His heart beat fast and his breath came fitfully as he realized this, and he looked quickly round toward the black forest, as if wondering if he could plunge in there and escape.

But a strong hand was laid upon his arm, and he was pushed into the cave, where the ruddy glow of the fire fell full upon him.
Simon Dowsett, who in the absence of the Chief, as he was called, acted as the captain of the band, strode forward and fixed his eyes upon the lad, his face changing as he did so until its expression was one of diabolical malice.
"What ?" he cried aloud; "at the old game again?
You thought to trick us once more, and again to get off with a sound skin ?--Lads, this isn't the prince at all; this is the other of them, who has fooled you as he fooled the Chief himself long years ago.

What were you thinking of to take his word for it?
And you have let the real one slip through your fingers.
"Ha, ha, Sledge Hammer George! you are not quite so clever as you thought.

Why did you not wring the truth out of him, when the other quarry could not have been far off?
You have been pretty gulls to have been taken in like this!" The other man, who had now come up, looked full into Paul's face, and asked, not savagely though sternly enough: "Which are you, lad?
speak the truth.

Are you the Prince of Wales, or not ?" It was useless now to attempt to keep up the deception.