"I must e'en take thy advice, and obtain speedy release from this pain,
or else be found here dead ere the post be relieved. Keep thou open
keen eyes and ears, and I pray that no harm may come of this my first
neglect of duty in all the years that I have served the King."

With these words the old soldier thrust his pike into Réné's hands, and
hurried away as quickly as his pain would permit towards his own
quarters in the smithy.

As soon as Simon was out of hearing, Réné went and recovered his
cross-bow. Then he carefully and noiselessly undid the fastenings of
the great gate, and swung it open a few inches. This accomplished, he
shouldered Simon's heavy pike, and patiently paced, like a sentry, up
and down beneath the dark archway, until he heard approaching footsteps.

He called softly, "Is that thou, Simon?"

"Ay, lad," came the answer.

Then laying down the pike, and seizing his own cross-bow, Réné slipped
quickly through the gate (which swung to behind him), and with
noiseless footsteps fled swiftly across the bridge that spanned the
moat, and disappeared in the black shadows of the forest beyond.

[Illustration: Réné slipped quickly through the gate.]

Although the moon had risen, and was now well up in the eastern sky, so
that the bridge was brightly illumined by it, Réné crossed unnoticed.
As the gate was still firmly fastened when he returned, Simon failed to
detect that it had been opened, but the old man spent some minutes