search of me in the avenue where I had met the beautiful Amazon.
Unfortunately, I had the unlucky idea, for greater safety, of making my
way into the opposite thicket. As I was cautiously crossing the open
space, a wild shout of joy informs me that I have been discovered; at the
same time, I see the whole squadron wheeling about and coming down upon me
like a torrent. There remained but one reasonable course for me to pursue;
it was to stop, to affect the surprise of a quiet stroller disturbed in
his walk, and to disconcert my assailants by an attitude at once simple
and dignified; but, seized with a foolish shame which it is easier to
conceive than to explain--convinced, moreover, that a vigorous effort
would be sufficient to rid me of this importunate pursuit and to spare me
the annoyance of an explanation--I commit the error--the ever deplorable
error--of hurrying on faster, or rather, to be frank with you, of running
away as fast as my legs would carry me. I cross the road like a hare, I
penetrate into the thicket, greeted on my passage with a volley of joyous
clamors. From that moment my fate was sealed; all honorable explanation
became impossible for me; I had ostensibly accepted the struggle with its
most extreme chances.

However, I still possessed a certain presence of mind, and while tearing
furiously through the brambles, I soothed myself with comforting
reflections. Once separated from my persecutors by the whole depth of a
thicket inaccessible to cavalry, it would be an easy matter to gain a
sufficient advance upon them to be able to laugh at their fruitless
search. This last illusion vanished when, on reaching the limit of the
covered space, I discovered that the cursed troop had divided into two
squads, who were both waiting for me at the outlet. At the sight of me, a
fresh storm of shouts and laughter broke forth, and the hunting-horns
sounded in all directions. I became dizzy; I felt the forest whirling
around me; I rushed into the first path that offered itself to me, and my