But he was too late. At that moment the robber captain and his band entered the cave. When these men perceived the Stranger and the Hermit's Pupil, they drew their swords and were about to rush upon them, when the Pupil sprang forward and, throwing up his long arms, exclaimed:
'Stop! it is a mistake!'
At these words, the robber captain lowered his sword, and motioned to his men to halt. 'A mistake!' he said; 'what do you mean by that? '
'I mean,' said the Pupil, 'that I was out looking for curiosities, and wandered into this place by accident. We haven't taken a thing. You may count your goods, and you will find nothing missing. We have not even opened a box, although I very much wanted to see what was in some of them.'
