ESCAPE!
My chance came three days later. During this time we had traveled a long
way. When the sun was up we plodded along footsore and weary. At night
we lay down wherever we were able to find a soft place in the grass or
under the protection of a tree. The inns were crowded, not only with
soldiers but with all the riff-raff of humanity. Wandering jugglers and
mountebanks, sleight-of-hand artists, men with bears on ropes, quack
doctors of medicine who sold simples made of the roots of marvelous
trees,—all these and more lined the highway. Their booths were set up
alongside the inns. They barked and called to the passers-by. They were
the followers of an army who sapped the soldiers of their hard earned
pay.
As for myself I was almost sick of life. My companion was in the sourest
of moods. He growled at his ill luck and laid the blame for it at my
door. He took every occasion to make me miserable, now by threats, again
by actual brutality. He gave me only the coarsest fare which he could
purchase in the inns. And to make me the more miserable he chose the
daintiest morsels for himself and taunted me while he shoved them down
his throat.
By the third day we were come almost to the boundaries of the Kingdom of
France. To the west of us lay a stretch of country which was as wild as
a desert. It was only sparsely inhabited. The inhabitants owed no
allegiance to any ruler alive. They were neither on the side of the
Black Prince nor the King, for the country was half way between the two.
In one word, it was the stamping ground for war and whoever had the
upper hand was for the time its lord.
It was about noon when we left the highway, for here it took a sharp
turn towards the south, and continued our journey over a narrow path
through the woods. There was a winding path that was beaten bare—used by
many feet. My captor seemed well acquainted with the lay of the land for
he went ahead with all the confidence in the world and indeed with more
buoyancy than he had shown on the entire journey.
At length we came to the banks of the stream, at a place with a long
shelving landing made of smooth stones, paved clear down to the water’s
edge. A rusted length of chain and a long boat-hook lay in the grass. To
my observation it was a landing for a ferry.
My companion bade me halt.
“Where’s the boat?” he asked, gazing around. “They told me that the boat
would be here to take us across.”
He picked up the chain and threw it down again. He walked to and fro
several times as though he was turning a question over in his mind. Then
he came to a stop before me.
“Can you swim?” he demanded.
“Yes,” I answered.
He sat down on a rock and began to remove his shoes. To throw him off
his guard I did the same. When we had stripped ourselves he bade me tie
my clothes into a firm bundle and fasten them around my neck. We went
into the water a little at a time. The current was fairly swift, for it
gathered here to broaden out into a wide sweep far beyond. I cast my
eyes carefully down the river and saw that in the middle of this
broadening lay an island, not very big to be sure, but covered with tall
trees that grew so thick that the branches were woven into one another.
“It is now or never,” I thought.
In the next moment we were beyond our depths. I saw at once that my
captor was as much at home in the water as he was on land. He swam with
long, easy strokes and with no sense of fatigue. He kept his head
continually turned toward me as a cat watches a mouse. I for my part
paid no heed to him, for I was busy with thoughts of my own.
Slowly, a bit at a time, I began to loose the knot that bound my clothes
about my neck. When it was entirely free the bundle floated off. The
weight of my shoes soon sank it beneath the surface. With a cry I dived
after it. I drew myself as far under the water as I could. I put all the
strength I had into every stroke. I held my breath so that no bubbles
would arise and inform my captor where I was. It was down-stream with
the current in a straight line.
I rose to the surface to fill my lungs and looked back. He was swimming
after me, lashing the water with his great hands like some monster. His
face was heavy with anger and his teeth shone white like the fangs of a
wolf when he breathed.
Once again I dived as far as I could go. This time I did not swim
straight ahead but swerved off towards the left. If I could throw him
off long enough for him to get beyond me in the current, I would have
the better of him and be surer of my escape.
But he was as wary as a fox. When I came up for the second time he was
in the middle of the river but moving more slowly. His eyes roamed
continually searching for some trace of me. When he saw that I had edged
off to one side, he raised his fist out of the water and shook it
viciously in my direction and shouted a threat which I did not clearly
hear.
I was down again under the surface. To puzzle him the more, I made for
it with all speed towards the island. If I once set my foot upon it I
could lose him among the trees. I could swim to the mainland that lay
either on the right or the left. It would be a chase in which I would
have an even chance. If I had a speck of luck, it would mean my
deliverance.
The thought strengthened me. This time I held my breath so long that I
felt I would burst. When I arose I cast a swift glance around. To my
surprise he was nowhere to be seen. He had gone under the water. He was
swimming somewhere, perhaps quite near to grapple with me in case he
could lay hands on me. Perhaps he had decided that I was bound for the
island and that, if he could get there before me, he could conceal
himself behind a tree and pounce on me as I came to land.
I lingered a moment in doubt. To fall into a trap would be the height of
folly. I was now as good as free. I was near the left bank of the
stream. Not far off was the dry land and grass and tall trees. A new
enemy was better than an old one. I took the risk. With slow even
strokes I made my way to the shore and climbed in among the high weeds
on the sloping bank.
You may be certain that every move I made was with the greatest caution.
I hid myself from view and peered out through the brush. Before I drew
half a dozen breaths I saw my captor rise to the surface far down the
stream. He looked in every direction. Then as though he had made up his
mind he swam swiftly with the current straight for the island and drew
himself up on the shore.
It was close on to dusk. The sun was shining over the tops of the trees
to the west. A soft breeze started which, wet as I was, sent the shivers
through my body. There was one thing sure. I could not go far with no
clothes. Nor could I risk sleeping in the open naked as I was, for it
would be the death of me.
I resolved that, come what might, as soon as it got dark, I would swim
for the island. There would be danger, to be sure. But I was certain
that my man would be there drying his clothes. I would be in the
protection of the trees. There was no light. If I could come upon him
unawares, I might snatch enough to cover me. Then I could make off with
all my speed and lose him in the woods.
It was worth the try. Indeed it was the only thing I could do. I sat
huddled there on the bank of the stream until the sun had disappeared
and the blackness of night covered the earth. I slid into the water.
With long, easy strokes I headed for the island. In a few minutes I was
dragging myself up on dry land.