Why, my brave fellow, what brings you here?"
"I have come to be with your honour," the man said. "It was, of
course, my duty to be by your side. I was very ill for a week, for
I had half a dozen wounds, but I managed, after the assailants left
me, to crawl back to Mr. Ramsay's to tell him what had happened. I
don't remember much about the next few days. Since then I have been
mending rapidly. None of the wounds were very serious, and it was
more loss of blood, than anything else, that ailed me. Mr. Ramsay
searched high and low for you, and we had all given you up for
dead, till a few hours before this man arrived with your letter.
"We heard you had killed Ben Soloman. I had a long talk with your
messenger, who received a handsome present from Mr. Ramsay, and he
agreed to conduct me here, upon my solemn promise that, if the
captain would not receive me, I would not give any information, on
my return, as to the whereabouts of the band. Mr. Ramsay hired a
light cart, and that brought us yesterday far into the forest. We
camped there, and I had not more than a couple of miles to walk to
get here this morning."
"Have you seen the captain?" Charlie asked eagerly.
"Yes. I was stopped by some sentries, a quarter of a mile away, and
was kept there while my guide came on and got permission of the
captain for me to be brought in.
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