Searching in the forest behind, several mounds of earth, evidently graves, were discovered.

The landlord himself was among the killed, for one of the troopers, who had before stopped at the house, recognized him.

It was supposed that the brigands were killed by some other party with whom they had quarrelled.

Three of them were shot and two killed by tremendous blows from an axe, and as neither pistols nor axes were found in the room it is clear that those within had been killed by some other band." The next morning, when the column started, Hector and Paolo fell in among the carts, and rendered good service on the road by helping to move them when the wheels of the waggons stuck fast at spots where the road crossed marshy valleys.

So bad was the journey that it occupied two days.