She left the hut, and crept along in the shelter of the rocks and trees, so that the soldiers might not see where she had come from.
The soldiers were very much surprised when a little wild-looking, wrinkled old woman stood before them, trying to tell them something in the language that the Britons spoke.
They soon understood that she was offering to show them the hiding-place of a captive far more important than the poor British warriors whom they had been pursuing.
'Come along then, old woman,' said one of the soldiers; 'show us the way.'
A sly look came into the woman's small twinkling eyes. 'Wait a little,' she said; 'what are you going to give me for delivering this great captive into your hands?'
The soldiers looked at each other; and then one of them offered her a gold coin.
The old woman shook her head.
'No,' she said; 'this is a very, very great man, and the Romans would like very much to catch him. You must give me far more than that if I show you the way to his hiding-place.'
The soldiers consulted together for a moment. From the old woman's manner, she evidently had a noted chief or leader in her power.
'Here, old dame,' they said, 'if your prisoner is of such importance, you must come with us to the general.'