I watched the men's looks and gestures at least as sharply as they watched mine; and all the time I was racking my wits for some mode of disarming their suspicions, or failing that, of learning something more of the position, which far exceeded in difficulty and danger anything that I had expected.

The whole valley, it would seem, was on the look-out to protect my man! I had purposely brought with me from Auch a couple of bottles of choice Armagnac; and these had been carried into the house with my saddle bags.
I took one out now and opened it and carelessly offered a dram of the spirit to the landlord.

He took it.

As he drank it, I saw his face flush; he handed back the cup reluctantly, and on that hint I offered him another, The strong spirit was already beginning to work, and he accepted, and in a few minutes began to talk more freely and with less of the constraint which had before marked us all.

Still, his tongue ran chiefly on questions--he would know this, he would learn that; but even this was a welcome change.