"Farewell," he said, "and take courage; put your trust in God, who will not abandon you. I will watch over you at a distance. Farewell, my children, and bless you. Go, go, without delay."
Then, tearing himself by an effort from Red Cedar's arms, Father Seraphin remounted, dug his spurs into his horse's flanks, and started at full speed, after giving his protégés a parting wave of the hand.
"Oh!" Red Cedar muttered, "That could not last, for I was almost happy."
"Courage, father," Ellen said to him softly.
They re-entered the jacal, where the men were awaiting them.
"Go and saddle the horses," the squatter said, "we are going away."
"Ah!" the monk whispered Sutter, "did I not tell you the demon was on our side? Canarios! He would not forget us, as we have done so much for him."
The preparations for quitting the jacal were not long, and an hour later, the five persons started.
"In what direction do we go?" the monk asked.
"Let us go in the mountains," the squatter answered, laconically, as he took a melancholy glance at this wretched hut, in which he had perhaps hoped to end his days, and which fate compelled him to leave forever. The fugitives had scarce disappeared behind a clump of trees, when a cloud of dust rose on the horizon, and five horsemen soon appeared, coming up at full speed. They were Valentine and his friends.