The monk shrugged his shoulders, and turned to the men who accompanied him.
"Be off!" he said. "In an hour I will join you again, you know where."
The strangers gave a nod of assent, and disappeared almost instantaneously among the trees and shrubs. The monk then threw his weapons on the ground, and drew so near to the men as almost to touch them.
"Are you still afraid?" he said; "It is I now who am in your power."
"Halloh!" Davis said, as he uncocked his pistol, "why, what is the meaning of this?"
"If, instead of taking me as a bandit, as you did, you had taken the trouble to reflect, you would have understood that I had but one object, and that was, to prevent the resumption of the obstinate fight which my presence so fortunately interrupted."
"But how did you arrive here so opportunely?"
"Accident did it all. Ordered by our Commander-in-chief to watch the enemy's movements, I posted myself on the two roads, in order to take prisoner all the scouts who came in this direction."
"Then you do not owe either the Colonel or myself any grudge?"
"Perhaps," he said, with hesitation, "I have not quite forgotten the unworthy treatment you inflicted on me; but, at any rate, I have given up all thoughts of vengeance."