched forth from three rifles.
"Row!" I shrieked, turning to see if my fair companion had been hit.
"Keep cool, Excellency," urged the Finn.

"See, right away there in the shadow.

We might trick them, for the patrol-boat will be at the head of the river waiting to cut us off." Again the guards fired upon us, but in the darkness their aim was faulty.

Lights appeared in the high windows of the castle, and we could see that the greatest commotion had been caused by the escape of the prisoner.

The men at the door in the tower were shouting to the patrol-boats, which were nowhere to be seen, calling them to row us down and capture us, but by plying our oars rapidly we shot straight across the lake until we got under the deep shadow of the opposite shore, and then crept gradually along in the direction we had come.
"If we meet the boats, Excellency, we must run ashore and take to the woods," explained the Finn.