Little by little he and his companion made their way through the throng until they reached the line of armed sentries who kept their stations outside the royal tent.

Here they would have had to pause, had not Paul made a step forward and said boldly: "I am the servant squire of the prisoner, and I claim the right to stand at his side and share his fate, whatever it may be.

Let me and this lad, I pray you, go to him.

We desire nothing better than to lay down our lives with him." The sentries eyed the pair doubtfully.

Their unarmed condition and Paul's visibly battered state told that these were no dangerous conspirators; and devotion to a lost cause always stirs the generous feelings of brave men.