Gothard had forced the mare to mount the bank.
"Her feet muffled! I thank thee, boy," exclaimed the bailiff.
Michu let the mare follow her mistress and took the hat, gloves, and whip from Catherine.
"You have sense, boy, you'll understand me," he said.

"Force your own horse up here, jump on him, and draw the gendarmes after you across the fields towards the farm; get the whole squad to follow you--And you," he added to Catherine, "there are other gendarmes coming up on the road from Cinq-Cygne to Gondreville; run in the opposite direction to the one Gothard takes, and draw them towards the forest.

Manage so that we shall not be interfered with in the covered way." Catherine and the boy, who were destined to give in this affair such remarkable proofs of intelligence, executed the manoeuvre in a way to make both detachments of gendarmes believe that they held the game.

The dim light of the moon prevented the pursuers from distinguishing the figure, clothing, sex, or number of those they followed.

The pursuit was based on the maxim, "Always arrest those who are escaping,"-- the folly of which saying was, as we have seen, energetically declared by Corentin to the corporal in command.