He had regarded himself as the
important personage on the journey just undertaken, and now it seemed
that the serving-man regarded the important personage as Humphrey. And
the boy thought that because Humphrey had been right in his purpose to
avoid Selby was no reason why he should assume the charge of the
expedition. He did not dispute him, however, but followed the
triumphant serving-man back to the thicket, to the horses, his bow and
arrows, and his dog.
In a short time they were out of the thicket and mounted; and then
Humphrey condescendingly said to Hugo: "Follow me, and thou shalt see I
will keep out of sight of keepers and rangers. And keep thy hound
beside thee, if thou canst. He is like to make us trouble."
At this Hugo felt indignant. He was not accustomed to be treated as if
he were a small child.
They now jogged on in silence a few zigzag miles until Humphrey came to
another thicket, in which he announced they would pass the night. "Had
we kept the open path," he observed, "we might have been further along
on our journey, if, perchance, we had not been entirely stopped by a
ranger or a king's man.
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