Turning instantly, he advanced in a straight line upon the enemy, and stopping near where he supposed them to be, shouted out his name again, and mocked and jeered at them for their awkwardness and cowardice. Just then one of the bandits wounded him in the arm with a dagger, and fell at his feet, stunned and suffocated by a blow which Christian gave him full in the breast, with the handle of his Norwegian knife. Christian was only slightly wounded, thanks to his reindeer-skin coat; and he thanked heaven for having enabled him to resist his desire of serving the bandit as he had done the bear on the mountain. It was very important to capture one, at least, of the baron’s bravos, living. The two others, concluding that all was lost with the loss of their chief, ran up to each other, but only to exchange a slang confession of defeat and flight—a despairing sauve qui peut; but they did not take into account the major and the lieutenant, who were watching them, and who seized one, while only the third escaped.
“For the love of Heaven! are you wounded, Waldo?” said the major, while Christian assisted him to disarm the bandits.
“No, no!” replied Christian, who would not have felt his wound at all, but for the warmth of the blood that filled his sleeve. “Have you any cords?”
“Yes, certainly; enough to hang them all, if we had the right. We had fully resolved to make these fine gentlemen prisoners. But if you are not too much out of breath, Christian, give a blast on this trumpet, to try and bring up our other friends, whom we have been waiting for and seeking for the last hour. Stay, here is the instrument.”
“We had better fire off our guns,” said Christian.
“No, no, there has been plenty of firing already. Blow the trumpet, I tell you!”
Christian did as he was requested, but the corporal was the only person who joined them.
“You see,” said the major to Christian, “our promenade must have the appearance of a chance excursion, during which we have been lost, and have been looking for each other.”
“I do not understand you.”
“It must be so, I tell you, for a few hours, so that the baron may not suspect the issue of the affair too soon, and send against you the other rogues, whom, no doubt, he has in reserve. As for him,” he added, in a low voice, “his turn will come, do not fear!”