CHAPTER XIV.
THE PURSUIT.
The task of tracing the lost girl was at first easy enough. She and thestranger, who, it now seemed, had been sent to entrap her, had been seenproceeding in the direction mentioned in the message. The neighbourhood ofthe villa was mostly cultivated ground, and there had been people at workin the fields who had noticed the girl's well-known figure. Beyond thisbelt of cultivated country, which might have been about a mile broad,there was only one road which it was possible for her to have taken.Following this, and reaching the hamlet at the further end of which, as wehave seen, the abduction had taken place, they still found themselves onthe right track. A child had seen two people, one of them, she said, apretty lady, pass by on the morning of the day before. The lady hadsmiled, and said a few words to her in her own language, and had given hera sweetmeat. Further on the traces of what they were looking for becamestill more evident. There were marks of struggle on the ground, for Carna,as we have seen, had not suffered herself to be taken without resistance;a button was found on the ground, which the peddler at once identified asone of his own selling. And a little off the path, the tree was found towhich the dog had been tied, with the fragment of string still attached toit. Curiously enough, no traces of the great dog could be found.
Nor did the next step in the pursuit delay them long. There were, it istrue, three paths through the forest, which closed in the hamlet on everyside except that by which the party had approached it. Carna's pet dog atonce decided for the searchers which of the three they should follow. Hediscovered the scent very quickly, ran at the top of his speed along thepath thus distinguished from the others for about a hundred yards, andthen, coming back, implored the party, so to speak, by his gestures, thatthey should come with him. It was evident that the path had been traversedby a party of considerable size, whose tracks, the marks of a horse'shoofs among them, were still fresh in the ground, soft as it was with thewinter rains. The dog was evidently satisfied that they were right, for heran quietly on, now and then giving a very soft little whine. It wantedstill an hour or so of sunset when the party emerged out of the forestupon the shore.
Here it might have seemed at first all trace was lost. The tide had flowedand ebbed twice since the girl had been there, and had swept away allmarks of footsteps. The dog too was no longer a guide. The poor littlecreature's distress indeed was pitiful, as he ran to and fro upon theshore with a plaintive whine.
The Count asked his companions for their opinions.
"Have they taken to the wood again, do you think? or have they crossed thewater? they may have gone a mile or more along the shore and then enteredthe forest. In that case it seems hopeless to recover the track."
"It is my opinion," said the peddler, "that they have crossed to themainland; but it is only an opinion, and I have little or nothing to urgefor it."
Other members of the party had different views; and, on the whole, opinionwas adverse to the peddler's view; and the Count was about to order asearch in the direction of the wood further along the shore, when theattention of the party was arrested by a shout from the Saxon.
The discussion had been carried on in a language which he had still somedifficulty in understanding, and he had been pacing backwards and forwardsalong the shore, seemingly lost in thought, but really watching everythingwith that keen attention to all outward objects which is one of thecharacteristics of uncivilized man. It was thus that something caught hiseye. He plunged his hand into one of the little rock-pools upon the shore,and drew it out. It was a small gold trinket, which the girl had droppedin the forlorn hope that it might be found. Its weight, for it was analmost solid piece of metal, had kept it in the place where it fell, andas the night and day had been uniformly calm, there had been no sufficientmovement of the water to disturb it. With a cry of delight the Saxon heldit up, and the Count recognized it at once.
"Ah!" said the peddler, "I knew the fellow would be of use to us. If theLady Carna is anywhere on the earth he would find her. This proves, mylord, that they have crossed the sea. They would certainly have not comedown so far from the shore as this."
This seemed too probable to admit of any doubt. Happily it had occurred tothe Count that it would be well to have some kind of vessel at hiscommand, and he had ordered a pinnace to start from the haven as soon asit could be got ready, and to coast along the shore of the island,watching for any signal that might be given. The land party hadoutstripped the ship, which, indeed, had not started till somewhat later.Still, it might be expected very soon. Meanwhile there was an opportunityfor discussing the aspect which the affair now bore.
After various opinions had been given, the Count turned to the peddler."And what do you think of the affair?"
"I have a notion," the man replied, "but it may be only a fancy--still Iseem to myself to have a notion of what their purpose is."
"Do you mean," pursued the Count, as the other paused, and seemed almostunwilling to speak, "do you mean that they think of holding her as a kindof hostage against me? Do they fancy that I shall not be able to actagainst them, and shall hinder my colleagues from acting, as long as sheis in their power? or will they keep her as something to make terms aboutif they fail?"
The other was still silent for a few minutes, and seemed to be collectinghis thoughts. At last he said:
"My lord, what I am going to tell you may seem as foolish as a dream. Ishould have gone on saying nothing about it, as I have said nothing aboutit hitherto, if things had not happened which makes it a crime for me tobe silent any longer. You find it difficult to believe that a rebellion ispossible among a nation which you have always looked upon as thoroughlysubdued. But what will you say if I tell you that this rebellion has beenpreparing for generations, and that the Druids have been, and are, at thebottom of it."
"Druids!" cried the Count, "I did not know that there were any Druids. Ithought that the last of them had disappeared years ago."
"Not so," replied the peddler; "the people who rule do not know what isgoing on about them. Now I have been among this people the greater part ofmy life. I have seen them, not as they show themselves to you, but as theyare. You think that they are Christians--not very good Christians, perhaps,but still not worse than other people--and believing the Creeds, if theybelieve anything. Now I know for a certainty that many of them are no moreChristians now than their fathers were three hundred and fifty years ago.I have seen sometimes, when no one knew that I saw, what they reallyworshipped. I have pieced together many little things. I have heard hintsdropped unawares, and I know that there is a secret society, which hasexisted ever since the island was conquered, which has for its object thebringing back of the old faith. I could name--if things turn out as Iexpect they will, I will name--men whom you believe to be quiet,respectable citizens, but who are the heads of a conspiracy reaching allover Britain, against Rome and the Christian Church. You never see themexcept in the tunic and the cap, but they can wear on occasion the Druid'srobe and crown."
"But tell me," said the Count, with a certain impatience, "what has thisgot to do with my daughter?"
"This, my lord," answered the other, "that if the Druids are making thegreat effort for which they have been preparing for no one knows how manyyears, they will begin it with all the solemnity that is possible--in aword, with the great sacrifice. This, I suppose, has not been practisedfor many generations, but it has not been forgotten. To speak plainly, Ibelieve that the Lady Carna has been carried off for the victim."
The Count staggered back as if he had been struck. "Impossible!" he cried."Such things cannot be in Britain: and why should they fix upon her?"
"For two reasons," said the peddler. "She is of royal race. You verylikely do not know or care about such things. All Britons to you will bemuch about the same; but they do not forget it. Yes, though her father wasnothing more than a sailor, she is descended from Cassibelan. And then sheis a Christian. These are the two reasons why
they have chosen her--this iswhat they honour her for, and this is what they hate her for."
"But where," cried the Count, "where is this monstrous thing to be done?"
"That," replied the other, "I think I know. It can hardly be done anywherebut at the Great Temple, the Choir Gawr, as they call it themselves."
"And where is this Great Temple?"
"About forty miles inland, in a nearly northerly direction. I have seenthe place once, and I can find my way to it, I believe; but, to make sure,I will find a guide."
"And when?"
"At the full moon. I should say."
"And how much does it want to the full moon now?"
"It will be full moon to-morrow night."
"We have to cross then to the mainland--and the galley is not in sight--tofind a guide, and to travel forty miles, and all before to-morrow night.Well, it must be done. To think of these wretches murdering my dearCarna!"
"Do not fear, my lord; we shall do it," said the peddler; but added, in alow voice, "if nothing happens."
At that moment the galley came in sight. "That is right," cried the Count;"anyhow, we begin well; no time will be lost in getting across."