He directed his course boldly now for the stepping stones, and traveled fast.

Soon the first of them would be less than a hundred yards away.
But the incident was not over.

Wary and skillful though the young forest runner might be, he had made one miscalculation, and it led to great consequences.

As he skirted the edge of the swamp in the darkness, now fully come, a dusky figure suddenly appeared.

It was a stray warrior from some small band, wandering about at will.