He drew rein and listened, and thought he heard the tramping of horse on the road that led to the left.

As he rode on the noise became louder, and in another five minutes he came up to the troop.
It was quite dark, and riding past the men, he made his way to the head of the column.
"I have had an awful bother in getting rid of that stone," he said, as he rode up to the leader.

"I began to think that I should lose you altogether.

It is quite a chance I took this road." "An unfortunate chance, sir, for you.

A fortunate one for us," the officer he addressed said in English, but with a strong accent, "since you are our prisoner," and as he spoke he laid his hand on Rupert's bridle.
Rupert gave an exclamation of horror at finding the mistake that he had made, but he saw at once that resistance would be useless.
"Je me rends, monsieur.