Pursuit

Some sound that Frederigo made must have woken me. Perhaps he stepped on a twig and it snapped. At any rate I opened my eyes in time to see his bare back-side, pale in the light of the moon that was just beginning to rise above the horizon, as he ran away from me and towards the nearby woods.

I shouted after him, but either he did not hear me or else he took no notice. A few seconds later he disappeared amongst the trees. What had got into him? Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

The trees grew too thickly for it to be practical to go amongst them on horseback, so I would have to pursue Fred on foot. The chances of successfully tracking him through the woods at night were slim, but I couldn't afford to wait till morning since by then he might be miles away. The only point in my favour was that by running he would inevitably break down some of the undergrowth and also would make a fair amount of noise.

Cursing, I emerged from my sleeping bag and got dressed as quickly as I could. Fred might choose to run naked through the undergrowth, but I did not consider that a very good idea. Finally I put on my boots and strapped on my sword-belt. As well as my sword in its scabbard, I took the dagger with me, sticking it in the belt. Then I ran towards the trees myself.

1. Fortunately I could still hear Fred crashing through the undergrowth, somewhere up ahead.
2. By now, Fred had too much of a head start for me to be able to hear him.

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