The farmer's daughter stopped crying and came to her senses.

"My God! What have you done"? She cried.

"If more enemy soldiers come here they will do the same to us".

"Don't be afraid, little girl. We shall wash away all the blood. Nobody will ever know anything, said her father".

He glanced at the spades, which hung on the wall and had a good mind to take one down and smash the soldiers' skulls for the last time, but he checked himself. He understood that the women couldn't stand any more violence.

"We should bury these two dead lice in the forest, don't you agree father"? Asked his son.

"That's what I think we shall do", said the farmer.

Then he clapped the soldiers' horses on their backsides so that they would run back to the fort.

It had begun to raid. Soon it was pouring heavily and washed away all traces of the blood left by the corpses, which they had dragged through the forest.

THE WEEDS THRIVE