you his guest awhile." The man laughed at his own pleasantry. "Will you dismount of your own accord, or shall we lend you our assistance?"
"Considering that you are five, and we are only two, and a half—" My brother had a philosophic way of accepting the inevitable.
"We are more than five," remarked one of the men, pointing behind him into the forest with his thumb.
"You are plenty, in any case," returned my brother, dismounting. He helped me from my horse. In French he said:
"There is a mistake. It is a long time since you and I possessed enough to attract these gentlemen; but be polite and friendly to them.
The brigands ordered the kouroudji—who also accepted the whole occurrence with philosophic calm—to proceed to Xanthy and report that his charges were captured by brigands, who would shortly communicate with their relatives.
"Will he really travel for two days, just to carry that message?" my brother asked with curiosity.
"Crossing this forest is his business. He knows that, if he does not do as we say, this forest will become his grave."
Paying the kouroudji, my brother bade him good-bye, and two of the brigands conducted him off.
They had told us the truth when they said
