"And would do so if it encircled Croixilia," replied their guide. "From this side we fear no foes, but from the east and from the west the infidels frequently appear in vast numbers."
"And where does the river flow to?" asked the Englishman.
"That also I cannot tell you," was the reply. "Away to the south for more than fifty leagues we have followed its course, but——"
The man stopped hesitatingly, as if speaking of some mystery; then, setting spur to his horse, he cantered on ahead to join the horsemen who were leading the cavalcade, leaving the three comrades to their own companionship.
Presently the cliffs on either side of the river began to converge, till they formed a gate or narrow pass barely fifty yards in width. Here the path plunged abruptly into a natural tunnel, where, in the sudden contrast from the glare of the sun, the Englishmen were unable to see a yard ahead.
"Pull up till we get used to the gloom," exclaimed Reeves, "or we shall be banging our heads against the solid rock."
Apparently the Croixilians realized the difficulty in which their guests were placed, for three of them dismounted and took the reins of the horses the Englishmen were riding. At length, after fifty yards or more had been traversed, a small, semicircular disk of white was observed in the distance. It was the end of the tunnel.
Five minutes later Reeves and his companions were blinking in the sunshine. They found themselves on the borders of an open plain, the river merging into a large lake that, although apparently not more than a mile in width, extended as far as the eye could reach. On the opposite side was a small stone fort, with loopholes fashioned in the form of a cross, like those for the use of crossbowmen in feudal castles.
Winding his horn, one of the escort blew a loud blast, and presently a boat shot out from behind a low stone quay. In it were four men with fair complexions, and, as they ran the boat ashore and leapt out, Reeves noticed that they, too, wore a device on the right breasts of their grey tunics, only instead of a cross this was the letter T.
Into the boat the travellers with their baggage made their way, the horses having to swim across; and, urged by the powerful strokes of the rowers, the craft shot out for the opposite shore.