A flush of pleasure brightened up the long sallow face of the old
poacher, and his eyes sparkled.

"Ha, ha!" he cried, "I knew we should come to that at last!"

And he slipped his rifle round from his shoulder into his hand.

This significant action roused me.

"Wait, Sperver; we are not going to kill the Black Pest, but to take her
alive!"

"Alive?"

"No doubt, and it will spare you a good deal of remorse perhaps if I
declare to you that the life of this old woman is bound up with that of
your master. The ball that hits her hits your lord."

Sperver gazed at me in astonishment.

"Is this really true, Fritz?"

"Positively true."

There was a long silence; our mounts, Fox and Rappel, tossed their heads
at each other as if in the act of saluting one another, scraping up the
snow with their hoofs in congratulation upon so pleasant an expedition.
Lieverlé opened wide his red mouth, gaping with impatience, extending and
bending his long meagre body like a snake, and Sperver sat motionless,
his hand still upon his gun.