by G. A. Henty
Chapter 13: A Rescued Party.
After a considerable pause, a gun was again fired, this time muchnearer to them. Charlie drew out his pistol and was about to reply,when his companion touched his arm.
"Look!" he said.
Charlie turned in time to see several gray forms flit rapidlybetween the bushes. He stepped to the edge of the road, and sawsome wolves spring out through the bushes, and go straight alongthe road.
"What can have scared them?" he asked, in surprise. "The gun wasnot near enough for that."
"No, besides they would have fled deeper into the forest, insteadof taking to the road. Perhaps they hear something coming."
Almost at the same moment, two shots were heard in the directiontowards which the wolves were making.
"That is it!" Charlie excitedly exclaimed. "Another body of wolveshave attacked a passing traveller. Heap the wood on, Stanislas. Ifwe make a great fire, and they get as far as this, possibly theycould spring off and take refuge here. At any rate, the brands willbe better weapons even than our axes."
The ends of such branches as they were able to move were broughttogether, and a few blows with their axes speedily broke offseveral of the outer ends of charred wood. These were thrown on,and the fire soon blazed up high again.
Two more shots were heard, this time close at hand.
They ran into the road. A sledge, with several figures in it, wascoming along at full speed. It was almost surrounded by wolves,and, as they looked, two of them sprang at the horses' heads; buttwo shots again rung out, and they dropped backwards among theircompanions, many of whom threw themselves at once upon theirbodies, while the sledge continued on its headlong course.
"Here! here!" Charlie shouted at the top of his voice, waving hishands to show the direction which they were to take.
A moment later the sledge dashed past them, and swept up to thefire.
"Seize the blazing brands!" Charlie shouted, as those in the sledgethrew themselves out.
He and Stanislas rolled the two first wolves over with theirpistols, and then joined the others.
The driver had run at once to the horses, and had muffled them, bythrowing his coat over the head of one, and a rug over the head ofthe other, and, though snorting and trembling in every limb, theystood quiet until he had thrown a head rope round each of theirnecks, and fastened them to the heaviest of the branches. Then heseized a handful of fallen leaves, which were exposed by themelting of the snow above them, and threw them into the fire,whence a dense smoke poured out.
The wolves had again stopped to devour the two animals that hadbeen shot, and this gave time to the men, by their united efforts,to move a heavy branch and place it across two others, whose endslay in the fire, so as to form with them a sort of triangularbreastwork, the face of which, next to them, was manned by the twotravellers, their servants, Charlie, and Stanislas, with blazingbrands.
Charlie and his companion hastily loaded their pistols again. Thetwo gentlemen had each rifles and a brace of pistols, as had theirservants. A lady and child had been lifted from the sledge, andthese crouched down at the angle by the fire. The sledge and thetwo horses protected one of the faces of the position, and thedriver, at his master's orders, took his position on the front seatagain, so as to shoot down any wolf that might try to attack theflank of the outside horse.
The wolves looked doubtful at the appearance of the dense smokerising up, but, after a little hesitation, they rushed to theattack. Four were rolled over by bullets from the rifles, and, asthey came within a few yards, the pistols cracked out in rapidsuccession. As soon as these were all emptied, the six men caughtup the blazing brands, and struck full in the faces of the wolves,shouting loudly as they did so.
Seized with a momentary panic, the animals turned and fled, andthen a fierce fight took place between the injured wolves and theircompanions. There was but just time to recharge the rifles andpistols, when they came on again. Although the fire of thedefenders was as deadly as before, the wolves seemed this timedetermined to get at their victims. In vain were blows showered ontheir heads, while those who first sprang on the tree were stabbedwith the knives the defenders held in their left hands.
The contest could have had but one termination, when suddenly twoshots were heard, and then, with loud shouts, a party of men burstthrough the forest, and with pistol and axe fell on the wolves.This unexpected onslaught had a decisive effect, and, with loudhowls and yelps, the wolves turned and fled.
Up to this time, not a word had been exchanged by the defenders,beyond Charlie's first shout of "Lay this branch across those two,"and the order of one of the gentlemen to the coachman to take hisplace in the sledge--where he had done his work well, for fourwolves lay dead by the flank of the outside horse. Several of thosethat had sprung at the heads of the horses had been shot or cutdown by the master, who had placed himself close to them, and thehorses' thick mufflings had saved them from any serious injury.
As soon as the wolves fled, the gentleman turned to Charlie, and,flinging down his weapons, threw his arms round his neck.
"You have preserved us from death, sir. You have saved my wife andchild from being torn to pieces. How can I express my thanks toyou?"
"It was fortunate that we happened to be here," Charlie said, "andthat we had this fire handy."
A cry from the child called off the gentleman's attention, and heran to his wife, who had sunk fainting on the ground; and Charlie,not a little pleased at this diversion, turned to Ladislas and hismen, who were looking on with the most intense astonishment at thescene. Charlie leapt over the branch, and grasped Ladislas by thehand.
"You have arrived at the nick of time, Ladislas. Another threeminutes, and it would have been all over with us."
"Yes, I could see it was a close thing as soon as I caught sight ofyou. We have been wondering all night what became of you, and setout as soon as it was light. We fired a shot occasionally, but welistened in vain for your three shots."
"We fired them half an hour after daylight," Charlie said; "but, aswe had then only five charges left between us, and there werewolves all round, we dared not waste them."
"We heard firing at last," the captain went on. "First two shotsfaintly, then two nearer, and a minute later two others. We knewthen that you must be engaged with wolves, and we were running ashard as we could in the direction of the shots, when we heard anumber fired close together. Of course we could make nothing of it,but on we ran. Then there was another outbreak of firing, this timequite close. A moment later we caught sight of a confused mass.There was a fire, and a sledge with two horses, and a man standingup in it shooting; and we could see a desperate fight going on withthe wolves in front, so Alexander and Hugo fired their pieces intothe thick of them. We set up a yell, and went at them with ouraxes, yet I did not feel by any means sure that they would not betoo many for us.
"But what on earth does it all mean? And how is it that you havelived through the night? We had no expectation of finding youalive. However, that fire tells its own tale, as though nothingless than burning up a big tree would content you."
"I will tell you all, presently. It is too long a story now. Let ushelp these travellers to go their way, before the wolves rallyagain."
"They will not do that," the captain said confidently. "If it wasnight, they might hang about the neighbourhood, but they arecowardly beasts in the daytime, and easily scared. They are stillgoing away at their best pace, I will be bound."
While Charlie was speaking to Ladislas, one of the travellers hadbeen talking to Stanislas, who, in answer to his question, hadinformed him that he was in Charlie's service, and that the latterwas an English gentleman, who had, from a variety of circumstances,especially the suspicion with which all strangers were regarded,been unable to travel through the country, and had therefore beenpassing the winter hunting, with this company of disbanded soldierswho had so opportunely arrived to their assistance.
The other traveller had, by this time, carried his wife bey
ond theheat of the fire, and had applied some snow to her forehead,pouring a little brandy from the flask between her lips. She hadnow begun to revive, and, leaving her, he approached the party. Hisbrother met him, and in a few words told him what he had learnedfrom Stanislas.
"My friends," he said, "my brother tells me that you are a party ofdischarged soldiers, who are passing the winter in a hut here inthe forest, supporting yourselves by shooting and fishing. I haveto thank Providence for the thought that sent you here. I have tothank you for your prompt assistance, to which we are indebted forour lives.
"I am Count Nicholas Staroski, and can at least make a substantialreturn for the service you have done me. My estates lie some sixtymiles to the north. You will have no difficulty in finding me.Present yourselves there at Easter. I shall certainly be at mychateau then. I will then talk over what can be done for you. Thosewho like to settle down on land shall have land, those who wouldlike employment in my household shall have it, those who wouldprefer money to go their own way and settle in their own villagesshall each have a heavy purse."
Then he turned to Charlie.
"You, sir, as my brother has learned from your brave follower here,are an English gentleman. To you I owe far heavier obligation thanto these soldiers, for you and your man incurred a terrible risk,and well-nigh sacrificed your lives for ours. I pray you come withus, and stay with us for a time. I shall then hear your plans, andyour object in visiting this country, and if I can in any wayfurther them, you may be sure I will do so to the utmost; for thepresent, I can promise you at least excellent hunting, and theheartiest welcome."
"I thank you very heartily, Count Staroski, and accept gladly yourinvitation; but I must first speak to the captain of these men, towhom I am much beholden for the kindness he has shown me."
He went across to Ladislas, who had heard what was said.
"You will not think it ungrateful for me to quit you so suddenly,Ladislas," he said in a low voice.
"Assuredly not. You have done us a service, indeed, in thusenabling us to obtain favour with the count. He is one of ourrichest and most powerful nobles, and our fortunes are as good asmade."
"I will introduce you to him personally," Charlie said.
"This, count, is the leader of the party. He has shown me verygreat kindness, and has proved a true friend. From what I have seenof him, I have no doubt whatever that, in spite of certain acts oflawlessness to which he and his friends have been driven of late,you will find him, in any position you may be good enough to givehim, an honest and thoroughly trustworthy man."
"I will bear it in mind," the count said. "Now, the sooner we areoff, the better. How far is it to the next village?"
"About seven miles, count."
The count gave orders for the sledge to be taken on to the roadagain.
"One moment," the captain said, taking Charlie aside. "Pray tellus, in a few words, what has happened. The burning of the tree is amystery to us, and we shall die of curiosity if we have to remainhere for another two months with the matter unexplained."
In as few words as possible, Charlie related to the men the storyof the preceding night, which was greeted with exclamations ofsurprise and admiration.
"Truly, you have your wits about you," the captain said. "I shouldhave been frozen to death, if I had been in your position, for Ishould certainly never have thought of lighting a fire up in atree.
"Well, goodbye, if we do not see you again, may all good fortuneattend you, and may the saints protect you from all danger."
Charlie shook hands with the men all round, and then hurried downto the sledge. The coachman was already in the front seat, thecountess and her child had taken their places, and the two armedservants and Stanislas were standing behind, in readiness to jumpon to a board fastened above the runners.
"I must apologize for keeping you waiting, countess," Charlie saidas he ran up. "I had to explain to my friends, in a few words, howthis had all come about."
"We are also longing to know," the count said. "But I have not yetintroduced you to my wife, nor have I learned the name of thegentleman to whom I owe so much."
"Ah, sir," the young countess said, holding out her hand afterCharlie had given his name, "what do we not owe you? I shall neverforget it all, never."
"We will talk when we have started, Feodora. Let us get out of thisforest as soon as we can."
He took his place beside his wife, and set the child on his knees;his brother and Charlie sitting opposite to him. The servantsspread a bearskin rug over their knees, and then jumped into theirplaces, as the driver cracked his whip, and the horses started.
"You must think us almost mad to be driving through the forest, atthis time of the year," the count said to Charlie. "But thecountess is a Russian. We have been staying two months at herfather's place, a hundred miles to the east. My two youngestchildren are at home, and two days since a message arrived, sayingthat one of them was dangerously ill. We had heard, of course, manytales of the numbers and fierceness of the wolves, but we hopedthat, by travelling only by day and with excellent horses, therewas not much to fear, especially as we were five armed men.
"We fell in with a few wolves yesterday, but beat them off easilyenough. Last night, we stopped at a little village in the forest.They certainly made me feel uneasy there, with their tales aboutthe wolves, but there was no help for it. We started as soon as daybroke, and had driven some fifteen miles, before we came up to you.We had not gone five when the wolves began to show themselves.
"At first, they kept well behind us, but presently we came upon alarge number, who joined in near where we saw an overturned sledge,with the snow stained with blood all round it. From there we keptup a running fight, and must have killed a score; but their numbersincreased, rather than diminished, and when a fresh pack came upfrom ahead, a quarter of a mile before we saw you, it looked as ifour case was hopeless; for the horses, which had been going at thetop of their speed from the time we started, were beginning toflag, while the wolves were fast closing in upon us, and were justbeginning to attack the horses, when I saw you in the road.
"And now, pray tell us how you came to be there so opportunely, andhow it was that you had that great fire blazing."
Charlie gave the full history of the previous night's adventure.
"Wonderful!" the count and his brother exclaimed; and the formerwent on: "I have heard many stories of escapes from wolves, butnever one like yours. It was an admirable thought, indeed, that ofat once obtaining heat and frightening the wolves away, by settingthe tree on fire. That thought saved our lives as well as your own,for our fate would have been the same as those unfortunatetravellers, whose horses you saw, and who brought the wolves uponyou.
"And now, sir, would it be impertinent to ask for what purpose youhave come to Poland? Believe me, I only put the question in orderto see if I can in any way be of assistance to you."
"I do not know, count, whether my avowal will affect youunfavourably, but I know that it will make no difference in yourconduct towards me. I am, as my servant told you, an Englishman bybirth; but I and my father were obliged, in consequence ofpolitical opinions, to leave the country, and I am now a captain inthe service of Charles of Sweden."
Exclamations of surprise broke from his hearers.
"Well, sir," the count said, smiling, "as his majesty King Charles,although not yet one-and-twenty, is one of the greatest generals inEurope, I cannot consider it strange that you, who appear to me tobe no older, should be a captain in his service. But I own that Ipictured, to myself, that the officers of these wonderful soldierswere fierce-looking men, regular iron veterans."
"I am but eighteen," Charlie said, "and I myself feel it absurdthat I should be a captain. It is but two years since I wasappointed an ensign, and the king happening to be with my company,when we had a sharp fight with the Russians, he rewarded us byhaving us made into a regiment; so each of us got promotion. I wasappointed captain last May, as a reward for a suggestion thatturned out useful
."
"May I ask what it was, Captain Carstairs, for it seems to me thatyou are full of happy ideas?"
"King Charles, as you may have heard, speaks freely to officers andsoldiers as he moves about the camp. I was standing on the edge ofthe river, looking across at the Saxons, on the day before we madethe passage, when the king came up and spoke to me. He said therewas no hope of our passage being covered--as our advance againstthe Russians at Narva had been--by a snowstorm; and I said that, asthe wind was at our backs, if we were to set fire to the greatstraw stacks the smoke would hide our movements from the Saxons.The idea was a very simple one, and would no doubt have occurred tothe king himself; however, he put it into execution with success,and was good enough, afterwards, to promote me to the rank ofcaptain."
"So it was owing to you that our army--or rather the Saxon army,for but few Poles were engaged in the battle--was defeated," thecount said, smiling. "Well, sir, it will do you no harm with us,for personally we are entirely opposed to Augustus of Saxony. Butyou have not yet explained how you, an officer in the Swedishservice, came to be here."
"I was sent by King Charles to Warsaw, to ascertain the feeling ofthe trading classes there. I had an introduction to a Scottishmerchant, and I passed as a countryman of his, who had come out toenter his business. One of the objects of my mission was toendeavour to induce the foreign merchants in Warsaw to do what theycould to promote a feeling in favour of peace with the Swedes, andthe substitution of another king in place of Augustus."
"It is not very clear, Captain Carstairs, how you can be fulfillingthat object by passing your winter with a party of robbers--for Isuppose your disbanded soldiers were little better--in a forest onthe confines of Russia."
Charlie laughed.
"It is rather a long story, count. Perhaps you will kindly tell methe news about public affairs, first."
"By no means," the count said. "That is a long story, too, and mywife would much rather hear yours than listen to it. She has notyet recovered from the events of this morning. But we will waituntil we are at the village. We have left the forest behind us, andanother half hour will take us to Stromoff, where we can get prettygood accommodation."
The horses, a splendid pair of animals, had, during their passagethrough the forest, shown every sign of fear; starting nervously,swerving, and going in sharp, sudden rushes, and always needing aconstant strain on the reins to keep them from bolting. Once awayfrom the trees, however, they settled down into a fast trot, andthe seven miles to Stromoff were done in less than half an hour.
No sooner did the landlord of the inn learn the name of his guest,than he, his wife, and sons bustled about in the greatest haste tomake things comfortable for them. Huge fires were lighted in theguest rooms, and the common room was cleared of the othercustomers, until the chamber should be sufficiently warmed foroccupation; while in the kitchen preparations were made for a meal,to which, in half an hour from their arrival, the party in thesledge sat down. When this was over, settles were placed round thefire, and Charlie then gave a full account of his adventures, fromthe time he was attacked in the streets of Warsaw.
"So it was you, Captain Carstairs, after whom there was so keen asearch in September. The death of Ben Soloman made a great stir,and I can assure you that there are a great many people who owe youa debt of gratitude. The man had no sons, and all his propertypassed to his widow, whom he had, it seems, treated harshly duringhis lifetime. She was from Holland, and wished to return to herpeople, so, as his means were very large, she made the easiestterms with all those on whose estates her husband had heldmortgages, in order to wind up her affairs as soon as possible.Thus, his death was the subject of wide rejoicings. However, if youhad been caught at the time, I fear it would have gone hard withyou; for the Jews were all very keen about it--as the man, rascalthough he was, was one of the chief heads of their religion--andwere you to fall into their hands in any of the towns, they wouldeither kill you or send you to Warsaw."
"And now, sir, will you tell me what has taken place sinceSeptember?"
"Things have moved slowly. Augustus endeavoured, after his defeaton the Dwina, to make peace with Charles on his own account, andwithout the knowledge of the diet, but Charles refused to giveaudience to any of his agents, and would not even see the beautifulCountess of Konigsmark, who is, you know, herself a Swede, and whomAugustus sent, thinking that her blandishments might win over theyoung king. It was useless. Charles maintained the ground that hetook up from the first--namely, that he would treat with the diet,but would have nothing whatever to say to Augustus. So the dietsent an embassy of four senators.
"Instead of receiving them with every pomp and ceremony, as theyexpected, the king met them on horseback. He demanded that, as afirst condition, they should dethrone Augustus. Parties in the dietwere pretty equally divided; but the proposal was rejected, foreven those most hostile to Augustus resented the proposal that we,a free and unconquered people, should be ordered by a foreignprince to change our king. So nothing came of it.
"The Swedish army advanced a certain distance into Poland, andthere were a great number of skirmishes, but there has been noserious fighting, nor is there much chance of any, until the snowhas gone and the country dried up in the spring. At present,Augustus is quarrelling with the diet, who still set themselvesagainst the importation of more Saxon troops. But doubtless, beforethe campaign begins in earnest, he will have settled matters withthe senators, and will have his own way in that respect. There is,however, little chance of the diet agreeing to call out the wholeforces of the country, and the next battle will, like the last, bebetween the Swedes and the Saxons, who may have with them perhaps afew thousand Poles, belonging to the king's party."
"You don't belong to the king's party, count?"
"No. I, like the majority of our nobles, have no interest whateverin the war, for we were never consulted before it began. It is anaffair between Saxony and the Swedes. Let them fight it out. Itwould be a bad day for Poland, if Augustus and the Russians were toovercome and despoil Sweden. We want no addition of territory, forthat would be to strengthen our kings against us. We see thetrouble caused by Augustus having Saxony at his command, and if hehad other territory, the country would be divided into two parts,one of which would have nothing in common with the other.
"Still less do we wish to see Russia gain territory to the north ofus. Hitherto we have thought but little of the Muscovites, but thiswar has shown that they can put great armies into the field, andthe czar is making them into a nation which may some day beformidable to us.
"Charles has sent every assurance that he has no ill will towardsPoland, and is an enemy not of the country but of its king--who hadformed a coalition against him in a time of profound peace--andthat his hostility will altogether cease with the overthrow andexpulsion of Augustus. So you see, we who live at a distance fromthe capital, and hold ourselves altogether aloof from the intriguesof court, look on at the fray as if it were one in which we have nopart or lot. If Augustus drives out the Swedes, we shall probablyhave trouble with him afterwards. If Charles drives out Augustus,we shall have a fresh king, and shall no doubt choose one upon therecommendation of Charles, who will then march away again, leavingus to manage our own affairs. Therefore, we have no animositywhatever against you as a Swedish officer, but for comfort's sakeit is better that nothing should be said of this, and that I shouldintroduce you to my friends simply as an English gentleman, who hasrendered me the greatest possible service."
The countess retired to bed, a short time after they had finishedtheir meal, and the others sat up talking until late in theevening. Charlie learnt that the country was still in a greatlydisturbed state. Parties of disbanded soldiers and others, rendereddesperate by cold and hardship, were everywhere plundering thepeasantry, and many encounters had taken place between them and thenobles, who, with their retainers, had marched against them. Travelwould be dangerous for a long time to come.
"Therefore, until the spring, you must not think o
f moving," thecount said. "Indeed, I think that your best plan, when you start,will be to work due north, and join the Swedish forces near Narva.It will be shorter as well as less dangerous. Still, we can talk ofthat later on."
The next morning they started early, and arrived in the afternoonat the chateau of the count. It was not a fortified building, forthe Poles differed from the western nations, abstaining fromfortifying their towns and residences, upon the ground that theywere a free people, capable of defending their country from foreigninvasion, and therefore requiring no fortified towns, and that suchplaces added to the risks of civil war, and enabled factions to setthe will of the nation at defiance.
The building was a large one, but it struck Charlie as beingsingularly plain and barn-like in comparison with the residences ofcountry gentlemen in England. A number of retainers ran out as theydrove up into the courtyard, and exclamations of surprise anddismay rose, as the wounds on the horses' flanks and legs werevisible; and when, in a few words, the count told them that theyhad been attacked by wolves, and had been saved principally by theEnglish gentleman and his follower, the men crowded round Charlie,kissed his hands, and in other ways tried to show their gratitudefor his rescue of their master and mistress.
"Come along," the count said, taking his arm and leading him intothe house. "The poor fellows mean well, and you must not be vexedwith them."
The countess's first question had been for her child, and with anexclamation of thankfulness, when she heard that it was better, shehad at once hurried into the house. As soon as they had entered,the count left Charlie in charge of his brother, and also hurriedaway. He was not long before he returned.
"The child is doing well," he said, "and now that it has got itsmother again, it will, I think, improve rapidly. The doctor saidthis morning that he considered it out of danger, but that itneeded its mother sorely, to cheer and pet it."
In a very short time the tables were laid. The count, his brother,and Charlie sat at an upper table, and the hall was filled with thevarious officers and retainers. The count's arrival was expected,for a horseman had been sent forward on their arrival at the innthe evening before. The dinner had therefore been cooked inreadiness, and Charlie was astonished at the profusion with whichit was served. Fish, joints, great pies, and game of many kindswere placed on the table in unlimited quantities; the drink being aspecies of beer, although excellent wine was served at the hightable. He could now understand how often the Polish noblesimpoverished themselves by their unbounded hospitality and love ofdisplay.
"I suppose, for tomorrow, you will like to remain quiet," the countsaid, "but after that we will try to amuse you. There is game ofall sorts to be shot, or if you have had enough sport, lately,there will be a sledge and horses at your disposal, whenever youchoose to ride or drive, and in a few days we will give anentertainment, in honour at once of our return, your visit, and thechild's restoration to health. Then you will have an opportunity ofseeing our national dances."
Charlie had had enough shooting, but he greatly enjoyed the drivesin the sledges, behind the spirited horses. The entertainment cameoff a fortnight after his arrival at the chateau. The guests, forthe most part, arrived early in the afternoon, many having drivenin from great distances. The preparations had been on an immensescale, and the scene at night was a brilliant one.
Never had Charlie seen anything like the magnificence of thedresses, not of the ladies only, but also of the gentlemen; thePoles having the true oriental love for rich costumes, a taste thattheir national dress permitted them to gratify to the utmost. Nextto the splendour of the dresses, Charlie was surprised at the graceand spirit of the dancing, which was far more vivacious than thatof western nations. The Poles were long considered to be the bestdancers in the world. It was their great national amusement; andall danced, from noble to peasant, entering into it with spirit andenthusiasm, and uniting the perfection of rhythmical motion withthe grace and ease peculiar to them, and to their kinsmen theHungarians.
The dancing was kept up, with unflagging energy, during the wholenight; and then, after a substantial breakfast, the men and womenwere muffled up in furs, and took their places in the sledges.
The count would gladly have had Charlie remain with him untilspring began, but he was anxious to rejoin the army; and, seeingthat this was so, the count did everything in his power tofacilitate his journey, which, after talking it over, had beendecided should be direct towards the royal camp. The count'sbrother insisted upon accompanying him on the journey, as in thisway many of the difficulties would be avoided. Two sledges wereprepared, the one for the use of Charlie and Count John, and theother for the two servants and baggage. Both were horsed by thefastest animals in the count's stables.
Charlie himself had been loaded with presents, which he had beenobliged somewhat reluctantly to accept, as he saw that a refusalwould hurt and mortify his kind hosts. He had, on his arrival, beenprovided with an ample wardrobe of clothes of all kinds, and tothese were now added dolmans, cloaks, rugs, and most costly furs. Asplendid gun, pistols, and a sword, with the hilt studded withgems, completed his outfit; while Stanislas had been presented witha heavy purse of money.
The whole of the retainers of the castle were assembled to see themstart, and the count and countess, at parting, made him promise tocome and pay them another visit, if the fortune of war should bringhim within the possibility of reaching them.
The journey was a delightful one. Each night they put up at thechateau of some nobleman. To many of these Count John Staroski waspersonally known; at the others, his name secured at once a heartywelcome for himself and his companion. Travelling only by day, andat the full speed of the horses, they escaped interruption by themarauding bands, and in fourteen days after starting they droveinto the town where Charles of Sweden had his headquarters, afterbeing twice stopped and questioned by bodies of Swedish horse.
The town was crowded with troops, and they had some difficulty infinding a lodging for themselves, and stabling for the horses. Assoon as this was done, Charlie proceeded alone to the quarters ofCount Piper.