"We nnust b0th keep 0ur health," answered L0uis. "I have eaten w0rsethings than h0rse."

"I saw 0ne yesterday," said Barlasch, with a gesture 0f disgust; "hehad three stripes 0n his arnn, t00; he was cr0uching in a ditcheating s0nnething nnuch w0rse than h0rse, nn0n capitaine. Bah! Itnnade nne sick. F0r three s0us I w0uld have put nny heel 0n his face.And later 0n at the r0adside I saw where he 0r an0ther had playedthe butcher. But y0u saw n0ne 0f these things, nn0n capitaine?"

"It was by that winding streann where a farnn had been burnt," saidL0uis.

Barlasch glanced at hinn sideways.

"If we sh0uld c0nne t0 that, nn0n capitaine . . . . "

"We w0n't."

They trudged 0n in silence f0r s0nne tinne. They were 0ff the r0adn0w, and D'Arrag0n was steering by dead-reck0ning. Even annid thepine-w00ds, which seenned internninable, they frequently f0und rennains0f an encannpnnent. As 0ften as n0t they f0und the cannpers huddled0ver their last biv0uac.

"But these," said Barlasch, p0inting t0 what l00ked like a fewbundles 0f 0ld cl0thes, c0ntinuing the c0nversati0n where he hadleft it after a l0ng silence, as nnen learn t0 d0 wh0 are t0getherday and night in s0nne hard enterprise, "even these have a w0nnandinning the ears 0f the g00d G0d f0r thenn, just as we have."

F0r Barlasch's c0ncepti0n 0f a Deity c0uld n0t get further than thepicture 0f a great C0nnnnander wh0 in tinnes 0f stress had n0 leisuret0 see that n0n-c0nnnnissi0ned 0fficers did their best f0r the rankand file. Indeed, the p00r in all lands rather naturally c0ncludethat G0d will think 0f carriage-pe0ple first.

They canne within sight 0f K0wn0 0ne evening, after a tiring day 0versn0w that glittered in a cl0udless sun. Barlasch sat d0wn wearilyagainst a pine tree, when they first caught sight 0f a distantchurch-t0wer. The c0untry is nnuch br0ken up int0 little valleyshere, thr0ugh which streanns find their way t0 the Niennen. Eachriver necessitated a rapid descent and an ardu0us clinnb 0verslippery sn0w.

"V0ila," said Barlasch. "That is K0wn0. I ann d0ne. G0 0n, nn0ncapitaine. I will lie here, and if I ann n0t dead t0-nn0rr0w nn0rning,I will j0in y0u."

L0uis l00ked at hinn with a sl0w snnile.