The poor travellers, on first starting, trusted to the well-known hospitality of their countrymen, and neither food nor shelter were ever denied them; such kind help, in some measure, lightened the fatigue and hardship of their weary journey.
On reaching the small town of Ponnering, Gaspard resolved without delay to seek his sister; but not caring to take his wife and children with hire, or to subject them to wandering about the streets of a strange town, he entered a barn in a field adjoining the road, and ventured to leave them in it whilst he went to see if he could obtain tidings of his sister—hoping, if he did so, soon to fetch them to a temporary home. With some trouble, and no little difficulty, Gaspard obtained the information he wanted, and proceeded at once to where he trusted to find a sister, from whom, by circumstances, he had been long parted. What, then, was his consternation on finding that she had been left a widow, and had lately died, and that, having had no children, the property and business had gone to her husband's brother!
On learning this sad news, poor Gaspard's heart sank within him. He felt not for himself, but for his wife and children, the eldest barely twelve years old. Winter had now set in, snow was already whitening the ground, and he knew not where or how to provide a shelter for them. He returned with a heavy heart to Katherine. The poor woman bore the intelligence better than he expected; she had dreaded being separated from her husband, and, but for her children, would never have consented to being so. There seemed now no alternative; and in reply to her husband's inquiry as to what was to be done, she said, firmly and resolutely—"Dear Gaspard, I will go with you; we will not be separated; we have shared every danger, we will share this one."
With tears the poor man thanked her for this fresh proof of love and devotion; he had much disliked parting from her and his boys; he felt that with them, and for their sakes, he could brave anything, and willingly encounter any hardship.
The day was now too near its close for the poor travellers to think of resuming their journey. Gaspard therefore sought the owner of the barn, to ask leave to occupy it for the night; this was readily granted, and the weary ones thankfully accepted the rude shelter. All was, however, clean; heaps of straw and piles of sacks half-filled the barn; and of these they made use; and found they made no bad beds. Poor Pedro was safely tethered outside. After a meal of such provisions as they had, with the addition of some milk kindly given them by the farmer's wife, they sought the repose so much needed, and soon slept as soundly as they would have done on softer couches.
The next day, however, brought a fresh trouble; John was too unwell to admit of the journey being resumed. The poor little fellow could scarcely raise his head from the rude couch on which he lay. In this unlooked-for difficulty, Gaspard again sought the farmer, who not only gave ready permission for them to remain where they were, saying he had no present use for the barn, but promised to send such little assistance as they might require. His good wife was readily interested in the little party, and felt for their distress; so sure it is that help, in some shape or other, comes, when most needed, from One who never wholly forsakes those who are His.
Gaspard gratefully endeavoured to repay the good farmer's kindness by doing such work as he was capable of, and he and Michael were daily helping at the farm, whilst Katherine tended the sick child and the little Francis.
A few days rest and care sufficed to restore the boy, and with grateful and heartfelt thanks the poor soldier and his family prepared to leave the kind friends and that shelter which had been so readily afforded them; and, though pressed to remain, they dared not delay, as the season was getting daily more inclement, and they were, therefore, anxious to press on ere it became more severe.
The following day Gaspard and his family resumed their toilsome journey. Snow now covered the mountains, and already lay deep in the valleys. The sky was overcast, and a keen wind blew, against which the clothing of the poor travellers but ill protected them. They were sometimes unable to obtain shelter at night, save what a miserable barn or shed afforded them.
Added to these hardships, it was not always that they could get sufficient food; and the effects of hunger, cold, and fatigue were now being severely felt, especially by poor Katherine, whose strength was daily diminishing, and which her husband noticed with no little anxiety, the more so that the poor donkey had fallen lame, and was, therefore, but of little use to them; and this materially retarded their progress.