left of the bushes. The
laughter swelled upon the silence of the night, and in the next moment was taken
up by another on the right, which again was echoed by a third on the rear. Peal
after peal of tumultuous and scornful laughter resounded from the remoter
solitudes of the forest; and the officer stood aghast to hear this proclamation
of defiance from a multitude of enemies, where he had anticipated no more than
the very party engaged in the robbery.
    To advance in pursuit seemed now both useless and dangerous. The laughter
had probably been designed expressly to distract his choice of road at a time
when the darkness and intricacies of the ground had already made it sufficiently
indeterminate. In which direction, out of so many whence he had heard the
sounds, a pursuit could be instituted with any chance of being effectual, seemed
now as hopeless a subject of deliberation as it was possible to imagine. Still,
as he had been made aware of the great importance attached to the trunk, which
might very probably contain despatches interesting to the welfare of Klosterheim
and the whole surrounding territory, he felt grieved to retire without some
further attempt for its recovery. And he stood for a few moments irresolutely
debating with himself, or listening to the opinions of his men.
    His irresolution was very abruptly terminated. All at once, upon the main
road from Klosterheim, at an angle about half a mile ahead where it first
wheeled into sight from Waldenhausen, a heavy thundering trot was heard ringing
from the frozen road, as of a regular body of cavalry advancing rapidly upon
their encampment. There was no time to be lost; the officer instantly withdrew
his yagers from the wood, posted a strong guard at the wood side, sounded the
alarm throughout the camp, agreeably to the system of signals previously
concerted, mounted about thirty men, whose horses and themselves were kept in
perfect equipment during each of the night watches, and then, advancing to the
head of the barriers, prepared, to receive the party of strangers in whatever
character they should happen to present themselves.
    All this had been done with so much promptitude and decision that, on
reaching the barriers, the officer found the strangers not yet come up. In fact,
they had halted at a strong outpost about a quarter of a mile in advance of
Waldenhausen; and, though one or two patrollers came dropping in from byroads on
the forest heath, who reported them as enemies, from the indistinct view they
had caught of their equipments, it had already become doubtful from their
movements whether they would really prove so.
    Two of their party were now descried