“I’m glad you said that.” Lawrence eyed the wagon. “Horses?”

“They’re not saddled. Besides, in these woods they’d be more trouble than they’re worth. We’ll be quicker on foot.”

Lawrence nodded. “Very well. Though I suggest we see what these fellows are carrying. With luck they’ll have powder and shot, in which case we can make use of the weapons.”

They checked the bodies by lantern light. Hawkwood searched the pockets of the trooper struck by the lye barrel, ensuring none of the caustic liquid touched his skin. The trooper neither stirred nor made a sound, though the almost imperceptible rise and fall of his chest indicated that he was breathing. The pain which had caused him to lose consciousness must have been beyond terrible. Lye devoured flesh like molten fire. The trooper’s natural reflex would have been to clamp his eyes shut, but Hawkwood knew that wouldn’t have made any difference. He stared down at the state of the trooper’s hands and face. Even when he moved the light away, the darkness couldn’t conceal the horrific damage done to the man’s exposed skin and what remained of his eyes bore no relation to what had been there before. Some things, Hawkwood thought, were worse than death.

Further examination of the troopers’ pouches produced lock covers and cartridges. When he rifled the driver’s corpse, Lawrence discovered a small tin containing flint and steel and a wad of char cloth, which he pocketed, along with two pemmican strips another of the troopers had been storing inside his jacket.

After helping themselves to a pouch, a scarf and a canteen each, they were ready to depart. The lantern would have been useful for travelling at night, but they knew it would only draw attention to their presence, so they doused it. Then, taking their bearings and leaving the bodies where they lay, they headed into the woods.

They heard the river a while before it came into view and used the sound as a guide. Reaching the water took some time, however, and no small amount of effort for the descent through the trees in darkness was steep and made slippery and hazardous by the rains.

When they finally found themselves on the bank, Lawrence stared out across the swift-moving torrent. “Here we go again.”